Playing Crocodile Club Catch Up

 meant to get all caught up with Crocodile Club last week, but I didn't. So here are the tidbits left out in the telling:

Host Ray Dunaway did a good job. He wasn't prepared to say the blessing before the meal, but the expected preacher didn't show, so Ray had to man up and do it. He figured his credentials as club president gave him "the authority" so he plunged right in. I don't think he'll be running off to theology school anytime soon, but I'd say he passed. On a side note, he told me his accordian was in rough shape, so he didn't bring it. Hope he gets it fixed in time for next year.

Ray had a bell that he said he'd ring if anyone didn't abide by the five-minute time limit on the speeches. The only time he had to use it was on the first speaker -- Bristol Mayor Art Ward -- who was just getting warmed up and hadn't even tried to be funny by the time the bell rang. The bell didn't stop the mayor from moving ahead with his remarks, though.

The picture here is one of me and Wally Barnes, and the mayor, before he got the bell.

Carolyn Norton was the only Norton at this year's dinner. She was the toast of the town and the belle of the ball. She had fun, too.

Lots of old timers were happy to see the club back, thanks to the permission of the Norton family, who owned the rights to it, the hospitality of Lake Compounce, the great food provided by Nuchies catering and the hard work of the New England Carousel Museum, which brought the event back as a fundraiser.

Tons of newcomers were excited to get to attend the club for the first time. Many of them were seated up front at the head table and they had to give speeches. There could have been some better briefing by staff, since a couple people didn't understand how the humor was supposed to be playful and remarks weren't supposed to be mean. Hopefully next time, they'll know what it is and get with the program.

The worst offender was Mark Boughton, who is running for lieutenant governor on the Republican side. He took a serious shot at Dan Malloy and the crowd definitely didn't like it. As he made his way back to his seat, I heard Malloy tell him his "joke" didn't go over "any better than when Ned Lamont told it."

Malloy and Tom Foley were both there for the first time. I'm not sure they were excited or enjoying themselves, though. When they weren't working the crowd, they sat next to each other at the head table and didn't look all that comfortable. When they spoke, they both tried to be funny. They were, but only a little bit.

Worst joke of all? Tom Marsh, the independent candidate for governor. "What's brown and sounds like a bell?" Marsh asked. "Dung."

No, I'm not kidding.

Linda McMahon surprised me with her wit. She had a few off the cuff remarks that were pretty good, including a swipe at Dunaway for noting her age when he introduced her and no one else's. Her opponent, Richard Blumenthal, joked about how un-funny he is and sure enough, wasn't especially amusing, except when he talked about being camera shy.

George Jepsen recited a short limerick, which in my book gets a few props for creativity:

"It is the year 2010

The crocodiles have assembled again

At long tables they eat

Some really odd meat.

For me, I will stick with the gin."

Classiest speaker, in my humble opinion, was Nancy Wyman, who raised a glass to the memory of Stretch Norton, recognized Carolyn Norton and just stayed in the spirit of the Crocodile. It's not hard to see why she's popular.

Not sure why the carousel museum decided to take a "break" in the middle of the program to draw a raffle number. It could have been done quickly but instead, a break was announced and a whole bunch of people, including many of the candidates on stage, beat a path to the door.

John Larson and Ann Brickley had to wait until after the break to speak, which didn't seem right to me, since much of the room had emptied by then. It is the U.S. Congress, after all.

The award for best patient goes to Betty Boukus, who is healing from total knee replacement surgery. She's getting around pretty well, she said, and is definitely following doctor's/physical therapist's orders.

Most conspicuous absence that day? Stretch Norton. Everybody missed him.

Biggest delight for me? Wally Barnes was there. My favorite moment of the whole thing was taking a spin on the park's antique carousel with him.

I discovered that, like me, he also prefers a jumper to a stander. He didn't get the brass ring, he said, but I felt like I did.

Wally hadn't expected to be in town, but when he found himself there, he "didn't want to miss it," he told me. I'm glad.

Malloy Ready To Be a Crocodilian

Democrat Dan Malloy is taking time out from his race for governor to attend the Crocodile Club tomorrow.

Malloy was kind enough to call me today to let me know that he's looking forward to the event at Lake Compounce.

"I've never been, so I don't know what to expect," Malloy said. "I feel uninitiated."

He wondered if it's a casual event, so though I told him most people dress pretty casually and normally, I warned him about the likelihood of seeing old guys in plaid shorts and black socks.

He said he's working on his remarks, and I advised him to be funny. He said he didn't play an instrument, so he won't be jamming with host Ray Dunaway, who is expected to bring his accordian, or Rep. Frank Nicastro, who will bring his trumpet.
Malloy, who was mayor of Stamford from 1995 to 2002, said he never got an invitation before.
But then, he said he's never had so many friends as he seems to have right now.

Croc Tickets On Sale Today!

Until 5 p.m., you can buy your ticket to the Crocodile Club dinner at Lake Compounce for $50.

Tomorrow, at the door, they'll cost $55.

Not that the $5 will go to a bad cause -- proceeds are going to the New England Carousel Museum, which is worth a donation, but still, five bucks is five bucks and you might need it.

So you heard it here, folks -- get your tickets today at the museum on Riverside Avenue, or call them at 860-585-5411 and charge it.

A little while ago, Louise DeMars, the director of the musuem, told me nearly every candidate for statewide office, including both Dan Malloy and Tom Foley, candidates for governor, will be at the event.

About 300 tickets have been sold so far, which is impressive for the first year back since the last Crocodile Club dinner in 2002.

Foley May Attend Croc

Tom Foley, Republican candidate for governor, told me recently that he's still figuring out whether he'll be able to make the Crocodile Club on Tuesday at Lake Compounce.

The Crocodile Club, an institution in Connecticut politics, will be Tuesday, Aug. 31 at the Starlite Ballroom at the park. It's being revived this year after ending in 2003. The New England Carousel Museum, which will benefit from any proceeds, is bringing it back.

I contacted both Foley and his Democratic opponent, Dan Malloy, to see if either of the candidates for governor will be at the dinner, and Foley answered right away. He didn't have a definitive answer but he got back to me and promised to follow up.

Something I really like about Tom Foley is that not only is he pleasant in person, each time I've reached out to him, he's responded pretty quickly and with a great deal of courtesy.

I know candidates are generally more responsive than seated officials, but my experience with Foley makes me think that if I had a question for Governor Foley, I'd be able to get an answer, from him.

That's not the case now with Gov. Rell. She's friendly when I see her in person, but there's no way to ask her anything directly if we're not eye to eye. 

I haven't heard from Malloy yet. He's always very friendly in person, but getting an answer otherwise hasn't been easy. I'll let you know when I hear again from either of them.

I hope they both decide to attend. It'll be a better event for it, and they'll have fun.

Maybe the Wizard Can Win the GOP Primary

I talked with Oz Griebel last week, trying to find out which of the candidates for governor planned to show up at this year's Crocodile Club.
Oz was the only one I spoke with who really knew what it was, though he'd never been to it.
For the record, Democrat Dan Malloy seemed to have heard of it (his running mate Nancy Wymany LOVES it) and Republican Tom Foley said he'd like to learn more. Democrat Ned Lamont and Republican Mike Fedele did not respond to my queries at all.
Anyway, back to Oz. He thought the Croc might be a great place to get ideas, which I thought was a wonderful attitude and indicative of his approach.
During our conversation, he also told me he's confident about the primary, which is Tuesday, August 10.
He said he thought he did well in the most recent debate, that Foley's numbers were dropping and Foley and Fedele were busy beating up on each other.
Oz told me he believed he could win it. I wished him well. It would be so cool to have a governor named Oz, don't you think?
Remember, the Crocodile Club is Tuesday, August 31 at Lake Compounce. Don't miss it!

Malloy Stops in Bristol

Dan Malloy, who hopes to win the primary Tuesday and be the Democratic candidate for governor in the fall, spent a little time in the Mum City Wednesday.
The former longtime mayor of Stamford rolled in to the ShopRite plaza on Route 6 with a small entourage that included his running mate, state Comptroller Nancy Wyman.
Malloy, who seemed to be full of energy, told me it was his fifth community of the day. He bounded into storefront after storefront, sticking out his hand and introducing himself.
All I could think was that this kind of campaigning must get pretty old, but Malloy, who is working to defeat opponent Ned Lamont on Tuesday, seemed to relish it.
He talked to shoppers and diners, approaching most of them on his own. Others came up to him to talk.
The guy on Lamont's payroll who follows Malloy around was there with his recording equipment. That's something relatively new to campaigns and I can't say I like it much.
This is at least three visits to Bristol by Malloy that I know of this year, not counting any Democratic Town Committee meetings they may have attended.
As far as I know, Lamont hasn't been in Bristol since he spoke to the chamber in February. Maybe he'll stop by before Tuesday.

Who Was That Robo Caller?

I was standing in the ShopRite plaza parking lot Wednesday afternoon, waiting for Democrat Dan Malloy to show up for his stop in Bristol when some local pols started talking about robo calls.

    State Rep. Chris Wright, a Bristol Democrat, said he got three robo calls asking him to vote for Malloy for governor in the primary Tuesday -- one from Congressman John Larson, one from Mayor Art Ward and one from himself.

    “It was a little strange,” Wright said, getting a call from himself urging him to vote.
     Hearing his own recorded voice was weird, Wright admitted.
    “That’s how I sound?” he said he asked himself. “No wonder everyone calls me ‘ma’am’ on the phone.”
     Wright blamed his high-pitched vocal chords on his dad, former state Rep. Gardner Wright, who’s been known to sound a bit squeaky.
     Ward said he gets the robo calls, too, but doesn't always listen to them.
     “I was supposed to get one from me,” Ward said. “I refused it.”

Lt. Gov. Takes a Pro-Rail Stand

Lt. Gov. Mike Fedele jumped on the pro-rail train, along with Dan Malloy and Ned Lamont. Wonder who will be next to see that taking a good look at the wisdom of spending almost half a billion dollars on a nine mile road between New Britain and Hartford is a good use of all those clams.
I wrote about what Fedele had to say about the rail and other things at this morning's chamber of commerce coffee chat. You can read all about it in The Bristol Press on Friday (www.bristolpress.com).
Steve Collins, who gets more comments than I do, not that I'm jealous of The Bristol Blog, wrote about Malloy. I wrote about Lamont's stand last week.
Momentum for rail is growing, which can only be good for Bristol and, dare I say, it the future of our state.

Guess Who's Coming to Coffee?

Mike Nicastro, president of the Central Connecticut Chambers of Commerce, tells me he has three more "coffee chats" with potential future governors lined up. The last one with Dan Malloy was kind of fun, so I'm looking forward to the others. Of course, it's the chamber, so it's at the crack of dawn:

Wednesday, February 10th @ 8AM – Tom Foley

Thursday, February 18th @ 8 AM – Ned Lamont

Thursday, February 25th @ 8AM – Lt. Governor Mike Fidele.

In case you can't tell one from the other, and who could blame you? -- it's Ned on the left, Mike in the middle and Tom on the right.

Mike Nicastro promises more to come, so stay tuned!

Dan Malloy Says He'll Herd the Cats in Hartford

Driving in from Stamford, Dan Malloy must have gotten up even earlier than I did to get to the chamber coffee at 8 a.m. today. He was pretty sympathetic about Bristol being without highway access and made his pitch for the governor's post. He was the first in a series of candidates who are expected to come to Bristol to meet the chamber folks in an informal setting. Here's what I wrote about it for Friday's edition of The Bristol Press (http://www.bristolpress.com/):

BRISTOL – Declaring that state government is “badly broken,” former Stamford Mayor Dan Malloy said he wants the job of fixing it.
“People have run away from the fire and I’m running to it,” said Malloy, a Democrat seeking his party’s nomination for governor.
“This is a bi-partisan train wreck we have,” said Malloy, blaming both Democrats and Republicans for Connecticut’s economic woes. “There has been no fiscal discipline in this state.”
Malloy, who spoke to the Central Connecticut Chambers of Commerce Thursday, said as governor, he would concentrate on creating jobs, something he said he did in Stamford.
“You can build the economy,” said Malloy.
Malloy, 54, is the first of the candidates for governor to address an informal gathering at the chamber office, but he won’t be the last. Chamber President Mike Nicastro said the plan is to bring in each candidate so members can hear what they have to say and ask questions.
About two dozen people turned out to hear Malloy, who promised a streamlined, “honest and transparent” state government if he wins the top job.
“I present myself as a change agent,” said Malloy, but one with experience in government, ready to tackle the challenges Connecticut faces.
The midst of economic crisis is not the time for newcomers to take the reins and learn on the job, he said.
Malloy said he would tackle the issue of unfunded mandates, something that is vexing mayors struggling with municipal budgets. But Malloy said some mandates are good ones, such as the requirement that restaurants be regularly inspected.
Attorney Tim Furey, who is active with the chamber, told Malloy that they recently met with the local delegation to talk about the coming session as they do each year.
But this year was the first time in about 15 years, Furey said, that the elected officials looked at them and in essence said, “We got nothing.”
Malloy said the problem isn’t with the individual representatives, who he said are “great people,” but with the way things work in Connecticut, aren’t the ones making the decisions.
“Legislators don’t debate anything anymore,” said Malloy. Instead, he said, decisions are made by a group of about 10 people, including the governor, the governor’s budget director, the president of the senate, the speaker of the house, the majority and minority leaders in both houses and the leaders of the finance committee.
Only when a deal is reached is the legislature called in to vote on it, said Malloy.
Malloy said he’d like to see “systemic change,” from property tax reform to school funding formulas and the regulations placed on small businesses, but said the first priority has to be the economic crisis that threatens to collapse state government.
He said he’d be an active, engaged governor, someone who perfectly positioned to work with the General Assembly because he is more conservative than most of the Democrats there, and more liberal than most of the Republicans.
“I’ll herd the cats by showing leadership,” Malloy said.
The state is likely to end up borrowing more money to operate, Malloy said, adding another $200 million to the fiscal burden the next governor will inherit.
“We’re running on empty,” said Malloy. “Nobody wants to raise taxes in an election year, so they won’t.”
Malloy said he wouldn’t want to balance the budget at the expense of those who can least afford it, so he wouldn’t touch the “safety net” funding for drug and mental health treatment, probationary programs, rape crisis centers and similar items.
“Everything else has to stay on the table,” said Malloy.

Coffee with the Future Governor, Anyone?

I'm not saying Dan Malloy is the next governor. He's just the first up at the chamber's series of coffee with the candiates. Catch him Thursday morning at the crack of dawn... er... 8 a.m. at the chamber. Here's what I wrote for Wednesday's Bristol Press (www.bristolpress.com) about it:

BRISTOL – Starting with Democrat Dan Malloy on Thursday morning, candidates for governor will be invited to meet local business leaders through meetings set up by the Central Connecticut Chambers of Commerce.
Chamber President Mike Nicastro announced at the organization’s legislative breakfast that it would host visits with all the candidates for governor, a group that he said seems to continue to grow.
Malloy will be the first, said Nicastro, and is scheduled for an 8 a.m. coffee at the chamber’s Main Street office on Thursday.
“We definitely want to hear from these candidates for governor,” said Nicastro.
Lt. Gov. Michael Fedele, a Republican who is running for governor, is scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 25, and others will follow, Nicastro said.
“The chamber’s going to be very busy,” said Nicastro.
Nicastro invited anyone to attend.
“Come, sit, listen to these folks,” said Nicastro. “Ask questions.”
Leadership in the current economic climate – and in the uncertain years ahead – is crucial, he said, and without it, Connecticut will have serious problems.