Politicians, coffee and dry cleaners

I spent the day with politicians. First, Tom Foley's little coffee chat with the chamber early this morning at the Tunxis Bristol Campus. It wasn't especially well-attended; 20 people in the room if you count Foley, 17 men and three women, for anyone who is interested in that sort of thing. Almost half, including all the women, are employed by either the chamber, the Press, Tunxis or Foley. (He had an aide there, a young man who was easily the only person in the room under age 40.)

I'm not sure why the turnout was so poor, but Foley didn't seem to mind.

Next I went to a little press conference staged by Tom Colapietro, Bristol's senator, and Donald Williams, the state senate president. It was at Bristol Custom Cleaners and Tailors on Main Street and focused on how the Senate Dems want to improve the economy through their jobs package.

The cleaners only has one job -- the one held by the owner, Mark Policki, and he's hanging on by a thread, if you'll pardon the pun.

He's a really nice guy with a sad story to tell. He gave up his home of 17 years, an apartment he loved, to save the business by saving expenses. That's commitment. Business has to increase by at least 30 percent for him to break even. He's trying to hold out for development across the street at the city-owned, former mall site.

Mark is not only a friendly, swell guy, but he has great music (usually jazz) playing in his shop every time I stop in to say hello. He works on his store window to make it attractive (sometimes he sits there reading and watching the city go by, he told me) and burns candles to make the place smell nice. I'm not kidding when I say the guy is trying.

Today he had on a nifty hat (to keep warm, since he keeps the shop pretty cool) and what's more, it was his 51st birthday. The picture above doesn't do Mark justice. And it doesn't show his cool hat. I think a better one will be in The Bristol Press. Thanks to Gregg Davis at the Capitol for the photo!

Tom gave Mark a big fancy birthday card signed by some of the folks at the Capitol, but it didn't have a tax break inside or anything like that, though Mark seemed tickled by it all the same.
To me, it seemed a card was the least they could do for Mark while they used his nice little shop as a backdrop for their press conference about the folks on "Main Street."

So happy birthday, Mark! I hope you get a present of some new customers in the coming weeks.

If you have some dry cleaning, laundry or tailoring to do, think about sending it to Mark, who is trying to keep his business alive on Main Street.

I'd sure rather have Mark a few doors down from the Press than a boarded up storefront, but that's an understatement if I ever made one. He's a great neighbor, so I hope we can keep him in business in this community. I know I'll be looking to see if I've got any other cleaning I can bring him and I hope other people will, too.

I wrote stories about all of this for The Bristol Press, but I'm not supposed to post them here anymore. Hopefully you can see them at www.bristolpress.com.

Tomorrow, I get started early again with Ned Lamont at the chamber.

No Mention of Bristol in Rell's Speech

The governor gave her annual budget address today, and by all accounts, it was a bit skimpy on specifics. Steve and I squeezed the local delegation for their thoughts and came up with this story for Thursday's Bristol Press (www.BristolPress.com):

BRISTOL – If there’s one thing lawmakers and Gov. Jodi Rell agreed on Wednesday, it was the need to set politics aside and work together for the benefit for Connecticut.
Sen. Tom Colapietro, a Bristol Democrat, said he agrees with Rell, whom he called “a nice lady,” about the need for everyone to work together to get the state's books in order.
“Enough of this finger-pointing and name-calling,” Colapietro said. He said he sees signs that the legislature and governor may do a better job of working together this year.
“Everybody's gotten beat up so much” for all the problems this year that they are more willing to sit down and cut a deal now, Colapietro said.
“It’s obvious it’s going to take a lot of hard work on both sides,” said Rep. Frank Nicastro, a Bristol Democrat, who said it is not a time to play games, but to do what’s right for everyone in the state. “If there was ever a time to put politics aside, this is it.”
Rep. Bill Hamzy, a Plymouth Republican whose district includes Bristol, said it felt different at the Capitol on Wednesday. This could be the year for bi-partisan effort, he said.
“Big decisions and difficult decisions of how to literally restructure state government cannot be made by one party or the other, nor should they be,” said Hamzy. “Everyone acknowledges the problems, but there’s very little follow through on doing something about it. I hope this year’s different.”
Rell’s budget does not specifically mention Bristol, its schools or courthouse. The only reference to Bristol is in a list of every town’s municipal aid.
“She really didn’t say that much,” said Nicastro, who said he received three thick budget and economic reports only after the governor completed her speech.
“It's just everybody's wish list,” said Colapietro, whose district includes Bristol, Plymouth and Plainville.
Hamzy said the speech contained few specifics and the only surprise to him was the governor’s proposal to establish a commission to look into streamlining government.
“I don’t think we really need a commission,” said Hamzy. He said that’s what the General Assembly is for.
“You establish a commission to pass the buck,” said Hamzy, unless it is created to deal with an unusual issue that is unfamiliar to most lawmakers, such as stem cells.
Rep. Chris Wright, a Bristol Democrat, said it’s going to be a difficult session because of the ongoing budget crisis.
“In a year like this, I don’t know how much is going to be in it for anybody,” said Wright. “We’re going to be having to tell people no. We’re going to have to cut programs. It’s tough to do, but we have to do it.”
Worse than raising taxes, said Wright, is cutting programs.
“You think it’s tough to vote for a tax increase? Try voting for a spending cut,” said Wright, who said he is always “flooded” with mail and email when a program is threatened or cut.
Colapietro said the simple reality is that everyone who comes in can make a good case for more funding.
“We just don't have the money for everybody,” said Colapietro. “That's the hard part.”
Hamzy said Connecticut lawmakers are “looking at a whole bunch of red ink.”
New legislation would have to be passed in order to close the Bristol courthouse, Wright said. He said he’s not sure where things stand with efforts to close it.

Connecticut Uses Federal Stimulus Money for Appliance Rebates

If you're thinking of buying a new appliance this winter or spring, here's a way to save a few clams:

BRISTOL -- Now is the time to replace electric appliances with more efficient, energy saving ones -- new federal stimulus rebates of $50 to $500 are available for those who do.

Connecticut is using $3.4 million in federal stimulus funds to offer rebates on Energy Star-rated refrigerators, freezers, washing machines, room air conditioners and central air systems.

Sen. Tom Colapietro announced Connecticut’s new applicance rebate program -- paid with federal stimulus dollars -- Friday at the Bristol Community Organization, a regional non-profit agency that handles energy assistance applications.

“People are hurting,” said Colapietro. He said the rebates should help stimulate the economy by encouraging people to buy appliances.

Those who can afford to replace old appliances, he said, will save themselves some “real money” as the buyers get a rebate and the stores get a sale.

“Everybody wins,” said Colapietro, comparing the deal to the “cash for clunkers” program. “We try to help people as much as we can.”

The rebates are easy to get, Colapietro said. He said the forms are online and simple to fill out, joking that even he was able to manage it.

Rebates are $50 for refrigerators, freezers and room air conditioners, $100 for washers and $500 for central air systems.

The rebate program runs through the end of April and may be extended if funds remain. State residents are eligible for one rebate per appliance but can get as many as three for room air conditioners.

Federal tax credits are already in place for people who make larger investments in energy saving measures in the home, such as new windows.

Colapietro praised BCO for offering many types of assistance, and the expertise to help people find the help they need from other agencies as well.

“The trouble with people today is they don’t know where to go for help,” said Colapietro. “There’s lots of help for people.”

Thomas Morrow, executive director of BCO, said the agency has seen “unprecedented increases” in the number of people seeking help with energy costs.

Compared with two years ago, the number of applicants is up 200 percent, Morrow said.

“It’s a whole new class of client,” said Morrow, many of whom have never sought help before.

Joseph Roy Jr. of Bristol, an artist and illustrator for religious books, said his work slowed in the recession and he found himself struggling. A friend suggested he come to BCO for help, he said.

“It’s a great organization,” said Roy. “There are a lot of people out there who need this. This is a dream come true.”

Roy said it wasn’t hard to get help with his heating bill through BCO. He just had to provide some financial information to qualify, he said.

“I’m so glad that I found out that they were here,” he said.

Another way people can save, Colapietro said, is to shop around for electricity. He said the power companies are required to provide a list of competing electricity suppliers if asked.

Consumers can purchase power from a variety of outlets, Colapietro said, and may be able to save $10 to $15 a month by doing so, if they’re careful shoppers.

“Read the fine print,” he cautioned.

More information on the rebate program is available online at www.ct.gov/opm/ApplianceRebates. Forms will be available in stores after Feb. 1 and forms will be sent in the mail to those who call 1-877-947-3873.

Colapietro Wants to Hear From Businesses

Here's something unexpected from this morning's chamber of commerce legislative breakfast. I wrote about it for Wednesday's edition of The Bristol Press (http://www.bristolpress.com/) but you can read it here first. And please leave the hateful Colapietro bashing and the requisite nasty backlash for the Bristol Blog. This is a different kind of blog and I'm not having that here.

BRISTOL – State Sen. Tom Colapietro reached out to the business community Tuesday, inviting conversation.
“I’m not known to schmooze,” Colapietro told the audience of about 115 people at the Central Connecticut Chambers of Commerce legislative breakfast.
Colapietro, a Bristol Democrat, joined his fellow lawmakers in talking about the economy, the budget, bloated government and other troubles.
The proudly pro-union Colapietro has at times clashed with the business lobby. He hadn’t initially planned to attend the breakfast Tuesday, but when he did, he came bearing an olive branch.
“We’re not your enemy. We’re your friend,” Colapietro said.
Colapietro invited the business owners and others at the breakfast to call him or visit to talk about issues.
“You want to yell at me, I’m going to yell right back at you,” he warned, adding that it is just the way he was raised.
But he said he’s willing to calmly talk business with anyone.
Colapietro acknowledged the economic mess Connecticut faces, but said it isn’t the fault of anyone around here.
“We didn’t do it and you didn’t do it and Wall Street did do it,” said Colapietro.
Colapietro said he wouldn’t tell a business owner how to trim his budget.
“It’s not easy to cut some of your favorite things,” he said.
But Colapietro said he knows that everyone has a job to do.
In cutting the state budget, he said he wants state lawmakers to work carefully, to inflict the least amount of pain.
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Think this year is bad? Wait for 2012, 2013, 2014

At the risk of sounding like the uber-negative Bristol Blog, I have to say the message this morning at the chamber's legislative breakfast was pretty much doom and gloom. Here's what I wrote about it for The Bristol Press (http://www.bristolpress.com/):

BRISTOL – The state will get through this year’s economy and the next one alright, lawmakers said, but the real trouble is coming in the years to follow.
“We’ve got a heck of a task in front of us,” said Rep. Frank Nicastro, a Bristol Democrat who predicted a “multi-billion-dollar deficit” in 2012, 2013 and 2014.
Nicastro and several of his fellow lawmakers spoke at the Central Connecticut Chambers of Commerce legislative breakfast before a crowd of about 115 early Tuesday, with the tough economy taking center stage.
“It’s a lousy hand to be dealt, but it’s the hand we have and we have to play it,” said Rep. Chris Wright, a Bristol Democrat.
Rep. John Piscopo, a Republican who represents Burlington, Harwinton, Litchfield and Thomaston, said the $500 million deficit puts Connecticut “in a world of trouble.”
Wright, a freshman lawmaker, said it’s been frustrating that people are playing “gotcha” instead of working together to solve problems.
“Pointing fingers doesn’t make any sense,” said Nicastro, who said lawmakers have an obligation to set politics aside. “Everybody has to step up. It’s about time all sides became one team, united to solve the problem.”
Rep. Bill Hamzy, a Plymouth Republican whose district includes Bristol, said the role of lawmakers is not to agree. Debate is healthy, he said, but lawmakers must listen to everyone, draw conclusions and act in the best long term interest of the state, “being the adults in the room.”
When his late father came to Connecticut about 50 years ago, Hamzy said, he found a job in a factory and economic opportunities for himself and his family.
That’s what Connecticut should be, but isn’t anymore, said Hamzy, who said throwing money at the problem won’t solve it. Instead of maintaining the status quo and hoping the storm will pass, Hamzy said, lawmakers should acknowledge problems realistically and keep in mind “the people who are paying the tab.”
Connecticut lawmakers have to look out for all facets of the state, Nicastro said, and need the help and understanding of constituents.
“Give us a chance to do it,” said Nicastro. “The cuts will be made.”
Sen. Tom Colapietro, a Bristol Democrat, said negotiations are the toughest thing to do. “No matter whose budget passes, somebody’s going to say, that’s not a good budget.”
Colapietro said there are “too many people in high places,” but he wasn’t talking about the General Assembly. He said state senators bring home $28,000 salaries while members of the state House make about $17,000 a year.
“We’re doing the best we can,” said Colapietro. But he said state departments are filled with far too many deputy commissioners who lost an election somewhere along the way and were “slipped in” to a cushy government job.
The padded layers of government start at the municipal level, move on to the state level and really get out of control at the federal level, said Nicastro, when committees that are formed grow into permanent commissions.
Nicastro, who is heading up a state committee that will look at eliminating mandates, said if some can be removed or even temporarily suspended to give municipalities a break during the recession, lawmakers will do it.
“We’re going to listen,” Nicastro promised the crowd, adding that he’s supposed to produce a list of potential changes by March 1. “I will do everything humanly possible to get you the relief that I can.”
Chamber officials are pushing lawmakers to get more efficiency in government through regionalization, something the lawmakers in general seem to support.
“I always believed in strength in numbers,” said Colapietro.
Piscopo said the government’s role should be to remove the impediments to regionalization, not mandate it.
Wright said gains from regionalization won’t be immediate, but will probably be realized in five to 10 years.
Some state offices are aimed at promoting the rights of women, of African American citizens, or the elderly, said Wright, who said they might be able to be merged for efficiency’s sake into a human rights office.
“A lot of the work they do is overlapping,” said Wright.
When Connecticut’s 169 towns were drawn up, Wright said, it was based on whether residents could walk to the government center in a day. He said what may have been practical generations ago might not be the best system for today.
But Nicastro said there are drawbacks to regionalization, too, such as when the state was poised to build a massive new hospital in Farmington for the University of Connecticut and Hartford Hospital – a project that could have wiped out Bristol Hospital and other community hospitals in the area.
“Sometimes regionalization can hurt,” said Nicastro.

The Rest of the City Hall Scene

What else is going on over there? I just attended a BDDC meeting and the highlight for me, anyway, was the downtown parking study. Stay tuned, readers because you'll see it revealed here first.

The BDDC had to keep things short because the Democratic Town Committee was busy piling in for their meeting.

They had a few candidates who were going to make a pitch... Jonathan Harris, who wants to be secretary of the state, Merrick Alpert, who wants to be a U.S. senator, and James Amann, who wants to be governor. I didn't see any of them because I had to leave to write about that fascinating parking study and I was on deadline.

I did, however, see a smiling Sen. Tom Colapietro, who planned to announce his re-election campaign tonight.

Then, I had to leave.

New Hospital Corporators Named

Bristol Hospital has a great system of bringing in people from the community as corporators. This helps them lock in support, which the community hospital needs in these tough times. Three state lawmakers are among the bunch this year, Bill Hamzy, Betty Boukus and Tom Colapietro. They've also got some doctors, Fire Chief Jon Pose and others.
Corporators endorse nominations for the hospital's board of directors.

Tonight, they're naming 26 new corporators. They are: Sharon Adler, M.D., Rainer Bagdasarian, M.D., Elizabeth Boukus, Amy Breakstone, M.D., William Brownstein, M.D., Lisa Casey, Susan Colapietro, Thomas Colapietro, Robert Cordeau, Richard Croce, Douglas Devnew, Jill Fitzgerald, Todd Fitzsimons, William Hamzy, Kate Houlihan, Jonathan Krumeich, M.D., Peter Longo, Joseph Ofusu, R.Ph., Donna Osuch, Jon Pose, Susan Scully, Robert Sener, Kenneth Sheptoff, Kathi Sorey, Susan Sylvestre, and Derek Werner, Esq.

Colapietro Willing to Listen to Chamber

Well, folks, you can't count Tom Colapietro out. Word was that he wouldn't show at the chamber's annual legislative breakfast, but he fooled everyone, including me. He told me that he will attend the soiree next Tuesday morning at 8 at the Clarion. I'll be there, too. Here's a story I wrote about it for Thursday's Press:

BRISTOL -- When state lawmakers go back into session next month, city business advocates want them to focus on the budget and on ways to address the deficit, said Michael Nicastro, president of the Central Connecticut Chambers of Commerce.
Nicastro said chamber members want to hear from the local delegation before the session starts, and will listen and ask questions at a legislative breakfast Tuesday.
“This is a short session legislative year,” said Nicastro. “We’re facing another deficit and it’s a re-election year for these guys.”
The upset in Massachusetts this week when a Republican won the U.S. Senate seat long occupied by Democrat Ted Kennedy shows that something is in the air, said Nicastro.
“There’s clearly a movement against incumbents right now. One election doesn’t tell it all,” he said, but added, “Something’s afoot.”
People are concerned about how their tax dollars are being spent, said Nicastro, and that includes business owners.
“We’re concerned about the budget deficit, how it’s going to get managed,” said Nicastro.
Lawmakers should continue important work on regionalization, Nicastro said, but he said it will take a long time to accomplish that.
What they can do now, Nicastro said, is reduce redundancy in government that carries a high monetary and efficiency cost.
The state’s got several different entities working on economic development, said Nicastro, including the Department of Economic and Community Development, the Connecticut Development Authority and Connecticut Innovations.
“They all have their own infrastructure,” said Nicastro. “Everyone’s got a marketing director. Everyone’s got a head of HR.”
That’s costly, and confusing for new businesses or business owners who are new to the state, Nicastro said.
“They’re not sure who to talk to,” said Nicastro. “The process should be streamlined. They’re all great programs, but in the end, they have to be run efficiently.”
Nicastro said the economic development isn’t the only realm where efforts are duplicated. State government has “too many fiefdoms,” he said, where the same is true.
Chamber members want to see action from lawmakers on transportation, too, said Nicastro.
“We can’t keep building highways. We need a transit strategy,” said Nicastro. “Wasting enormous sums on the busway is not a strategy.”
The proposed busway from New Britain to Hartford carries a cost of nearly $60 million per mile, said Nicastro.
Connecticut needs a good system to move freight as well as people, said Nicastro.
Getting freight onto trains and out of over the road trucks will save money and reduce congestion on the highways, Nicastro said.
In addition, Nicastro said, the state ought to put together a review board to look at the unfunded mandates that municipalities have to shoulder to see if they still make sense.
State Rep. Bill Hamzy, a Plymouth Republican whose district includes Bristol, said he’ll be there. When he first took office more than a decade ago, Hamzy said, there were a lot of forums like this one, but now, there are only a few.
“It’s kind of a lot of work to put together,” said Hamzy. “That’s probably the central reason.”
State Sen. Tom Colapietro said he’ll be there, too.
“I know pretty much what they’re going to say,” said Colapietro, a Bristol
Democrat. “I’m willing to go and listen to ‘em again. Maybe they’ll come up with some new things.”
Colapietro said sorting out what to cut is taking time.
“If cuts must be made, they must be made compassionately,” he said, with a scalpel rather than recklessly with a meat cleaver. “Everybody wants us to cut, but not them.”
The legislative breakfast is at the Clarion on Tuesday, starting at 8 a.m.
Tickets are $20 in advance and are available at the chamber. They’re available at the door for $25.
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