Windham Democrats Eating Crow

Dawn and Blumenthal

November 5, 2013, election day. 11 AM, I received a phone call on my way  out to vote.  It was a pleasant young lady calling from Democratic headquarters. She reminded me that I hadn't voted and hoped that I would.

Walking  to the VFW. my assigned voting place, I thought of that call.  I was impressed, the Democratic machine was well oiled . They were not only calling registered party members  but unaffiliated voters and possibly Republicans ...a Herculean task.

Cookie cutter mailings, radio and social media,  photo opportunities with the big guns from Hartford and Washington, knocking on 4000 doors and the backing of influential local party members.With no Jean DeSmet  playing spoiler and James Flores getting out the Latino vote for Dawn, Ernie's days were numbered.

November 5. 2013 about 8:45 PM,  The regular old farts get together at Corleone's Cafe. Someone walked in and announced, "So do you know who will be our next mayor?" The room erupted in cheers, Ernie Eldridge would be coming back for a second term.

Thanks to her efforts to get out and meet the voters Niles crushed Eldridge in the absentee ballot count gathering 122 more votes then the mayor,  It wasn't enough.  Eldridge prevailed by 224 votes overall. He took the Windham's by 493 votes and lost Willimantic by 47. Final count: Eldridge 1,343, Niles 1,119.

 In Willimantic, James Flores who campaigned door to door with Dawn Niles, received 233  more votes then Niles. While the Latino's came out, they didn't come out for Niles who had pinned her future to Flores' coattails. If Niles mirrored Flores' vote count she would be the incoming mayor today.

The Mayor and wife, Anita Sebestyen

Eldridge picked up support from the Republican's who chose not to field a mayoral candidate. In the 2009 mayoral race, Eric Crowley received 358 votes running as a Republican.

Jean DeSmet's backers, the Jeanetts , either stayed home or voted for Eldridge.  Niles garnered less then 25% of DeSmet's 2009 mayoral vote.

The election came down to style, likability and trust. It was not an issue oriented campaign. Niles glossed over Windham's issues, Eldridge ignored them. Both candidates were probably politically astute avoiding Windham's  education and economic problems though in so doing, they shortchanged  the voters.

Niles comes off as a pushy professional politician while Eldridge  ran as the hometown boy. It's apparent that the well oiled Democratic "machine" never bothered to check Dawn's likability factor.

Dawn Niles hitched her trailer to the big guns in Hartford and Washington, not the wisest move, especially in these times. Ernie Eldridge stood by Windham's voters.

While the Democrats reflect on the party's future they should consider:

• Cutting the caucus crap, put the citizens first, the party second. 
• Give back citizen speaking rights at all town government meetings.
•  Re institute the mayor's council sub committee vote.
•  Send controversial spending votes to referendum  

And congratulations to Ernie Eldridge.  Consensus is good but we need leadership too. Don't let them (Democrats) kick you when your down, when they kick you, Mr Mayor, they  kick us. Twenty five years and what have the Democrats accomplished? A school system run by the state and a town government dependent on hand outs 

You , Mr Eldridge,and your party have given us a chance.....WE'RE ON THE ROLL or are we?

Election Time. Another Windham Barnburner?

Niles 

Mayor Eldridge 

The ability to vote in open, free and fair elections is one of the greatest rights given to Americans. Though not everyone chooses to participate, everyone has the opportunity.

It’s strange that voter turnouts are usually significantly higher for national elections than for local ones. Generally speaking, it’s local elections that have a more direct impact on people.

Windham is one of a handful of towns that calls a time out when it's a local election. In 2009 the last time we elected a mayor 22.3% of Windham's registered voters trudged out to exercise their rights. A full 14% less then Connecticut's average town, the tenth lowest turnout in Connecticut. 

Perhaps a school board race doesn't seem as monumental as a race for the presidency, but when your child or grandchild is affected by a new curriculum or a change in leadership, it matters. Voting in new town leadership – people who will set local policy and impact your property  taxes – certainly matters. 

We've heard "economic development" whispered during the campaign process, this year, but not one word of Conn Light and Power abandoning Willimantic and taking  tax revenues with them.  We hear whispers of downtown improvements as politicians sit back and allow a recuperative high school, catering to 14-24 year old overage, under credited students from Windham and 18 sending communities to locate in downtown. Not a whimper, not a peep from our leaders. In what other town could this happen?

The incumbent mayor, Ernie Eldridge, is running as a consensus maker. I say he is a Democrat butt kisser. His opponent's  allegiance is to her party first. For 15 years as chairman of the Windham Democratic Town Committee  Dawn Niles sat back and allowed the same Democratic board of education members to run a once respected school district into an education sewer.
To her, the party comes first, students and her town follow.

All is not grim. This season there is a handful of Latinos running for Windham office for the first time. I'll be voting for all of them. Lord knows the white boys disappoint year in and year out.

John Monaghan

Windham Town Council: Chipping Away Demoracy

Councilor DeVivo

There is something about being elected to public office that sometimes infects participants with a pathogen that causes them to suffer a heightened proprietary sense.
Town records are their records. Meeting minutes are their minutes. Discussions and sessions dealing with problems are for them to resolve.
Getting the public involved just makes thing messier, doesn't it? 

                               From  Willimantic Chronicle editorial discussing a Lebanonfreedom of  Information issue                                                      

Observing the local political process and those that make (or don't make) it happen, I often wonder what goes on in the minds of those newly elected on election night. Exactly when do they become the "authorities" or the "experts" that many become? When do they shed that pre-election humility and concern for those that look up to  and support them? When does their listening ability cease?
Do these things happen when the last ballot is counted or is it a slower evolution?

 From  windhamweek, TUESDAY, APRIL 17, 2012

Councilor Rivera

February 12, 2013 the town council ignored a petition signed by 262 Windham citizens requesting a referendum over a town meeting to replace The Natchaug School roof. Those choosing not to consider a town wide vote were: Tom DeVivo,Christel Donahue,Charles Krich, Arnaldo Rivera, Joseph Underwood and Kevin Donohue. Those voting against citizen rights claimed they were following the town charter. While the town charter condones a town meeting in cases like this, nowhere does the town charter prevent a town referendum. Others claimed their concern for those arriving to vote at the town meeting would be upset of the town meeting cancellation. Councilor Krich stated, "the charter requires what we are doing tonight, exactly what we are doing." Subsequently Krich said that a petition might have merited consideration two weeks prior," but not now with hundreds of citizen descending into the middle school auditorium. I might have had a different opinion if this petition was presented earlier."

Councilor Krich

So much for Krich's town charter hypothesis. Two weeks earlier the town council hadn't acted on the method of the Natchaug roof vote. Unconfirmed reports,has it, after the town meeting Mr Krich was observed attempting to extract his foot from his mouth The Natchaug roof proposal has been controversial from the start. A matter so controversial should have been moved to a town vote. Murphy Sewall, board of ed chair, even agreed that the vote should be moved to a referendum Following a board of finance public comment session Mr Sewall said, "given the lack of consensus, I think a referendum is what the community would want. A town meeting is a more appropriate decision forum when most people agree about what to do, he continued, A referendum is expensive and time consuming compared to a town meeting but it gives all sides a chance to come out and vote."

Councilor Donahuo

 Controversy stem from the fact that roof proposal comes from a board of education with little credibility. A declining school population (a district-wide projected decline in enrollment of 141 students FY 2013-14) Replacing the roof  of 100 year old building for$1,361,802 is the tip of the iceberg.  What other costs will be incurred to keep the Natchaug School operating for the next 10 years?  The BOE claims that the key to replacing the Natchaug roof is to utilize the building as "swing space" while the other town schools are brought up to current standards. This could be an expensive gamble for a 100 year old building. Most school districts utilized portable class rooms when in need of temporary classrooms.This option was never brought forward.

Councilor Underwood

The gang of six was confident to go against the democratic wishes of 262  citizen petitioners The gang of DeVivo, Christel Donahue, Krich, Rivera, Underwood and Kevin Donohue had to feel comfortable stealing the rights of the citizens they represent and right they were, knowing their vote would carry and be forgotten. Their political stars were lined up for another citizen screwing, this one in the wide open.

Being the majority it's easy to have your own way. Even easier having Mayor Eldridge and his Bottom Line Party representing the minority.  Eldridge's intentions have always been positive. He has built his political reputation on building consensus. Time and again his "lets work together" approach has come back too bite him. Consensus is not a word understood or used in Windham politics. At what point does Eldridge's consensus building turn into "fanny fancying?"

Days after the Democratic majority chose to ignore the town voter's wishes for a referendum   vote the Eldridge Party endorsed, whole heartily, the appointment of  Dawn Niles, a member of the majority party, to replace the late Councilor, Jerry Iazzetta to the town council' The tally: Nearly unanimous with only one dissenting vote from Mr Eldridge's party.

Eldridge's quote on Niles impending appointment Feb 19. 2013

“I don’t think there’ll be any­body to vote against Dawn coming on,” Eldridge said. “She’s an excellent person, and she will do an excellent job of finishing up Jerry’s term.”

Councilor C Donahue

The consensus stuff has been carried too far, it is to one sided. If the minority party wishes to continue their kiss-a*s stuff  it's time for a change. If you can't stand up for me, I can't stand up for you.

Winston Churchill once said, "people get the government they deserve." I suspect he was referring to Windham and its political shenanigans . . Yes, we civilians vote once, or maybe twice a year, and feel that we have fulfilled our participative obligations. But we haven't. 

260 citizens petitioned for a Natchaug roof referendum, 30 of them voted against the roof improvements at the town meeting, Where were the 230 citizens that signed the petition but felt it was not important enough to venture out to the town meeting to protect their signature? Democracy isn't easy, we know to well the the tens of thousands that have died protecting it.

It's easy to be a patio politician but patio politicians get the government they deserve. 

Mayor Eldridge

On Dec. 6, 2011, Windham's Town Council Democrates returned to their authoritative mode after the November elections. Election time is when most politicians pretend to listen to their constitutes. (Hard work, but a fact of life at election time.)  First on their agenda was changes how the council operates meetings including the controversial elimination of the second public comment period. The council voted 7-4 to change the operating procedures . They also took the right to speak a second time away from the electorate. The timing was perfect. two years till the next council elections and four years till the 2015 elections. The voters wouldn't remember. On that December night in 2011 the gang of Democrats deprived its citizens of their First Amendment Constitutional Rights.... freedom of speech

Voting in favor of the change were Democratic councilmen Charles Krich, Thomas DeVivo, Joe Underwood, Kevin Donahue, Arnaldo Rivera, Christel Donahue and Jerry Iazzetta -- all members of the majority, Democratic party. 

On Feb.12, 2013  Thomas DeVivo, Kevin Donohue, Christel Donahue, Charles Krich, Arnaldo Rivera and Joseph Underwood voted to ignore a petition signed by 262 registered voters who requested a referendum. Within fifteen months the Democrats removed two of our constitutional rights. At the same time four members of the minority (Bottom line) party chose to not whimper a word of dissension in protest.
 

The Natchaug roof is not the issue today. The issue is our abused constitutional rights  . I've voted for many of these people, I've supported a few via editorial comment. I expected that they would represent me, not jeopardize my rights. 


Chronicle Editorial
A Kick in the teeth to Democracy

 

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