James Tranquilli Jr. Wants Your Vote On Schools

MILFORD — A website was launched Thursday as a sounding board for residents concerned about the plan to close Simon Lake School, reconfigure the elementary grades and eliminate more than 45 positions next year.

Board of Education member James Tranquilli Jr., R-1, designed www.milfordspeaksout.com. The 10-member school board will vote in late May on the school administration’s proposal.

Acting Superintendent of Schools R. Michael Cummings is proposing the changes as a way of addressing a $2.2 million budget reduction next year. The Board of Finance reduced the school board’s budget request by $2.2 million, though overall it approved a 2.25 percent increase in spending for next year.

CONTINUE READING BRIAN MCREADY STORY CLICK HERE

Rosa Delauro Still Trying To Take Away Our Right To Eat

By Steve Green - S 510, the Food Safety Modernization Act of 2010, may be the most dangerous bill in the history of the US. It is to our food what the bailout was to our economy, only we can live without money.

“If accepted [S 510] would preclude the public’s right to grow, own, trade, transport, share, feed and eat each and every food that nature makes. It will become the most offensive authority against the cultivation, trade and consumption of food and agricultural products of one’s choice. It will be unconstitutional and contrary to natural law or, if you like, the will of God.” ~Dr. Shiv Chopra, Canada Health whistleblower

It is similar to what India faced with imposition of the salt tax during British rule, only S 510 extends control over all food in the US, violating the fundamental human right to food.

Monsanto says it has no interest in the bill and would not benefit from it, but Monsanto’s Michael Taylor who gave us rBGH and unregulated genetically modified (GM) organisms, appears to have designed it and is waiting as an appointed Food Czar to the FDA (a position unapproved by Congress) to administer the agency it would create — without judicial review — if it passes. S 510 would give Monsanto unlimited power over all US seed, food supplements, food and farming.

CONTINUE READING HISTORY OF THIS BILL CLICK HERE

Chester's First Selectman Ditches Republican Party

CHESTER— First Selectman Tom Marsh will pursue his run for governor as the candidate of the Connecticut Independent Party, a move he hopes will ensure him a role in the statewide election debate this fall.

Marsh, a Republican first elected to the town’s top job in 2005, also oficially changed his voter registration from Republican to Independent Party. The Independent Party was formed in Waterbury during the last decade, running candidates for mayor and board of alderman in city elections. The party currently hold four seats on the Waterbury Board of Aldermen, and has local town committees in Newtown, Milford, Watertown, and Winsted.

CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE READING CHARLES STANNARD STORY

Budget Cuts In Education Fills House, Simon Lake On Cutting Block

Last night at 7:00P.M. Acting Superintendent of schools Cummings, put on a public presentation to an auditorium filled with with parents. Usually these events are at city hall, but this year there was so much anxiety over over kids being affected with moves, busing issues, mega schools and the like the event had to be put into the auditorium.

Sadly I arrived a little late, and for the first time in my memory I was told by the Fire Marshall "the auditorium is full you must go upstairs to the overflow area." The overflow area had about 20 people there, and after Mr. Cummings presentation I was able to gain access to the auditorium where Steve filmed some of the highlights of the meeting.

In attendance were all the major media networks, all the local papers and about 1,000 people from our community most of which were teachers, community leaders and parents. The tone of the audience was mostly directed to the Board of Education who was on-stage taking public questions.

The general public balked at the continuous problem of year after year cuts in the school system due to the education budget going up each year. Some parents just wanted stability for their kids and felt the school board was not doing enough to deliver on the promises they made during their campaigns.

Mark Stapleton said "that the Board of Education is at the Mercy of the Board of Alderman and can only work with the money they approve," he directed the audience to "take their concerns to the Board of Finance and the Board of Alderman to have the funds restored."

Under the present budget Mr. Cummings recommended his Fourth proposal that would result in closing Simon Lake School. This notion, or idea irked many kids and parents who said they "loved" their neighborhood school.

Acting Superintendent Cummings assured the audience that despite the closing he would ensure that "AP classes would not suffer.. and overall class sizes for all students would not be significantly affected" but warned that any "further cuts by the board of finance would negatively impact teacher jobs and the quality of education in Milford."

The video below is some of the highlights filmed by Steve Borer of the Milford Independent Party.



Some asked for my thoughts so here they are...

Huge Fire Destroys Several Homes At Wildemere Beach

Last night at roughly 2:30A.M. neighbors frantically called 911 to report a burning house next door to them. By 3:00A.M neighbors claim the house was completely engulfed in flames, and ignited two additional nearby houses.

This evening I questioned firefighters at the scene as to what the cause of the fire was, the only answer they could give was that the "fire was still under investigation." At the scene 4:00P.M. this evening were the State Police Investigation Unit, the Fire Marshall, Insurance Adjusters, and local Milford Police officers.

While authorities were mum on the fire, dislocated citizens were quick to blame the Milford Fire Department for "taking over 25 Minutes to arrive" the person living in the white house in the photo below said that "had the Milford Fire department arrived sooner, the disaster that is now in plain sight would have been limited to the abandoned house only." He claims that "Three phone calls were by himself and neighbors before they arrived."

The house where the fire started he said was "boarded up, it had no water, no electric, and no utilities. Often the plywood would be torn from the rear door and homeless people or vandals may have been illegally entering the house."

Thankfully, there was no loss of life and according to early news reports 11 people have taken shelter across the street at St. Gabriel's Church. Residents at the moment are concerned over the security of their belongings in some of the less damaged areas of their former homes. The damaged buildings were still very accessible as of this evening and measures were being discussed to allow local displaced residents back into their homes to reclaim any belongings if deemed safe to do so.

While there was no official understanding as to who was responsible for the home that caught fire, some have claimed the house may have been a "Developer owned foreclosure."

The Ct Post reported "The two-family house at 38 Laurel Ave., where the fire started, was sold in December by Roland Ruby to developer Ronald Standish for $80,000, according to city land records. The two-family house at 42 Laurel Ave. is owned by John F. and Elysa Simpson, and has an appraised value--70 percent of its market value--of $219,880."



The above photo depicts the abandoned Milford home that burned to the ground. This was the abandoned home where witnesses said the fire started. Three homes behind this home also suffered severe heat damage to the side exposed to the fire.

Anyone wishing to help the victims of this fire should contact St. Gabriels in Milford and offer their help.

*********************************************

Comment Highlight, claims response time was appropriate.

Initial timeline from radio traffic
* 3:55:47 - Rescue 2 signed on
* 3:56:09 - Disp advised Batt Chief of multiple calls, fully involved. BC req 4th engine
* 3:56:25 - HQ units signed on (E1, T1)
* 3:56:28 - Sta 8 units signed on (E3, E4)
* 3:58:28 - E7 resp (4th eng)
* 3:59:00 - E3 arriving (1st on scene w/E4), gave size-up, fully involved.

That's less than 3 minutes from the time E3 signed on to the time they arrived.

The only info I don't have is the times the calls were made, but based on typical dispatch times for MFD, I'm confident there was no delay in dispatching the call.

When people are waiting for an emergency response, that 3 minutes can feel like 25 minutes.

As far as how fast the house burned, it was 4 am! People probably didn't even know it was on fire until it was almost fully involved. By they time the FD was notified and arrived, it was too late to save the initial structure and they abandoned that operation pretty quick to try save the exposures (adjacent structures).

Many of the displaced residents and neighbors kept saying in the news that there were kids and others that didn't belong there going in and out all the time, but how many reported it to the police?
********************************************

My Reply To Tim Chaucer Leading High School Merger Opposition

After work yesterday I retrieved my mail from my mailbox and of course threw the bills on my desk and read the newspaper. The area that I like most is the local commentary and letters to the editor that Jill Dion so very nicely posts.

Steve Borer warned me some time ago that Tim Chaucer was going to have issues with the idea of High School mergers, and his article this week cited several reasons why this is a bad idea including the "Columbine Massacre" the nature of a "well balanced school district" and of course "Sports participation."

While I see Mr. Chaucer as an important part of this debate, and in my extensive 45 Minute conversation with him last week expressed my joy at him being the "Devils advocate" on the Milford education debate, I took issue with him. I believe that his type of contribution is important and will be needed in order that the logistics of these school mergers be responsibly worked out, but challenge some of his outmoded thoughts.

Some of Mr. Chaucer's concerns in my opinion are outdated and rely on the technology and methodology of the past. They fail to take into consideration the advances in educational learning, green school design and social interaction models between kids.

While Mr. Chaucer points to the "Columbine Massacre from years back" I have been learning about more pressing and modern threats that have no boundaries. This threat aptly known as “Cyber bullying” has been a world wide phenomenon and is very dangerous for today's kids. It recently led to the induced suicide of Phoebe Prince and made national news. These problems have nothing to do with school size or the types of issues that Chaucer is concerned about.

In my previous article below it can be noted that "Cyber bullying" work in Milford is already ongoing thanks to the student efforts put forth by Jennie Sharp and Janet Gargliano of Milford. The era of Columbine mass-murders really is an invalid argument, it's more of a scare tactic that may lead one to believe in a false conclusion.

This is not to say that Milford has not had its share of young people die, however these incidents are not emblematic of our schools but rather out of town kids using Milford as a place to exact revenge against other problem youths. These incidents do not reflect negatively on our schools but rather emphasize that school security and the tenuous view of it by our kids indicates it's of minimal concern.

Certainly there are issues that must be addressed in education, but in my view the most serious problem I see is the destabilization of the traditional social model that once kept the Grand List Receipts in check with Infrastructure, Maintenance and teacher job security.

As America and Milford continues to de-industrialize and our tax base continues to endure a sustained economic attack by global forces, our little city will continue to live with an unacceptable level on insecurity. Some cases in point, the Milford Mall (the cities largest taxpayer) would have been in bankruptcy had they not won a 12% abatement in their taxes, and still yet even with that abatement one of its largest tenants who pays in excess of $720,000.00 a year in rent may face bankruptcy before years end 2010.

Let’s take this and add it to the problem of Sikorski and its associated pressure to move to a more business friendly state. Consider every shareholder meeting whereby the CEO is held to the fire about profits and return on profits to investors. Most of the United Technologies investors or Sikorski's for that matter could care less about Milford. They demand profitability and what is better for the shareholder than to compel the CEO to move our states heavy industry to Mississippi or Louisiana to improve profitability and investor return.

We all see what happens when heavy industry moves on, just look at the ghost of an economy that once lived in Bridgeport. Taxes skyrocket, grand lists plummet, and cities face severe financial strain.

This year and in today's paper our Superintendent announced he will be closing a school a decision that I support. One thing Chaucer and I agree on is that teachers not buildings are this town’s greatest asset. Buildings are expense laden places that in time develop maintenance costs that aggravate the loss of precious teacher jobs.

The epiphany is upon us, our nation is mired in debt and the nation is moving toward extremist revenue procuring methods to stay afloat. Combine this with the fact that CERC a consulting firm that makes demographic predictions is showing a population decline in Milford in the next decade.

While some may welcome population declines, others find them troubling because they represent a disproportionate share of future tax burdens that cannot, and should not, be redistributed to sustain an outmoded educational system.

Fortunately for us, the solution to these problems was developed by a Mr. Peter Caltrope who is the founder and visionary behind Smart Growth and the art of sustainable living. Peter Caltrope amid the oil shock of the 1970's saw the future that is today at our doorstep. This future encompassed all of the ailments we see today, a devalued currency, excessive foreign debt, and a dependency on non-renewable and costly fossil fuels. These variables became the inspiration behind his modern green socio-economic models.

Education should be Milford's starting point as it consumes nearly 1/2 of the entire city budget and poses the greatest risk to the future of our city. Our kids are the future of the world we live in, and aside from bringing in green sustainable technology to educate these kids we need to adhere to the principles of those schools who educate with repeated success. The following Paideia Schools quote should express our community’s goals:

“It is our dream that students will ...experience their classrooms as invigorating, even inspiring environments - places they look forward to going to and places they hate to leave. It is our dream that they will come to know themselves as masters of various crafts...It is our dreams that ...they will come to love the process of learning itself... by making it their own.”

In conclusion to this Press Release today we are at a crossroads where the status quo no longer works. Under the economic principles set forth in "Game Theory" it could now be said that the immutable laws of entropy are rudely upon out city.

The economic principles vested in John Nash's "Game theory" in this instance calls out three opposing factions representing their own "rational interests." Those variables are the Teachers, Vs. The Taxpayers, Vs. Parents of Kids. Every group wants its own interests represented to their own ends. Teachers do not want to lose their jobs, Parents do not want their kids education compromised, and taxpayers do not want their taxes raised at unsustainable rates.

"Game Theory" is crystal clear that under the present circumstances the outcome will be a "Zero Sum Game." "Zero Sum" is the outcome where there are no winners much like the futility of two supercomputers playing "Tic Tac Toe" against one another neither side ever wins unless the "Game" is played differently, the circumstances in our town must be changed and a long term Smart Growth approach adopted if we are to solve this problem.

Many times before has Milford been afraid to exact the courage required for positive reform, and every time there has been someone who said "it should not and cannot be done" but to all my critics I once again bring you the words of Nelson Mandela:

"Courage is not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear."

Milford can do that with the present tools available today. We need to act before it’s too late. Under the status quo taxpayers lose their homes and this week out of five houses sold two of those five were foreclosures.

These are indeed very troubling times and moving forward without a plan for reform will erode our local grand list and threaten the rights of property owners. We need to act now if we are to save our city from an uncertain future.

Are You Sitting Down?

You may want to be sitting down for this one. Out at Pilgrim City Furniture at 6:30 p.m. Sunday, they’ll celebrate Earth Day with the Chair Affair.

Fanciful recycled chairs created by Connecticut artisans such as Denise Morris Curt, Rosemary Celon-Gordon and Ren Farnsworth, will be auctioned to benefit the United Way and to help promote green living.

The evening will include hors d’oeuvres, music, a champagne and wine bar and tours of the store in a pedicab. Pilgrim City Furniture at 1755 Boston Post Road is the site of the largest solar photovoltaic installation on a commercial business in New England.

Tickets are $50 per person in advance at www.pilgrimfurniturecity.com/current/upcoming_events.aspx, or by calling 860-276-00330, ext. 106, and $60 at the door

Announcement Courtesy of NH Register

Milford Student Expresses Concern Over Cyberbullying

The note arrived to me by e-mail. It was sent by Janet Garagliano of Jonathan Law HS and I am reposting it to this blog to help raise cyberbullying awareness information available to parents in our community. Please read the following message and, if you have kids, get familiar with the facts and solutions to this growing technological crime problem.

Ms. Gargliano states in her e-mail: "Recently a student came to me to express her concern about Cyberbullying and the potential impact bullying of any type has on her schoolmates. This student, Jennie Sharp, wanted to do something about this problem. I guided her a bit; but most of what we will be doing at Law to recognize Cyberbullying month is the direct result of Jen's initiative.

All Health as well as Drug and Alcohol Prevention classes will engage in a variety of activities including a presentation by Detective Frawley. I have posted on our website, [http://teacherweb.com/CT/JonathanLawHighSchool/schoolhomepage/sdhp1.aspx]
some documents that you might find helpful to use with your child at home. These documents will serve as a complement to the materials that our teachers will be using. It may be the case that your child is not enrolled in either of the above mentioned classes, so they will have a chance to review the materials with you.

I hope you find these materials useful. I would like to thank Jennie for all her hard work as well as her concern for her schoolmates."

The concern over Cyberbullying came "front and center" last month when Phoebe Prince was bullied into a state that rendered her life so psychologically challenged that she decided to end it.

The work that is being done here is to pre-emptively address this issue before it becomes of concern, or creates victims within our own schools. Anyone with kids that are at risk for this kind of crime should take the time to get informed.

Peter Schiff To Speak At GOP

Two Senate candidates, Rob Simmons and Peter Schiff, are scheduled to speak at Thursday night's Republican Town Committee meeting.

Committee members will also discuss formally endorsing Tom Foley for governor.

Town committee meetings are open to the public.

The meeting will be held Thursday, at 7:15 p.m., at the Crown Corporate Campus Conference Training Center, 472 Wheelers Farm Rd. For information call 203-218-6166.

(Announcement from Milford Mirror)

Photo Of The Day

Milford's Democratic Party boss Mike Brown, poses with the embattled Secretary of State Susan Bysiewicz. Susan is currently in a battle royal with the states courts who are preventing her from running for Richard Blumenthals position Attorney General.

The courts are upholding the law that in order to run for the AG post 10 years of experience as a licensed practicing Attorney are required. Ms. Bysiewicz failed to pay her fee to the state, and the state is arguing that because of that error she was a "non-practicing" attorney for those years.

After a series of difficult and embarrassing depositions, the "clock ticks" as the election approaches. Recent polls indicate that if the primary were held today Ms. Byczewits would win the AG bid for the Democratic party.

Helping those poll numbers is her work from three years back. Bysiewicz was involved in voter registration drives for the Democratic party. Many of the people she registered were qeustionable newly naturalized former illegal immigrants. Her push placed many new Democratic non-english speaking voters in the state of Connecticut that raised a fire storm of controversy.

It would appear that the same "loophole" that got her poll numbers up, also works for the states taxpayers and the "Rules of Law" we all live by. I suppose not wanting the law applied to her self is a shocking and "distasteful start" to seeking a post as CT's Attorney General.

(Photo obtained from CTNewsjunkie.com)

Energy Monsters Looking To Quash Deregulation

Many small energy companies are up in arms this week and are circulating petitions and letters aimed at voters to take a stand. The stand they want you to take is to call your local representative and tell them that you support lower electric rates, competition within the current grid, and the many small companies that are now competing with the big energy giants.

One such company circulating this letter is Energy Plus Holdings LLC and it alleges that consumers will "lose the ability to save money and receive other innovative benefits such as valuable rewards offered by Energy Plus. We urge you to contact your State Senator or Representative to let them know you want to keep retail electric competition in Connecticut - and that you want to continue to have the opportunity to earn rewards and save money on your electric bill."

Connecticut deregulation came about after consumers complained that they were paying among the highest rates in the entire continental U.S. Unfortunately, UI even amid deregulation managed to nearly double its rates in just over a decade.

Having heard several conference calls from UIL Holdings, the energy company in New Haven and Milford who reports quarterly to their investors; the common theme by its CEO Thorgenson is "profits are up nicely." The DPUC regulates this kind of rate activity of our local energy giant and about a year ago UIL drew much public criticism by Mayor Stefano when they decided to abandon New Haven to build a multi-million dollar "over the top" world class HQ in Orange at the old Movie theater site and at the expense of increased billing rates.

Mayor Stefano citicized UI, pointing to the site it abandoned in New Haven as a "Toxic dump" citing "UI still has not acted responsibly in cleaning up their mess." UI is also currently working with ENRG Inc. in Milford to complete a peaking generation plant.

According to representatives I spoke with last year at the "Devon Day Fair," the question was asked by Dick Sieron an Electrical engineer who worked for the power companies "how is this project funded?" The representative there indicated that "although this plant will not operate for many months out of the year, ratepayers will be paying for it anyway out of their current bill."

UI and its partners continues to draw sharp criticism from the community, especially in recent months when their lack of safety precautions caused a Middletown plant to explode, killing and injuring several people.

The cause for competition in sales, distribution, and generation of electricity is very much needed amid the acrimonious and accident prone nature of the current industry. The DPUC and Attorney General Richard Blumenthal was able to stop many of the abuses of the energy companies directed at the people of CT in previous years, but with his bid for Congress being a major distraction to those efforts the people of Connecticut may be in serious jeopardy of being taken advantage of by the energy giants yet again.

There is no surprise that in wake of this years U.S. Senate race the UI Gang is going "Gangbusters" trying to "Stick It" to the people of Connecticut now that they see an opportunity. It is our responsibility to "slam the door shut yet again."

Understanding Special Education And Its Heavy Toll

It is a process fraught with emotion.

Parents want what's best for their children. Local school officials have to consider the taxpayers' limited resources.

In school districts across Fairfield County, the decisions made by a pupil's Planning and Placement Team on what special education services to provide are increasingly being challenged by parents, and legal bills on both sides are mounting.

"This is difficult stuff because it is so expensive to a school district and so important to a parent,'' said Thomas Murphy, spokesman for the state Department of Education. "It's a clash of the titans," he said.

To continue reading Frank Juliano Story Click Here

Milford's Charles Buck Jr. Honored With Masons Highest Post

Milford has a rather small quiet lodge on the town green aptly named Ansantawae after the Indian who sold the land. That lodge has a legacy going back over 150 years, and just yesterday one of its beloved leaders Charles A. Buck Jr. was bestowed with Masonry's highest honor.

Buck is this years Grand Master, a post that few masons will even attempt to seek because it brings a commitment to the bretheren that requires lots of free time and great sacrifice. The hours are long, the committments great and there is little to no compensation for all the work that must be achieved.

Some masons stand in line for as long as 20 years to get this post, and only those who exemplify a true love and commitment to Masons and Masonry will ever achieve the post.

Yeterday evening, in Farmington Connecticut, the annual meeting of all Connecticut lodges took place at the Marriott hotel. In attendence were the leaders of almost every lodge in the state of Connecticut, and Masonic leaders from all over New England and as far as Canada. Every chapter of Masonry was also represented from the historic Knights Templar, to the Shriners who are always remembered for their little cars and fancy hats during parades.

The event was marked with a tearful departure of last years leader and was soon ushered in with Charles Buck who was blessed with the support of thirty people from his home lodge in Milford. Bucks family was there to proudly witness his installation and his wife who was ill, was watching electronically with an internet video stream so that she too also take part in her husbands grand honor.

Charlie Buck was enthusiastic about his new post, and his lodge whom were very proud of his accomplishments, took to the stage at the conclusion of the event and all began singing to the amusement of every one there.

The people of Milford ought to be proud of the achievement of one of its own citizens, I and all the members of my lodge Daytime 144, wish him the best of luck in the coming years and sincerely hope he will continue in the great work of helping others, especially children and the elderly.

There will be several public events where one could meet Mr. Buck at Ashlar of Newtown, in Newtown Ct. those events are published at the State website for Masonry http://www.ctfreemasons.net/

Should anyone be interested in joining the Charitable Masonic organization, the process is simple. Find a mason and ask him to join.

Milford Earth Day Set To Launch At Eisenhower Park

Milford Earth Day is an opportunity to participate in the beautification of Milford and have fun while we're at it!

If you are a local resident... JOIN THE FUN!
If you want to lend a hand... VOLUNTEER!
If you have useful stuff... DONATE / LEND!
If you are a local business... BE A SPONSOR!

The Milford Earth Day Committee is an environmental action group dedicated to facilitating public and private partnerships which result in the sustainable stewardship of local open spaces in a safe, enjoyable and educational manner.

For more information on Earthday visit the official website at www.milfordearthday.org



What? 5th Annual Milford Earth Day Celebration

When? April 24, 2010 from 8:00 AM to 3:00 PM

Where? Eisenhower Park, Milford, Connecticut

Milford's Budget Deliberations Draw Crowd

This years budget deliberations will begin in earnest and with the voice of the people of Milford who will own up to it and fund the city. City hall was attended by a great deal of city employees last Thursday night. Teachers who are in fear of losing their jobs were all dressed in pink as a show of solidarity and in unison voiced their plea to keep their jobs this year.

Some members of the community, myself included attended the gathering and voiced our opinions at the podium. There was much criticism of the wasteful spending by the Republican administration that has contributed to the job insecurity that our teachers are experiencing.

Aggregate to this years budget woes many people in government and education have automatic raises built in to their contracts. Each year they have the option to forgo those minimal raises to save the jobs of their newer co-workers who have not yet been afforded the protection that tenured teachers enjoy. In essence the raises of the senior teachers and city employees are what dictates the increase in the cost of education. Additionally Health insurance and benefits have also increased contributing to local economic instability.

During these "Great Recessionary times" most newer city employees are fearful of losing their jobs, and many in Milford living on the edge are afraid they will not be able to afford their property taxes in the years to come. The stage is being set for tax increases that will further strain the limited disposable income that is available to Milford's homeowners.

Senator Gayle Slossberg, in a telephone interview made it clear that the state of Connecticut is in "Dire Straits" and that "little to no help" can be expected from Hartford. She said "Milford will have to make do like the rest of the towns in CT who are in the same position... Hartford is looking to get its budget balanced to avoid its own consequences." Gayle did not know how long this recession was going to last, but was optimistic in Milford's ability in being able to solve its own interim problems until she is able to procure more funding from the state.

The event was well attended by the local press, the chairman of all three local political parties were represented and now the time begins to start the difficult process of saving jobs, and keeping property taxes from getting out of control.

The ultimate solution to this ongoing budget saga, according to acting School Superintendent Michael Cummings may be to "revive the idea originally initiated by former Superintendent Firn to merge the two high schools in Milford."

Currently the Milford School system needs $100,000,000.00 in repairs and upgrades, compared to the city abandoning its costliest middle schools in favor of the larger High Schools. Many feel that building a new unified "Green" High School is the answer. The cost of merging the two schools is apx. $60,000,000.00 to the city of Milford. This cost will also accompany an estimated $40,000,000.00 from the state of Connecticut when those funds become available.

The new High School is being looked at with the Burnt Plains lot in mind as the city recently purchased that land. The site is in the vicinity of the YMCA and Platt Tech in Milford.

While this years budget battle is void of any meaningful solutions or good outcomes, the loss of money due to the cruelty of inflation a bad economy and a stagnant grand list is taking its toll on the city.

The emerging consensus is that wisest move is to take a "Long Term" view and begin the difficult process of streamlining education costs on the infrastructure side. The savings potential from a well designed school system will eventually result in higher property values, hence faster growth in the "Grand List", reduced maintenance and energy costs, and a consolidation of redundant services and staff positions.

Mark Stapleton the Chairman of the Board of Education agrees that the idea of "merging the two High Schools is a wise one" and looks forward to beginning the difficult process of studying the reorganizational benefits of the Milford school system.

Video of myself speaking at the podium during the public budget hearing

Criminals, Barry Saetoro's War, and Sikorski Helicopters

WARNING THE VIDEO BELOW CONTAINS HIGHLY DISTURBING FOOTAGE.

No you will not see this on America's joke news networks they are too busy talking about celebrity panties, and who killed their baby. Also remember that our censored news networks had no problem booting Phil Donahue, Peter Arnette, Lou Dobbs, and Dan Rather off the air. They send a firm and stern message that the people of America are to be kept ignorant of the reporters they order retaliated against.

The reporters targeted and killed in this video, were accused of carrying weapons. Their defence is that they could not tell the difference between a camera and an anti aircraft weapon. Even so they were all clearly "Disarmed" and yet the criminals lying and flying chose to murder them anyway.

This footage is only intended to mar those individuals responsible for this hanus, premeditated and horrible crime. We maintain that their actions are not indicative of all U.S. soldiers and should not be construed as propaganda against our good troops who would never lie to kill reporters.

If you disliked Obama AKA (Barry Saetoro) before the war, this should really add more fuel to the fire of his protracted invocations of hatred that are bankrupting our nation.

Milford's Gregg Smith Wants You To Speak Up Tonight

Greg Smith, Chairman of the Board of Aldermen, said "Given the current state of the economy and the problems in Hartford and Washington, you, the citizens of Milford, along with your Aldermen, have got some very difficult decisions to make concerning the services we receive and taxes we all pay for them.

Many Milford families are struggling, having lost a job or at risk of losing a job, and making due with reduced income or no pay raise. Seniors received no cost of living adjustment this year. All of us must work together to find the best solutions for our community. Our Mayor and Board of Finance have labored to find the right balance. Now is your chance to be heard before your Aldermen take up the task of completing the budget.

We will hold a public hearing on the city budget this Thursday, April 8th at 7pm.

Interest groups will be here to voice their opinions, as is their right. I urge all taxpayers to come to your City Hall and be heard on your budget. We will stay as long as it takes to hear you. If you have an opinion on the city budget, your Aldermen hope to see you Thursday night at 7:00pm."

Reprint from www.milfordrepublicans.com

Milford CT High School Merger Followup.

A proposal to replace the city's two public high schools with one large, new one drew mixed reactions Tuesday.

Timothy Chaucer, who co-founded Milford Citizens Against Mega-Schools to defeat a similar plan five years ago, said Tuesday that large high schools don't work and that cities that have tried this experiment have gone back to two facilities.

"Fairfield tried this, and it was an absolute failure," said Chaucer, a retired Hamden High School teacher. "Meriden merged Maloney and Platt into one huge school and they regret it. Joe Foran (a former Milford superintendent), said the ideal size of a high school is 900 to 1,000 students." Rocco Frank, chairman of the local Independent Party, wrote on his blog that building one new high school makes more sense than spending the same amount of money to repair two older buildings that waste a lot of energy

Continue Reading Frank Juliano Story by Clicking HERE

Milford Embraces The Idea Of One High School.. Chaucer Miffed.

Nothing less than the complete reorganization of the city's public school system, including the possibility of one high school, will be needed to resolve long-term budget issues, school officials said Monday night.

Under one plan being considered, the three middle schools would be closed and the two high school buildings, Joseph A. Foran and Jonathan Law, would be converted to middle schools, school board chairman Mark Stapleton said. "That's the current thinking, but we have a lot of ideas to explore," he said. "Part of that would be a new high school to serve the city; that isn't a conversation I am looking forward to having."

TO CONTINUE READING FRANK JULIANO STORY CLICK HERE

MY Previous post on this JonathanForan High idea:

"Perhaps the High School name is a bit odd but it is the only play on words I can think of when it comes to the very idea of merging the two schools into one.

Milford's budget continues to be hampered by the economy, its associated deflation in tandem with long term unemployment, and of course taxes, taxes and ever increasing property taxes.

Well last week after looking at the city's proposed budget and reading the repair and improvement costs on Milford's schools I had to pinch myself. The nightmare of $100,000,000.00 in repairs just seemed like I was trapped in a taxpayer nightmare, a nightmare where everyone gets 3%-5% raises while massive teacher layoffs loom on the horizon yet again. Only problem was... well I am not dreaming and yes I was very awake and if you are not, then you need to wake up for this one.

Today I made several hasty phone calls, sent lots of e-mails, spoke to countless experts and concluded that our two High Schools will have to eventually merge into one. The benefits of doing so are immense. The risk of not doing so and applying expensive "band aids" certainly not a smart option.

The green movement in town has been pushing for more ecofriendly projects, and with the "skyrocketing" cost of school repairs a "green Leeds" certified "world class" high school is starting to make sense. A Leeds certified High School would be the first of its kind in CT and would save the city a great deal of energy costs.

The best way not to throw away good tax dollars on crumbling buildings, is to challenge the logic of spending the equivalent of a new school, on two old energy inefficient buildings that need endless and costly repairs.

The epiphany is coming, and when it does our leaders will hopefully realize it is more cost effective to build a brand new H.S.from scratch. Milford's schools I believe have entered into this reality, but has yet to embrace enough conservative proponents.

The main challenge (at the moment) is to locate a suitable building site. Thankfully I did some research and found a good candidate. The building site that I propose involves the recently purchased 7.6 acres on Burnt Plains Road. The property abuts other sizable lots, also owned by the city and is right near the Milford YMCA of which offers a great Indoor swimming pool, and a soccer field. It would also be in the company of Platt Tech and far away from the fast food chains that tempt our kids into poor nutrition.

This would certainly be the best answer for a new school that would house apx 3,000 kids in a centrally located part of our city. Since Milford already owns the lots land costs would be minimal to none. Some costs to the taxpayers, could be recouped by leasing out the old High Schools, relocating crowded middle schools, or converting them into senior living centers.

The, consolidation would be costly at first but over time would save Milford's taxpayers millions of dollars, while in tandem increasing our local property values. Fewer resources and personnel will be dedicated to the maintenance, and daily management of a well designed facility.

With strong momentum, favorable support, and a serious effort Jonathan Foran High School could be a reality within four or Five years if we start taking education costs seriously now."

Unusually Warm Milford Day Coincides with Sun Storm

For all the global warming sceptics out there I placed a Solar activity reader with a UV index to the right and below the banner. This morning I heard that we are going to break records with possibly 80 Degree days here in New England.

For some time I have been saying that these events are symptomatic of the Sun, and today we see the big red "Storm" warning in the Solar observation bar. For those of you are unfamiliar with solar storms and how they effect the temperature of "Mother Earth" should start tracking the coincidences like I have.

Now I will be the first to say that I am not an climatologist, but I have learned enough from climategate to realize that Al Gore and his "energy thugs" cannot be trusted much either. Call me old fashioned but I learned in grammar school that the Sun is what heats the planet, not the tail pipe on my car.

Certainly the gig is not up on this issue, because the Al Gore agenda is hitting Congress hard. The End Game is to enact a Carbon Tax, smart meters, and all kinds of new socialist programs aimed at revoking the liberties we currently enjoy.

A Radical proponent in California suggested that the government should control your thermostat to save energy, they also tried to outlaw big plasma televisions and routine vandalism of gas guzzling SUV's is commonplace by the angry "Greenies" who feel that that their point of view is the factual one.

For all you out there who are still confused I suggest you watch the Jessy Ventura Climate Conspiracy video that was recently on TruTV. The documentary is an "Eye Opening" unveiling of how carbon credits will make Al Gore and several of his UN advocates overnight Billionaires at the expense of the U.S. Constitution.

The entire implementation plan is based on falsified science and is predicated on the fact that good people will surrender their freedom to save the world.

Above photo of a solar storm with superheated solar wind traveling toward Earth. These charged particles are known to wreak havoc on electronics and energy grids. The Earths Van Allen Belt a electromagnetic field deflects X-Rays aways from earth, but not UV Light. Today's UV Index is HIGH.

Taking Blog Break Until Monday. Happy Easter

Dear readers, sometimes strange footsteps can appear in the soft muddy ground. When these very large and unidentifyable footprints emerge, there is always an explanation beyond Big Foot, Aliens, the New Jersey Devil or Chupacabras.

Happy Easter to all you bunny monster hunters!

Milford Independent Town Committee Cross Endorses Sen. Gayle Slossberg

The Milford Independent party has found a friend in State Senator Gayle Slossberg. Gayle’s efforts to secure funding for third parties in Connecticut is the principle motivating factor in the aforesaid defacto endorsement by the MIP.

Gayle is one of the principal architects of the Citizens Election Program. This program delivers funds to third parties by way of disbursement of abandoned bank accounts. Gayle is bravely engaged in an epic battle against Republican State Chairman Chris Healy who is actively lobbying Hartford to scrap the CEP program.

The MITC is of the opinion that this years political climate is expected to be particularly difficult for Democratic contenders. The Milford Independents who traditionally yield 10% of the city vote, urges all our independent supporters to vote for Gayle in her bid to win re-election in the 2010 State senate race.

Gayle will appear on both the Democratic, and Independent lines this coming election. As such her votes will be combined and count in their aggregate hence making no difference in the outcome of this years election.

We sincerely hope that all Milford citizens, who like Gayle, but not the positions of state government, express their discontent by voting the Independent line this November.

According to Rocco Frank, the Milford Independent Town Committee Chairman, “too many people are voting at their mailbox, and as such we throw elections to those individuals who are not in the best interest of our community.”

This year we are asking the general public to vote for those candidates, like Gayle Slossberg, who have a record of serving Milford’s citizens and support the vital funding program enacted under the Citizens Election Program.

A Letter To Our Supporters of American Socialism

March 31, 2010

Dear Representative DeLauro,
Dear Senator Dodd,
Dear Senator Lieberman,

As a writer for the Milford Daily Blog, and chairman of the Milford Independent Party Town Committee, I oppose government-run health care and the trillions of dollars in new taxes that will be confiscated from the people to pay for the legislation.

I also oppose employer and individual mandates, which force citizens and businesses into making decisions based on what the state wants, and not what makes the most sense for the individual or the small businessman.

Instead of crowding out the private insurers through a subsidized government option, Congress should vote for market-based reforms like allowing citizens of all states to purchase health insurance across state lines.

However, since you all already voted for this government-run health care legislation, and the trillions of dollars in new taxes that go with it. I am now counting on you to represent me and my family, and not encumber them with a nanny state ripe with the chaos and violence being initiated by the Federal Government and its confiscatory desperate actions.

Sadly there is too much violence in society, and when an American flew his plane into the IRS building this should have been a message to you that when people have nothing left to lose they lose it.

This bill in its present partisan form shows willful and callous disregard for the feelings of Americans and how they feel about the IRS and its draconian collection practices. Please do not draft legislation that scares Americans into surrendering what little money they have left to the private insurance industry. The use of fear and intimidation, may be the hallmark of the IRS but it certainly is not consistent with the vision of America's founders who fought for freedom from British tyranny.

It is my opinion that the surest way to spark more violence against yourselves and the country is to continue the antagonistic expansion of the IRS and police state of which this bill does by over 17,000 bully agents.

To Americas credit, and the Tea Party movement it appears that American's are refusing to live in fear of the government and I proudly stand with them angainst these kinds of bills and the civil injustice that will surely follow it.

Sincerely,
Mr. Rocco Frank
374 New Haven Ave.Milford, CT 06461

P.S. Why is this not the same healthcare plan you have for yourselves and family?