Milfords Schools In A Leadership Crisis

The New Republican dominated board of education is being sworn in today, and their first day on the job will be a nightmare. The crisis in leadership however is nothing new to some legacy board members who expunged the last Milford Superintendent in a similar swarm of controversy.

Harvey Polanski our Current Milford School Superintendent who won high and lavish praises from our mayor Jim Richetelli is now mired in a second wave of controversy. This time the Richetelli favorite is accused of lewd and lascivious acts toward two female Principals who made the allegations against our superintendent.

This is the second time this year that Mr. Polanski found himself in the news, for those who may have forgot last August he was investigated along with Republican Board of Education member Joanne Rhorig.

Rhorig resigned from the Board of Education after a firestorm of controversy occurred surrounding her household and numerous allegations of illegal activity. Charges were made that Polanski attended a party where known sexual predators lived, and underage drinking was ongoing in his presence.

Harvey Polanski is currently put on administrative leave. This occurred after an emergency closed door session of the Board of Education voted on an emergency response to the two principals allegations.

According to local sources an outside investigative agency will be hired at an undisclosed sum of taxpayer money. The investigators are expected to conduct a fact finding inquiry into the allegations made by the two Milford principals.

The Milford School System, will temporarily be under the direction of Michael Cummings the Assistant Superintendent. Larry Schaeffer previously took the post once before after our former Superintendent of Schools Gregory A. Firn "exercised poor judgment" and undermined confidence in his leadership by his handling of a situation involving a coach accused of sexual assault.

The board said "Firn's actions regarding a letter of recommendation for former coach Robert Dulin would be considered in the Superintendent's contract negotiations in June." Firn later Resigned of his own recognisance.

This years case may be much more egregious and prove to be an even poorer choice of a candidate for Milford's top paying job should these allegations be proven true. Aggregate factors already overshadowing our current Superintendents administration has also been the terrible results of the CAPT test scores, a test vital to the graduation of Milford's High School students.

The Republican dominated administration holds a majority on every board in the city of Milford except the Planning and Zoning board of which they hold an even stake. The rebuilding of our schools leadership will be at the helm of the incoming administration.

Most onlookers in the know, however, have been less than impressed with the Richetelli record on education of which now includes the towns second Superintendent being mired in troubles, failing CAPT test scores, standing room protests over 180 teachers having their employment threatened, objections over the Jonathan the Law additions, and controversy over media aides being let go and then rehired.

Violence Threatens Milford Mall's Survival

On Sunday night I was at my computer reading the latest blogs coming in off Topix. One blog in particular was very disturbing, it was from an individual who said he was at “the Westfield Mall, and heard someone was brandishing a gun. A large swath of people panicked and scattered down the escalator where the Managers of Target locked the front doors as a security measure for what appeared to be an hour. Shortly after another blogger concurred that he was at the mall and experienced a similar event.

These issues plaguing our mall are not new, and the New Haven Register this morning confirmed what these bloggers experienced but said the man brandishing the gun originated from the bus stop. One report indicates that while at the Bus stop he threatened to “Pistol whip” his girlfriend.” Another at the Post indicates that he made the threat during a group fight in the food court.

Mall police apprehended the individual and consequentially he was charged with gun related crimes. The incident did not make immediate news because the gun he was brandishing was merely a harmless “air gun.” But to the people in the Mall who were frightened by it that did not matter much.

The Westfield Mall continues to be plagued with security problems that stem from out of town kids engaging in lewd and lascivious conduct. Officers have been hit with food from food fights, a chair, assaulted physically, and broken up large fights.

Officers reported that the youth at the mall are so problematic that they neither respect a badge or a gun. However, he did say they all "respect the taser" and it is the best weapon in his arsenal.

A security officer at the Westfield Mall expressed concern, that these problems of violence may be because Milford is considered “neutral” territory. He said "when rivals from Bridgeport and New Haven attend the mall there is a propensity for conflict to occur."

Shop owners fear that these problems are also effecting the retail establishments in the Mall who also pay handsomely to have the traffic and placement that the Mall offers. Lately the violence combined with the economic downturn has resulted in record high vacancy rates and the Mall owners are struggling to stay in business. One shop owner said "if the youth problems persist, people will be reluctant to shop here."

Last year the Westfield Mall ended up in court, and sued the city of Milford over what they said are excessively high taxes. Mayor Richetelli, after the lawsuit settled and said the “Westfield Mall is of vital economic importance to Milford, and the settlement was worth it. Had the city not settled and lost the case the city would have been forced to immediately pay a substantial amount of money to the owners of the property.” The settlement earned the Westfield Mall a 11% tax decrease, one they said was the result of their property being overvalued by the town assessor. The mall also benefits from a Police HQ annex located in the mall next to Panera's.

Reports indicate that the tax savings was desperately needed given the fragility of the commercial real estate market and the shaky economy.

These assertions are being confirmed daily by a website called www.DeadMalls.com. This site lists the growing number of defunct and struggling malls across the country. In Connecticut Seven are listed in the index, including the Bristol Mall in Bristol Ct., and the long defunct HiHo Mall. (Now occupied by The Housatonic Community College in Bridgeport.)

While there appears to be no immediate solution to these youth conflicts at the moment additional changes are being made to the bus policy of the mall. Effective soon fewer buses will be permitted to stop at the mall, and security will be put on high alert to curtail the problem. Loitering will not be tolerated, and aggressive enforcement against shoplifting and disruptive behavior will be engaged.

The mall management has expressly indicated that they are committed to delivering a calm safe environment where shoppers can go and enjoy themselves. While they regret the problems induced by local youth at the Mall they assure the public that every reasonable effort is being made to stem the tide of mischief.

"Keep The Change You Filthy Animals" Exposing Bank Of America.

With all the uncertainty in today's economy, I decided I needed a lower risk investment. So, I went with a traditional savings account at Bank of America. The interest rate is less than 1 percent but I figured that was better than losing 50% in the stock market. The sales rep in my local BOA branch convinced me to sign up for their "keep the change" program. She also threw in what is called "overdraft protection." I figured I was covered against all their fees, since I had several thousand dollars available in savings and never purchased anything more than a couple hundred dollars with my debit card. Boy was I wrong.

For those of you who don't know, the BOA "Keep the Change" with "Overdraft Protection" program rounds up all your debit card purchases to the nearest dollar and places that "change" into your savings account. So, if you purchase something at Dunkin Donuts for lets say $5.32, BOA will charge your checking account $6.00 and send the $0.68 from checking to your savings account. And if you exceed the available funds in checking, BOA will transfer $100 from savings back to checking, ie "overdraft protection." Sound pretty worry free doesn't it?

However, what they don't tell you when you give them your money is that there is a $10 fee for everytime they "protect" you from overdrafts. That is a 10% service fee on YOUR $100 that they take from YOUR Savings account and put into YOUR checking account. Its a computer program that plays with your money and than charges you fees. The best part is that the only reason you might need money transfered back from savings back into checking is because of their "Keep the Change" program, which could leave your checking account less than $1.00 overdrawn.

I SAY to BANK OF AMERICA, YOU "KEEP THE CHANGE, YOU FILTHY ANIMALS!!!"

Other Fees I was charged:
1.) Excessive ATM Use Fee. Using the ATM more than 3 times in one month. Yes, to access my money in a BOA account, at a BOA ATM, I was charged $3.00 for each ATM withdrawal after the third one in a calender month, regardless of the dollar amount. However, in their own terms, I have unlimited ATM withdrawals if my balance exceeds $2,500, which it did the entire month, with the exception of 1 day. When I called to complain, I was basically told that there was nothing they could do.

2.) Monthly Maintenance Fee. If you are wondering why I just refrained from signing up for the "Keep the Change" program, which I describe above. Believe me, I tried. However, if you have a savings account with BOA and you do not participate in the program, you are charged a $3.00 monthly maintenance fee, every month, regardless of account activity.

3.) Using a non-BOA ATM. We are all familiar with this one. I made this mistake and paid upwards of $10 by the time BOA and the bank whose ATM I made the mistake of using was done with me.

My advice . . . Tell those filthy animals at BOA to keep their "Keep the Change" program.
Since fees far exceed the interest gained by keeping your money in a bank, just start keeping your money at home in a safe. There is no interest but there are no fees, what you put in it will be there until you take it out. To pay your bills, pay cash in person, or just keep the minimum you need in a checking account to pay your bills or simply use money orders from the post office. Forget these banks and their predatory fees. Life is better without fees, electronic funds transfers, and the other nonsense that we think makes life easier.

Illegal Immigrant Worker' s Wait For Jobs In Norwalk

The illegal immigrant workforce, takes to the Norwalk streets daily. This event I witnessed last week as I traversed up Martin Luther King Blvd. There were about 50-100 people of what looked like Spanish descent waiting on the corner as if ready to jump in a passing truck; They looked ready to work in any craft from landscaping to construction.

Upon arrival to my destination to fix a computer I asked my customer A Mr. Yanni what was the scoop with all the people hanging out on the corner, I asked him the rhetorical question of what were they doing there? Just as I expected he gave me the answers, the same ones that have half the nation "ticked off" about, that they are all mostly illegal, undocumented, migrant workers preying on the desperation of small businesses desperate to increase their profits.

Many of them are going to your homes by way of your landscaper, stone mason or handyman. This problem has become perverse throughout our state and does not limit itself to just Norwalk. Mayor DiStefano has worked to grant these people ID's and Hartford has all but become a sanctuary city after the town council walked away from immigration issues, calling them the greater responsibility of the Federal Government.

Just as matters seemed to be as bad as things could be our secretary of state decided to run a campaign with Blumenthal to shore up the numbers of the Democratic party by registering as many people of all descents... many if not most being these federal "fast track" illegal immigrants.

While I am no objector to legal immigration a reminder of the correct way of achieving this is through acculturation and assimilation. That is that they intermarry, speak English, and lose over time their intense feeling of nationalism over the United States. In the exaggerated unregulated number that are present today America is building Hispanic nonspeaking ghettos who will soon evolve into a separatist group that will look to create their own special place in America that is not America. To explain what I mean imagine entire Spanish Speaking cities like Miami where America and its history becomes second to that of the supra nationals.

Something to think about while the rest of the U.S. border still goes unfunded, wide open and our leaders act as if they care but continue to take no action. Today's blog is yet again another reminder of the excuses and collusion at all levels of government in our state to enable the Federal Government and its policy of destroying our national borders under the premise that our state is helpless.

Food for thought today!

Some Milford Homes Fall Into Disrepair as Residents Struggle to Pay Bills

Over the last several months I have been walking around the district, the lower end of Milford, and while many of the high end, high value homes located along the waterfront are in great shape and in some cases being built to palatial status others are not so fortunate.

These homes are the inland homes, those located within the city and away from the waterfront. There were scores of homes that I personally visited in disrepair, these included broken steps, peeling paint, moss covered roofs, overgrown grass and trees and in many cases water damage from leaks inside the homes. The underlying cause of this problem stems from the occupants financial abilities and their priorities.

Some residents cited the disrepair issues as a result of the passing of a handy husband, while most others simply could not afford to complete something as basic as a paint job. With the average painter charging between $5,000 and $10,000 many town residents have not had incomes that are able to keep up with the surging cost of property taxes, energy, home maintenance, and food.

One such local man who I met on the trail had the (all to common story), that he just lost his job at a plumbing company citing that hard economic times have now impacted even the once reliable service sector. In my neighborhood alone almost all my neighbors save money by cutting their own grass and do their own landscaping.

Some locals blame this change on the local government and inattentive leaders. Our current representative Jim Amann is one person that I have learned yields either praise or utter contempt, one person in particular "said he lost track of his roots.. I remember when my son leader of the Young Democrats helped him get elected, today he has to call his secretary to make an appointment.". This alludes to the frustration, political disconnect, and confusion about why so many people in town have fallen behind due to their un-manageble economic difficulties.

My own personal opinion is that all the reasons cited by individuals on the trail may be correct, I agree that energy and taxes are among the main culprits, but none have hurt America more than our leaders in in Washington D.C. One item of particular concern has been the Feds abondoning states creating a financial hardship that force cities into the mistake of "locally taxing our way out of our problems." This works in the short term as we have seen this year but over time if the local, state, federal job situation does not improve, and incomes fail to keep up with the cost of living, than the old Chinese proverb that "water seeks its own level" may soon be a bitter reality.

This has been seen time and again and the best example of it is in economically challenged cities like Bridgeport and Waterbury. These homeowners have seen their mill rates rise as their home values plummeted. This happens because when homes are sold what is most important to a homeowner is whether or not they can afford to make that monthly payment. If they cannot they move on to a home that is priced less pushing down the value of the entire real estate market.

When houses sell for less the cities and state collect less taxes. The state collects less conveyance tax, and the city whose tax is based on a mill rate recieves less as it calculates out to a smaller payment. This is the dangerous "cat and mouse" game that municipalities play to keep their services "afloat." The balance and needs of public services Vs. taxpayers and their ability to pay is now with us long into the future. When this becomes imperiled the city will begin to gradually withdraw services from the community fueling increases in protests and political dissent in virtually all areas of government. The time to act is now, continuing to wait on these issues will result in further loss of hope of our towns people who are already very upset and disenfranchised.