Congratulations to Jason Santi and Jim Sheridan for their victories in today's Democratic primary.

Unofficial Results:

Democratic Nomination for Town Council, 4th District

Democratic Nomination for the Zoning Commission, District III

5th and 6th Council Districts

I've just posted a new form where you can sign up for the Stratford Democrats' email list and fill out a 10-second survey on local political issues.

Stratford Democrats Email List and 10-Second Survey

A special meeting of the DTC to endorse candidates for the 2009 municipal elections will take place on July 23rd, 7PM in the main hall of the Baldwin Center. The DTC will endorse candidates for the following offices:

• Mayor
• Town Council districts 1-10
• Board of Education
• Planning Commission for districts II, III, IV and V
• Zoning Commission for districts III, IV and V
• Board of Zoning Appeals for districts I, II and III
• Constables

The DTC's endorsement provides candidates access to the primary ballot, or if there is no primary challenge, access to the general election ballot. Democrats interested in seeking the DTC's endorsement should contact me at (203) 645-2900 or dm@stratforddemocrats.com.

Last night, the DTC voted in Heidi Nelson as DTC Secretary and voted to recommend Scott Potter to fill the vacancy on the Planning Commission. Congratulations to Scott and Heidi.

Yes Wii Did! This Friday 2/6, we are having a fundraiser in celebration of the inauguration of President Obama. Wii Sports and other fun stuff on the agenda. Suggested contribution is $15. Light fare served. RSVP to dm@stratforddemocrats.com.

As the gubernatorial field shapes up, so does the schedule for candidates to visit the DTC. Mayor Dan Malloy on 3/2 tentatively, Secretary of State Susan Bysiewicz confirmed for 4/6.

The Democratic Town Committee voted to endorse the sale of Long Beach West to U.S. Fish & Wildlife for no less than $10,000,000. For more information, see longbeachwest.com, a website created by Democratic State Representative and Democratic Town Committee member Terry Backer.

Challenger Michael Singh has withdrawn at the last minute, negating the need for a primary election. State Rep. Terry Backer is now cleared for the November general election ballot.

Every August the Stratford Democratic Town Committee has a party-building picnic. This is a great opportunity to meet other active local Democrats and chat about what we can do to help Obama and the entire Democratic ticket leading up to the election. I hope you will join us for a fun day at the beach.

The cost is $10 per person for all you can eat and drink. Children under 10 are free. We also have a chance auction to raise money for two scholarships we fund every year for one deserving Stratford High and one Bunnell graduate.

Date/Time: Sunday, August 24th, 11AM-4PM
Location: Short Beach Pavilion, 1 Dorne Dr, Stratford, CT 06615
RSVP: To Bonnie Reynolds at 381-9283

Some pictures from last year's picnic:

I am writing to give an account of my experience at a recent “special meeting” of Stratford’s Town Council. The meeting was held on Monday July 21, 2008 in Town Hall. The Council chambers were crowded. Most people in attendance were there to hear discussion regarding the potential sale of Long Beach West to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife and the Council’s possible vote to end negotiations regarding the sale. Other items slated for discussion were a bonding ordinance for various public improvements and the Shakespeare Theater assessment report along with a discussion with Mr. Bill Hanney, the developer chosen by the Town Council to reopen the theater.

After Chairman Henrick announced that the discussion regarding Shakespeare would not happen, and a line-by-line discussion of appropriations of money for capital improvements and equipment, the meeting moved on to the subject most people in attendance came to hear. Would the Council allow public hearings and discussions regarding negotiating a sale of Long Beach West to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife to continue, or stop the process and end negotiations?

I have found that people on both sides of this issue are passionate in their belief. I for one am in favor of further negotiations and sale of this property. I am sure there will be a need for some changes and specific items spelled out before the final document is presented, but isn’t that what “negotiations” are all about? I have found my conversations with people who oppose the sale to be both cordial and informative. Unfortunately at this meeting, this was not the case.

Melissa Spear, Connecticut director of the Trust for Public Land, the organization that is acting as intermediary between the Town of Stratford and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife, gave an informative presentation with the facts and details of the proposed contract. When finished she offered to field any questions that our Council may have. This would have been a great time to open constructive dialogue, but not tonight. The first to question (badger may be a better term) Ms. Spear was Councilman Kubic. He went into this long dissertation about the proposed boardwalk/walkway in a tone that was both condescending and rude, which when finished, brought a groan of disgust and embarrassment from at least half the chamber. Even when a representative of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service tried to offer clarification, Mr. Kubic, refusing to listen, and interrupting, reread his statement regarding the boardwalk/walkway, causing our “guest” to walk away from the podium! Is this how we want our elected officials to act? I think not. In the end, I AM pleased that the Council did the right thing and decided to allow the special public hearing scheduled for Thursday July 24th to proceed.

I believe we all want to see our town move forward both economically and as a destination spot. We should welcome new people with new ideas to our town and encourage our citizens to become more involved. Many times it is our elected officials that provide that first impression of our town. We should hope that first impression would be an inviting one.

As we move forward as a Town during these exciting times, let us be open to new ideas, open to constructive dialogue, and when we disagree, as we will from time to time, let us please do so in a respectful way so as to keep constructive dialogue open.

I am excited to present the new and improved stratforddemocrats.com. We're running the latest and greatest version of the open source Drupal "community plumbing" software, which will allow us to greatly improve our online organizing. In the coming weeks you should expect to see a number of new features and content. The first of many improvements is the use of the robust Google Calendar as well as Facebook to publicize our events. Thanks for stopping by!