Vernon Connecticut Democrats » Vernon CT

Vernon Democrats Throw a Party!

Vernon Democrats — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 12:55:41 +0000

Vernon Democrats

Present

Meet, Greet & Eat!

Meet … Michele Arn – Vernon’s Democratic Mayoral Candidate

Greet … All Democratic Candidates for Vernon Town Council & B.O.E.

Eat … Free Hot Dogs, Snacks & Beverages

LIVE ENTERTAINMENT

Balloons – Toys – Bring the Kids, Family & Neighbors

Sunday, October 11th 1:00
– 3:00PM

Democratic Headquarters – 500 East Plaza

500 Talcottville Road – Rt 83 (next to Pizza Hut)

Paid for by the Vernon Democratic Town Committee,
James Swicklas, Treasurer

McCoy’s mailer

Vernon Democrats — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 17:21:08 +0000

I was shocked by “Straw response” (Sept. 19 letter), in which Christy Vale equates legislative mailers that are governed by policy rules established by the governor and General Assembly to Mayor Jason McCoy’s arbitrary decision to send a mayoral townwide mailer without the adoption of policy rules by the Vernon Town Council.

I checked with the state concerning its rules and here are the facts:

The information mailers sent by all legislators, including state Sen. Tony Guglielmo, operate under strict guidelines established by the Committee on Legislative Management. These guidelines establish restrictions on content, timing, frequency, and cost of all such mailers. The guidelines are reviewed yearly by the committee and adopted by the General Assembly and the governor in the yearly budget. The process is transparent and visible because legislators cannot make up their own arbitrary rules.

The McCoy mailer is a “do as I please” mailer with no guidelines or policy established by the council as to content, timing, frequency, or cost. The process is not transparent and visible, as the mayor chose to make his own arbitrary rules without discussion or policy approval from the Town Council.

Like the legislature, if McCoy wants mailing privileges, the process should be transparent, with proper guidelines established through the Town Council, which has policy and fiscal authority. He should use a process that is open and transparent, similar to the one that was adopted in Coventry, for example, where that town’s Town Council, through its policymaking authority, approved a joint newsletter to come from the council and mayor.

Vale is totally wrong that the mayor was under no obligation to inform or consult the council on this issue. There is a policy and fiscal decision involved with such mailers that clearly belongs to the council, not the mayor. As a former member of the Town Council, Vale should know better than to advocate disregard for the duties bestowed to the council by the people that elected them to office.

With the help of many of the Republicans on the council, McCoy continues to abuse his power and make a mockery of our local government process at the expense of the people who put him in office. Hooray for Marie Herbst and the Democrats for taking them all to task.

Amarjit Buttar

Vernon

Bill Dauphin’s Excellent Response to Christy Vale

Vernon Democrats — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 14:55:05 +0000

” Ms. Vale opines that Democrats should “start thinking about some real issues that affect Vernon.” Well, one real issue is this: Leaves will be falling soon, and not long after that, snow and ice, and Vernon still has no Director of Public Works. I’m sure the workers at DPW will do their very best to cope, but facing a busy season of leaf removal, snow removal, and repair of weather-related damage to streets and town infrastructure understaffed and without a leader can’t be easy for them.

We’re in this situation because the mayor has failed to do what Ms. Vale points out is his job: “… recommend candidates to the Town Council .” Instead, he has recommended one unsuitable candidate (unsuitable, by the way, not because he’s a Republican but because he has no relevant experience) whom the Council rejected on a bipartisan basis, and has stubbornly refused to bring forward any further candidates (though we know there were other finalists). If Democrats have resorted to extraordinary methods, it’s only because the mayor has refused to do his ordinary duty in this urgent matter.

More generally, accountability and evenhandedness in government is a real issue that affects Vernon. We have minority representation rules for a reason: ALL the town’s citizens deserve a voice in government, including those who voted for Democrats. Denying, as the mayor repeatedly has, Democrats the simple matter of a place on the agenda doesn’t hurt Herbst, Winkler, Schaeffer, and Fox, nor does it hurt Tom DiDio and the DTC; it hurts the people of Vernon, who deserve better than to be shut out of their own government.

I don’t know Mayor McCoy personally; he may well be, as Ms. Vale describes him, “honest, bright, energetic, and thoughtful” in his private and professional dealings. He has not, however, governed Vernon in a professional, effective, publicly accountable way, and that’s what voters deserve. “

6 Months of Inaction

Vernon Democrats — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 23:03:50 +0000

On March 10, I gave notice that I was resigning as Vernon’s director of Public Works. The first priority for Mayor Jason McCoy and the town administrator should have been to search for a qualified, experienced director to run the department.

Six months later, the Public Works Department still has no full-time director. This reinforces the reasons why I left: This administration does not have the experience or the knowledge to recognize the importance of this department.

The mayor and town administrator should be held accountable for their lack of action. Public Works Departments are responsible for the public’s safety, they protect property and lives, and they insure the safety of more people than any other town department.

This administration has wasted more time looking for pots of gold at the end of the rainbow than seriously searching for a director. When I left Vernon, I offered to work with administrators to find a qualified replacement. Two of my foremen volunteered to fill in as interim director during the search period. Both offers were ignored by administration. Instead, an outside interim director was hired. Interim directors are like having substitute teachers — they know what they are doing but there is no long-term plan, commitment, or foresight.

The mayor and administration need to open their eyes. Vernon Public Works is the pot of gold. Give them what they need to be accountable, with the integrity and excellence residents of Vernon deserve.

George A. Fetko

Ellington

Paul Stansel – Board of Education Candidate

Vernon Democrats — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 15:28:21 +0000

Paul Stansel – Vernon, CT Board of Education Candidate
paul@paulstansel.com

Founder, Why Won’t You Vote? (www.vernonvotes.org)
Member of Northeast School PTO
Member of the Vernon Democratic Town Council
2 Children at Northeast School in Vernon
Owner of Word Adept Media
Sr. Network Engineer, Aetna Insurance
U.S. Army Signal Detachment, 7th Special Forces Group (1995-1998)
1992 RHS Graduate
Bachelor’s of Science in Information Technology, University of Phoenix
VDTC Webmaster

Christopher Prue – Board of Education Candidate

Vernon Democrats — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 15:08:03 +0000

Christopher Prue – Vernon, CT Board of Education Candidate
cprue21486@hotmail.com

Justice of the Peace
Notary Public
State Certified Medical Response Technician
Administrative Clerk, Town of Vernon
SYELP, Summers 2003-2004
RHS Graduate

Kyle Percy – Board of Education Candidate

Vernon Democrats — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 14:59:38 +0000

Kyle Percy – Vernon, CT Board of Education Candidate
kapercy@comcast.net

Treasurer, Skinner Road School PTO
Coach/Manager, Vernon Softball and Little League
Toolmaker/Manufacturing Manager
Youth Group Advisor, Trinity Lutheran Church
2 Children in Vernon Elementary Schools
RHS Graduate
UConn
Journeyman Certificate in Toolmaking

Steve Taylor – Town Council Candidate

Vernon Democrats — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 14:30:50 +0000

Steve Taylor

Steve Taylor – Vernon, CT Town Council Candidate

rolyats@aol.com

Past Chair, Vernon Inland Wetlands Commission
Vice Chair, Vernon Democratic Town Committee; Rockville Community Alliance
Dickens Day Committee
Friends of Valley Falls
Board of Directors, Connecticut Trolley Museum; Member, Tolland County Chamber of Commerce
Volunteer, McKinney Homeless Shelter
Business Manager
Managing Partner, Liberty Accounting and Business Services, Vernon
Business Management/Leadership, 20 years
Assoc. Degree, Business Administration

Jim Sendrak – Town Council Candidate

Vernon Democrats — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 14:25:36 +0000

Jim Sendrak – Vernon, CT Town Council Candidate

jimsendrak@comcast.net

Member, Rockville Community Alliance
Member, South Windsor Community Band
(President, 1997-2006)
Marketing Division Manager, Electronics Division Manager, MEGA Group USA
VP Merchandising-Electronics, Bernie’s (1986-1997
VP Merchandising, Silo, Inc. (1978-1985)
Communications, SUNY-Oswego

Pauline Schaefer – Town Council Candidate

Vernon Democrats — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 13:43:38 +0000

Pauline Schaefer – Vernon, CT Town Council Candidate

uconngirlsfan@aol.com

Member, Vernon Town Council
Past Member, Vernon Board of Education
Member, Rockville Downtown Association
Member, Vernon Historical Society
Member, Bicentennial Committee
Member, Vernon Carnival Committee
St. John Episcopal Church
RHS Graduate