Public comments from the 3/8/10 Board of Education meeting inspired the following post.

Some of the issues raised at the Board of Education meeting are listed below. The Board of Education members face balancing the needs of all students and numerous programs. The economy and expected budget cuts weigh heavily on everyone's minds.

Budget season is here and Milford citizens are hurting. Milford needs another tax cut.

Last year, the Democratic Party controlled Board of Aldermen (BOA) cut the budget and taxes. Can the new Republican Party controlled board cancel the Mayor's budget increase and cut even more? Should the BOA cut the city side budget, which has 8 years of fat layered-in by the Mayor? Or, should the Republicans cut the Education Budget and leave the Mayor's budget untouched?

from Ann Galloway of DFA

Please consider joining in implementing a Connecticut-based initiative to collect and ship these critical supplies to Haiti.

The Foundation for Children provides medical/surgical and relief services for children in many parts of the world. Currently, its Board is focusing on the needs of Haitian children under a year of age; in conjunction with relief agencies on the ground in Haiti, the foundation has received lists of the most desperately needed supplies and is working to acquire and ship specific items.

Diaper Bags for Haiti
Our intention is to collect cloth bags from conventions or from supermarkets and fill them with cloth diapers (pins too) or disposable diapers up to size 3; clothes up to 12 months; diaper rash cream and baby lotion, baby wipes -- even bottles with ready-to-use liquid formula [not dry as they fear the bad water].

The Building Department only had to handle 5 permits per day in 2009.

How many folding metal chairs do you need to handle 5 permits per day? There are currently 5 chairs in front of the Building Office for people waiting to see a building official – with an average of two people sitting in the chairs during office hours.

A better question may be, how many people do we need working in the Building Department to handle 5 permits per day? The number 5 per day includes 4.7 permits per day for low cost electrical, plumbing, heating permits. The rest are new Residential (2.4 per month) and new Non-Residential (1.5 per month) permits.

This coming fiscal year we will have a bigger aggregate land use department with the addition of a director Lets make sure we get our monies worth.

Additionally, I urge all Milford taxpayers to take a closer look a the City Budget. It's your money.

Sarah Palin's hand at the Tea Party Convention. "I refuse to use a Teleprompter - like Obama," she proclaimed.

CBS News

How's that mavericky-roguey thing going for ya?

Tom Beirne was the Republican Chairman of the Milford Board of Aldermen for 4 years. Tom and his entire family were thrown off the RTC because of Tom's opposition to Mayor Richetelli's freewheeling ways. I hear they also banished all the Beirnes heirs, and that "salt was thrown on their fields to make them fallow as for 1,000 years." Just a rumor. - Mike Brown

Letter to the Editor of the Connecticut Post from Tom Beirne, 2/2/2010
The chairman of the Milford Republican town committee was quoted as saying I had “betrayed” the MRTC when in fact it is the MRTC that has betrayed the basic principle of the Republican Party, fiscal responsibility. In the past 10 years during which the mayor’s office was held by a Republican, the taxes we all pay went from $94.7 million in 1999 to $142.9 million in 2009. Our tax burden increased by $48 million, a 51 percent increase. This increase was needed to pay for the spending increase which went from $114.1 million in 1999 to $172.8 million in 2009. Spending increased by $59 million, a 51 percent increase.

What does the future hold for us? Check out the June 30, 2009, financials (www. ci.milford.ct.us).

Net assets for governmental activities decreased by 4.9 percent ($141.3 million to $148.6 million). Governmental funds had a combined deficit fund balance of $19.8 million, which is larger than last year’s deficit of $12.9 million.

What do all these numbers mean? Answer: Milford is spending our money faster than they can take it from us. It is pathetic the MRTC think of themselves as Republicans.

Can we do something about this rush to bankruptcy for us all? Yes. It will take a few good people, FOI law and some time.

Tom Beirne
Milford

Comments from David Plouffe, Campaign manager for President Barack Obama.

Pass a meaningful health insurance reform package without delay.

We need to show that we not just are focused on jobs but also create them.

Make sure voters understand what the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act did for the economy.

Don't accept any lectures on spending.

"Change" is not just about policies.

Run great campaigns.

No bed-wetting.

Read the whole article. Washington Post

Tonight the Board of Education quickly voted to pass the Superintendent's Proposed Budget for 2010/2011 without any cuts. In a 7-3 vote, the Board voted as follows:

YES	Mark Stapleton, PhD (R): Chairman (First District) mstapleton@milforded.org
YES	Tracy Casey (D): (Second District) tcasey@milforded.org
YES	Jack O'Connell (R): (Third District) joconnell@milforded.org
YES	David Amendola (D): Minority Leader (Fourth District) damendola@milforded.org
NO	Suzanne DiBiase (R): (Fifth District) sdibiase@milforded.org
NO	James Tranquilli, Jr (R): (First District) jtranquilli@milforded.org
YES	Gregory Oliver (R): (Second District) goliver@milforded.org
YES	Robert White (R): Majority Leader (Third District) rwhite@milforded.org
YES	Diane Kruger-Carroll (R): (Fourth District) dkruger@milforded.org
NO	Josip Jukic (R): (Fifth District) jjukic@milforded.org

Letter to the editor published in the CONNECTICUT POST - 01-19-2010

The seats of the Milford Board of Education had barely warmed when discussion turned political. Newly elected Republicans want to change the terms of office to four years, open the charter and possibly make the mayor, of all people, the board chairman. Reason? Shortly after the election, new board members must work on the next year’s budget.

One would think that when individuals were running for an office, at the very least, he/she would become acquainted with the responsibilities of that office, including the makeup of the current budget. Instead of complaining about “coming out on a cold night,” it might make better sense to get down to the business at hand.

In addition, one interesting comment that was made was that “our class sizes are luxurious.” Board members ought to visit classrooms, when school is in session, to check on this. Barring that, due to work or other commitments, a look at the extensive research done over decades would demonstrate that, second only to the classroom teacher, class size is the most important ingredient to a child’s achievement. Finally, here’s some simple advice from an “old” teacher (and I mean that literally). “Do the work you were elected to do, and remember, it’s not about you. It’s about the kids. They deserve better.”

Greta Stanford