Wave Of New Voters Includes New Britain: 4,154 Added Since June; Registration Deadline Nov. 1
By John McNamara
A wave of new voter registrations statewide may push New Britain enrollment past 30,000 for Election Day on November 8th.
One week prior to the November 1st deadline, there are 29,100 eligible to vote according to Democratic Registrar of Voters Juan Verdu’s office. In addition, unregistered voters may go to City Hall on Election Day to enroll and vote under the Same Day Registration (SDR) law that will add to the number voting in the Presidential election.
The citywide breakdown shows enrollment at 53% Democratic; 34.7% Unaffiliated; 10.8% Republican, and; 1.5 % other parties.
State Rep. Betty Boukus (22) greets children at voter registration event at Royal Pizza on Horseplain Road on October 19th. (Gerratana photo)
A Democratic Town Committee (DTC) task force reported last week that 4,154 have been added to the city’s rolls since June. Of the newly registered 46.6% became Democrats, 45.4% registered Unaffiliated and 8% Republican. The record-setting voter surge has been fueled by reforms initiated by Secretary of the State Denise Merrill that have introduced the “motor voter” option at the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) and a statewide system enabling residents to register to vote online. In New Britain several hundred new voters have been added on the ground through canvassing and outreach by the DTC task force led by Don DeFronzo, Mario Santos, Isabelita Cancel and Willie Justiniano.
Historically voter enrollment reaches its peak every four years in the presidential election and then falls off in subsequent years. DTC Chairman Bill Shortell said the task force will continue voter registration efforts and will work with incoming Democratic Registrar of Voters Lucian Pawlak to improve the annual canvassing of voters that occurs every year between January and April to maintain the peak levels being set this year.
State Rep. Peter Tercyak (26) and State Senator Terry Gerratana (6) serve up pizza registering voters on October 19th. (Gerratana photo)
MA Election Senate Fallout: Labor Leader Says Dems "Under Reach" on Issues That Matter
Who would have thought that a special election in Massachusetts would be the end of the Obama regime and a retreat from the “change that you can believe in” that was voted in just a year ago?
Media “gas bags”, Democratic “moderates” and no small number of propagandists for the corporate right are proclaiming this new political reality in the aftermath of the special election in Massachusetts won by Republican Scott Brown.
Less is said about the Coakley campaign failing to practice Tip O’Neill’s cardinal rule that “all politics is local” or that Coakley put all her money and eggs in a December primary, leaving her few resources and a general election plan that wrote off Brown as just another GOP patsy. In this case the better candidate with the “I’m mad as hell” message won. No matter that behind the pick up truck and neighborly image is a guy with six properties, including one in Aruba, who probably never met a Wall Street financier he didn’t like.
Before the Rahm Emanuels in the Obama White House try to resurrect the Democratic Leadership Council formula of having Democrats move to the right, President Obama and the national Democrats should heed the “wake up call” of AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka.
The Nomination: Clinton, Obama, LBJ and Martin Luther King
In the back and forth of the Democratic Presidential primary season Hillary Clinton’s remarks about Rev. Martin Luther King, Lyndon Johnson and civil rights sparked an unfortunate exchange between hers and the Obama forces.
Clinton was trying to make a point about governing, but her remarks were criticized for pitting Lyndon Johnson’s delivery of landmark civil rights laws with the movement led by Rev. King — all of this in the context of her running against a rapidly rising African American politician who ultimately deprived her of the nomination.
Barack Obama’s acceptance speech on Thursday at the Denver convention provides a better opportunity to bring up King, Johnson, the presidency and the Democratic Party.
On 8/28 45 years ago, Rev. Martin Luther King delivered his “Dream” speech — one of the most heard and admired pieces of oratory in U.S. history. King’s speech and the movement he led pushed Lyndon Johnson and the Democrats to forge ahead with stronger, landmark civil rights laws for voting rights, accommodations and other aspects of equal opportunity in 1964 and 1965.
Clinton’s intent was not to diminish the civil rights struggle but to say King’s movement and Johnson’s power and legislative acumen were not mutually exclusive. One complemented the other. The Southerner Johnson knew the consequences. “There goes the South for a generation,” Johnson was quoted when he signed the 1964 Civil Rights Act into law, predicting his party would lose elections and the “solid” South for many years as they surely did.
And now should it surprise anyone that Obama’s multi-cultural background is still fodder for a GOP divide and conquer strategy first invoked by Richard Nixon in 1968?
Obama needs to draw the distinctions sharply between his vision and that of John McCain, especially on economics and the interests of people who “work hard and play by the rules.” In doing so, he should revisit the King and Johnson legacy, perhaps noting that Clinton wasn’t dissing King over LBJ at all.
The betting here is he will recall that long ago August 28th as he prepares to lead Democrats into the fall election. The moment will not be lost on Obama that his political ascendency this week is a direct consequence of both King’s movement and Johnson’s Democrats and what was said and done a generation ago. Obama’s nomination will not be the end all for civil rights struggle, but a fulfillment of a huge piece of the “Dream”.
(Photo Credit: Johnson Library and Museum from wikimedia.org)
New Britain Democrats Choose Candidates
The Democratic Town Committee (DTC) met July 24th to endorse its candidates for municipal offices. An estimated 130 persons, including 42 Town Committee members, attended the endorsement session held at the La Quinta Inn reception room on Columbus Boulevard.
A five-member nominating committee issued a report with recommendations, information about all candidates and a 3-page party platform that identified key issues and noted the accomplishments of Democratic elected officials over the last two years. Committee members included Connie Wilson Collins, Carlo Carlozzi, Jon Bryda, Rosemary Klotz and Peter Spano.
Leading off the meeting Councillor At Large Jim Wyskiewicz won unanimous support for Mayor three and a half months after announcing his candidacy. He was nominated by his wife, Patty, who is a DTC member in District 1. Seconding speeches came from Connie Wilson Collins, Frank Gerratana and John Melescensky.
“This City is ready for a leader who stands for fiscal responsibility, a school system filled with opportunity, cleaner and safer neighborhoods, sustained economic development, and a “green” City Hall, ” Wyskiewicz said in accepting the endorsement. “This City is ready for a leader who stands for honesty, integrity, for high ethical standards who will restore decency and respect at City Hall.”
Wyskiewicz, a contracts administrator for UTC’s Hamilton Sundstrand in Windsor Locks, spoke of his experience in the public and private sector with over “15 years working in private sector business, from telecommunications to the aerospace industry.” His public service includes seven years on the Board of Finance and two terms on the Council.
Touching on his family’s deep roots in New Britain, Wyskiewicz recalled his grandfather, James F. Carlone, an active Democrat for many years. “He was an inspiration to me to get involved and give back to the community. I learned a lot from him, from his time on the Board of Tax Review, to his endless campaigning for Democratic candidates. His spirit and memories serve to inspire our contemporary campaign.”
In seeking the endorsement, Wyskiewicz cited three key issues he will discuss with voters, including sustain economic development, affordable housing and quality education.
The Committee also endorsed Treasurer Teresa Sapieha Yanchak and Tax Collector Fred Menditto for re-election. Sapieha Yanchak, a former Ward 4 Councillor, is the first woman to hold that office having been elected two years ago as a member of the Jakubowski slate. Menditto, first elected to be Tax Collector in 1975, has been re-elected in 15 consecutive elections.
In Council At Large endorsements, Majority Leader Mike Trueworthy, Council President Suzanne Bielinski and Paul Catanzaro won endorsements with newcomers Eva Magnuszewski and Paula Mele.
Trueworthy, who was first elected to the Council from Ward 2 and is completing a first term at large, said that his campaign will focus on the re-development of downtown, increased education funding from the state, customer service at City Hall and infrastructure improvements.
Trueworthy said the Democratic campaign should focus on “bringing new people in to grow as a people and a party.” He added that “the best way to do this is to show people what they can accomplish by being involved.”
Other endorsements included
City Council Districts (Wards)
District 1: Greg Gerratana and Ed Kirejczyk, Jr.; District 2: Tonilynn Collins and Adam Platosz; District 3: Shirley Black and Silvia Cruz; District 4: Larry Hermanowski and Phil Sherwood; Ward 5: Rolando Centeno and Lori Rocha.
Board of Education
Board of Education President Peter Kochol, incumbent Kevin Riley and newcomer Aram Ayalon
Board of Assessment Appeal
Francisco O. Cuin and Robert Wysocki
Constables
Alton Brooks, Dominic Paventi, Frank Smith and Joe C. Willis, Sr.
Related Stories and Information On Democratic Endorsements:
The Courant’s Monica Polanco had the coverage:
http://www.courant.com/news/local/nb/hc-nebdems0725.artjul25,0,7224078.story
Associate DTC Member Beau Anderson, one of the state’s leading political bloggers at Spazeboy, is providing excerpts of candidate remarks at the DTC’s June 28th Meet The Candidate Night. Excerpted candidate remarks may be seen at Beau’s site as Beau takes a well-deserved break from blogging. As of Wednesday 7/25 , the video remarks included Jim Wyskiewicz, Phil Sherwood, Shirley Black and Greg Gerratana
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