CHESHIRE, CT--The Cheshire Chamber of Commerce Fall Festival on Sept. 15 is one of the day-long FUN community events of the year in town for Cheshire and all Connecticut residents who can take advantage and interact with business vendors, vendors offering crafts, food trucks and food vendors, and entertaining shows and exhibits.
Contributing to all that fun this year at the Fall Festival is the free Cheshire Democratic Town Committee sponsored CheshConn Trivia Challenge contest involving Connecticut and Cheshire trivia questions at the CDTC booth. Here is where you can help. Between now and Sept. 1 the CDTC is collecting FUN Connecticut-related and Cheshire-related trivia questions from the public to use during the CheshConn Trivia Challenge contest at the Fall Festival. If you have a Connecticut-related or Cheshire-related trivia question or two with the answer, email it to [email protected]. Anyone who answers a trivia question correctly at the CDTC booth at the Fall Festival will win a prize and have their name with contact info entered in a raffle for a grand prize of a restaurant gift certificate.
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MERIDEN--When Mary Daugherty Abrams first decided to make a run for the 13th District State Senate seat, her first time as a candidate for political office, she was looking forward to the challenge and for the opportunity to instill her strong desire to protect healthcare, advocate for children, fight for seniors and stand up for our values.
What Abrams didn’t know before the campaign started, what has made the most impact with her personally and emotionally, is the overwhelming support she has received from people and organizations that have endorsed her. “This campaign has been a fantastic experience, especially because of all the support I have received from everyone in every town in the district (Cheshire, Meriden, Middletown, Middlefield),” said Abrams at her headquarters on Saturday. “Many people, everywhere I go, and many organizations have shown incredible support for me. “It’s been both an incredible and humbling experience.” Among the organizations that have shown support for Abrams are Politica, a political action organization, Working Families Party, Connecticut ALF-CIO and CSEA/SEIU (Connecticut State Employees Association). Abrams has been knocking on doors every day during her campaign. She said what has impressed her the most is how engaged people are in the district when she knocks on doors. “Everyone I talk to, they have strong feelings, they are energized and they take the time to tell you what is on their mind,” Abrams said. “The issues we talk about are split into two things. People are concerned with the financial state of Connecticut and job growth. “They are also concerned with social issues. People are always asking me about immigration, a woman’s right to choose, environmental concerns like climate change and how those concerns will be addressed as the Trump presidency continues.” Abrams will continue to knock on doors in all the towns in the 13th District leading up to the Democratic primary on Tuesday (Aug. 14). She is opposed by Alex Tiktinsky. “This campaign has become so much bigger than me,” Abrams said. “People feel their voices haven’t been heard. But there is a lot of hope going into this election cycle. “It has been so helpful to me to have the opportunity to hear directly from people. They ask me many questions, they tell me what is on their mind and I listen.” In addition to knocking on doors leading up to the primary, one of the events Abrams will be attending will be the Cheshire Democratic Town Committee’s stationary parade on Monday (Aug. 13). It will be held on Route 10 across the street from Town Hall in front of the Cheshire Green from 5 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. The stationary parade will be in support of all Democratic candidates heading into the primary. CHESHIRE—Whenever I have talked politics with Democrat Vickie Nardello, it usually takes less than 30 seconds to get a sense of her passion, determination and desire to help people as a public servant.
The priceless value she places on her one-on-one connection with people as she knocks on doors or interacts with them in a public setting like a local restaurant or grocery store certainly feeds that passion as she listens to their concerns and needs. Nardello worked hard for her constituents as a State Representative in the 89th District (Cheshire, Bethany, Prospect) from 1995-2012. But as she campaigns as a State Senator for the 16th State Senate District (Cheshire, Prospect, Southington, Waterbury, Wolcott), despite her 18 years as a State Representative, she is facing something new on the campaign trail – a Democratic primary on Tuesday (Aug. 14). Nardello, a Prospect resident, will face Democratic endorsed candidate Dagmara Scalise of Southington in the primary. “As a State Representative, I never had to go through the primary process, so this is a first for me,” Nardello said. “It’s going very well and it’s been quite exciting and wonderful. It’s another phase of the campaign process. You are doing all the important things you need to do when you are campaigning, like knocking on doors and listening to people and their concerns. “The positive aspect of going through a primary is you are actually going through an election in preparation for the next election on Election Day (Nov. 6). After the primary, you can actually assess what worked and didn’t work during the primary campaign and use that information for the next phase of the campaign.” Nardello has always looked forward to the opportunity of knocking on doors. Every day she has been in some town on some street within the 16th District ringing doorbells or knocking on doors. “I have knocked on 100s of doors, talked to people and emphasized why I am the candidate who can win,” Nardello said. “I have experience in government and I can work across the aisle to get things done. “Door knocking always is a big part of the campaign. It establishes a relationship at the door with people, and once you do that, they are more apt to call you. That relationship at the door many times is taken to another level. They feel comfortable making a follow-up call so they can be heard even more. That connection makes you a better, more effective politician.” Nardello served nine terms as the State Representative in the 89th District and served on the Public Health Committee, the Insurance Committee and was the co-chair of the Energy and Technology Committee. Nardello said she will keep on knocking on doors each day leading up to the primary. On Saturday (Aug. 11), she will be hosting a Get Out The Vote rally open to the public from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at her headquarters in Southington at 714 West St. What is Nardello hearing on the campaign trail these days? “People want elected officials to work together and they’re tired of the gridlock,” Nardello said. “People are concerned with healthcare, the budget process and they are concerned with quality education. And sometimes, I sense some people are discouraged with what is going on at the national level. “My job is to inspire people and have them believe in the process. They can’t be discouraged.” More information on Nardello can be found at her campaign Facebook page at www.facebook.com/VickieNardelloSenate/. CHESHIRE – As you walk into the Cheshire Registrar of Voters office at Town Hall, one sign on the entrance door in big bold letters catches your eye as you enter – FEEL THE POWER, DON’T FORGET TO VOTE.
While the phrase is easily the mantra of any registrar in any city or town in the United States, Republican or Democrat, Cheshire Democratic Registrar Tom Smith has embraced the spirit of these words the 30 years he has worked in the registrar’s office. Smith said he has been blessed to have a job where he constantly meets people and in the process serves the public by providing a voter-friendly experience from initiating the registration process to answering voter-related questions. Smith also is a numbers guy. Recent trends indicate Democrats in Cheshire are feeling the power and he believes they won’t forget to vote on Primary Day on Tuesday (Aug. 14) or on Election Day on Nov. 6. “I have worked in this office for 30 years and one thing I learned is you can’t make people vote,” Smith said. “But voters can be motivated to get out and vote, especially if they are presented with local, state or national issues they are passionate about that make an emotional impact. Today, something out there is motivating people to register as Democrats, and motivating people to switch from Unaffiliated to Democrat, so they can vote in the primary. We’ve been busy.” While Republicans have usually been the dominating governing party in Cheshire, in particular when it comes to a majority on the nine-person Town Council, in recent months the registration numbers have been spiking in the favor of Democrats. CHART---CHESHIRE VOTER REGISTRATION FROM MAY TO AUG. 7 DEMOCRATS REPUBLICANS UNAFFILIATEDS OTHER MAY 1 5,074 4,713 8,447 227 JULY 1 5,101 4,731 8,481 227 AUG. 7 5,165 4,747 8,493 232 As you can see above, from May-July, Democratic registration increased by 27 voters while Republican registration increased by 18. But that increase pales in comparison to the huge increase in Democratic registration from July 1 to Aug. 7. From July 1 to Aug. 7, there was an increase of 64 Democrats who registered compared to only 16 Republicans. While that increase is impressive, Smith pointed out an even more impressive trend in favor of the Democrats. On Tuesday (Aug. 7) Smith said, “In the last two days we received 50 applications from Unaffiliateds who wanted to register with a Democratic or Republican party so they could vote in the primary. The switch favored Democrats 4-to-1. “Cheshire was a solid red town for years. Until recently, the ratio of Democrats, Republicans and Unaffiliateds hadn’t changed much in the last three years. But in recent months, and especially as we have been getting closer to the primary (Aug. 14), there has been a constant increase in the number of registered Democrats compared to Republicans. Now, with less than a week to the primary, that increase has become a daily thing.” Smith said another trend he has seen recently is people leaving major parties and becoming an Unaffiliated voter. “We see people leaving parties, especially Republicans, going Unaffiliated,” Smith said. “Whenever you see a big increase in voter registration it usually means there is something impacting people and motivating them. It depends on what drives voters to the polls. “People are unsettled now. If the discontent continues on the national level, I think you will see more Democrats registering and voting.” The deadline for Unaffiliated voters to register with a party in person at Town Hall is Monday (Aug.13) at noon. The deadline for Unaffiliated voters to register with a party by mail, online or at DMV is Aug. 9. If you are unsure of party affiliation or your status as a voter, call the Cheshire Registrar’s office at 203-271-6680. The staff will provide and explain a voter’s status quickly. Remember, only voters affiliated with political parties can participate in Connecticut primaries. The deadline for switching political parties (Democrat to Republican or Republican to Democrat, etc.) has passed for the August primary.
Transparency has typically never been a high priority for Republicans and the latest example is hitting us at home here in Connecticut.
On Wednesday at a press conference, Representative Liz Linehan of Cheshire and other Connecticut democratic candidates for the state House of Representatives announced the filing of an elections complaint to the State Elections Enforcement Commission concerning unreported national money from the past two months being used to target the candidates' individual campaigns in their hometowns. Linehan and other Democrats stated that the complaint was filed because it was learned that a Connecticut “independent expenditure” political committee, funded by national Republicans, that has illegally spent more than $77,000 to target at four Democratic candidates - possibly more - for the state House. According to a spokesperson at the press conference, the complaint involves two main components. The lack of transparency due to the lack of identifying the candidates the expenditures are benefitting and the lack of timely reporting of the expenditures. According to a prepared statement from Linehan's office, Change Connecticut was formed in May and funded by $400,000 in donations from the Washington DC-based Republican State Leadership Committee (RSLC). Change Connecticut not only failed to report its expenditures as prescribed by law, they also omitted naming the candidates that the money was intended to benefit per statute. According to a report filed with the SEEC on June 30, Change Connecticut paid Percipient Strategies of DC $77,669 for “research dossiers” on June 29. Percipient began their “research” at least three weeks earlier in the form of public records requests to local police departments, town halls, and registrars of voters. These requests targeted Linehan on June 21, Michael Winkler of Vernon on June 13, Joe Aresimowicz of Berlin on June 19 and 21, and Phil Young of Stratford before June 26. "The interesting part here is we are talking about dirty money and not knowing where it came from," Linehan said. "I am interested in knowing what they are trying to find out. They looked for 20 years of police records with my name on it. "So when we are talking about dirty money we're also talking about dirty politics. And that's not okay." In a prepared statement, Linehan also said, “Let’s be clear about what’s happening. There was $77,000 paid to a Washington D.C. firm, whose principals were employed by the Republican National Committee and the Trump White House, to interfere with my campaign. Big corporate money and outside influence should not have a say in who Cheshire, Southington and Wallingford residents elect as their state representative. I work hard for my constituents, and answer only to them, so they are the only ones who deserve a say." “Gathering this type of information is fair game in a campaign," Aresimowicz said. "But you can’t just ignore the law leaving the public in the dark about who is operating in their community, how much they are spending and for who’s benefit. "Residents might find it interesting, maybe offensive, to learn there is a national partisan political group working to influence elections in their town.” According to a press release from Linehan's office, the RSLC is predominately funded by large corporate interests including Koch Industries and the family of Education Secretary Betsy Devos. RSLC donated $350,000 in 2016 to Grow CT for use against Democratic legislative candidates. Other reported 2016 donations included $15,000 from Linda McMahon who is serving as Administrator of the Small Business Administration in the Trump administration. Linehan's office has confirmed that a formal complaint outlining the illegal campaign activity by Change Connecticut has been filed with SEEC. |
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