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NDTC Monthly Meeting
April 24, 2017 @ 7:30 pm - 8:30 pm
RSVP on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/events/119668721917515
AGENDA
Roll Call
Approval of Minutes
(see March 27 Report below)
Reports
Treasurer – Chair
Legislature – Common Council
Board of Education – District Updates
Mayor’s Report
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Fund Raising Committee Report from 4/17/16
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Discussion of Fundraising efforts
from DTC elected members.
What are we as a Committee
doing to support
our local districts
and the Norwalk DTC?
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Preparation for state DTC candidate endorsements
(required by July 18-25),
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Old Business — New Business
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UPCOMING EVENTS
Freese Park Master Plan
Public Review
April 24, at 6:30-7:30
Norwalk City Hall – Room 202, 125 East Avenue
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Middletown Campaign School
April 29 9 AM to 5 PM
Wesleyan University
Science Center Room: Exley 150 Lecture Hall,
265 Church Street, Middletown CT
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Norwalk’s Firslt Lady Lucia Rilling
on Music Theater of CT’s The Voice
Saturdaty May 6th at 6:30 PM
The Norwalk Inn and Conference Center
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NEXT DTC MEETING:
May 22nd at 7:30 PM
South Norwalk Community Center
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South Norwalk Community Center, 98 South Main Street, Norwalk, CT 06854
Monday, March 27, 2017, 7:30 PM
Norwalk Democratic Town Committee
MINUTES
Call to Order Chairman Ed Camacho called the meeting to order at 7:45 PM.
Roll Call
Recording Secretary Elsa Peterson Obuchowski called the roll.
District A: Nicol Ayers, Julie Corbett, Andy Garfunkel, Laoise King, Eloisa Melendez, Elsa Peterson Obuchowski, Joseph Perella, Broderick Sawyer (proxy Dan Obuchowski), Jalin Sead, Steve Serasis, Chris Yerinides.
District B: Olivia Dardy, Raymond Dunlap, Michael Geake, Manny Langella (Maria Flores), Mike Mushak, Sonja Oliver, Migdalia Rivas, Sharon Stewart, Howard White, Michael Witherspoon (proxy Darlene Young), Martha Wooten-Dumas.
District C: David Brown, John Hauter, John Kydes, Linda Langston, Lisa Nuzzo, Pamela Parkington, Brenda Penn-Williams (proxy Doug Stern), Kevin Poruban, Johnnie Weldon, Beth Siegelbaum, Samuel Pride.
District D: Kay Anderson, Robert Hard, Robert Keyes, Bruce Kimmel, Diane Lauricella, Patricia Marshock, Warren Peña, Marilyn Robinson, Nicholas Sacchinelli, Crystal Santiago, Joseph Tamburri.
District E: Michael Barbis, John Igneri, Nora King, Ronald Kowalski (proxy Jenny Butler), Thomas Livingston, Francis Nash, Naomi Oppmann, Lucia Rilling, Kathleen Tepper, Patricia Tinto, Galen Wells.
*Boldface strikeout = absent
Several new people also attended. A sign-in sheet was passed around for those wanting to be on the DTC email contact list.
Approval of Minutes (February 27, 2017) Linda Langston asked that we add a note that people had trouble parking because of the meeting in this building regarding immigration that was held immediately prior to our meeting. Moved, seconded, approved by voice vote.
REPORTS
Treasurer Treasurer Laoise King was absent. Chairman Ed Camacho reported that we are at about $400 in our accounts and campaign season is coming, so we need to raise money. People should go to our DTC website and use the Donate button to contribute.
Chair Ed Camacho reported that Nina Sherwood, Max Cisneros and others produced a video called Politics Reborn which they can share onto the district Facebook pages, and Ed Camacho has shared it to the DTC Facebook page.
Ed Camacho asked for a report of the ad hoc Platform Committee. Chris Yerinides, Pam Parkington, and Sam Pride reported that they held a meeting and established 6 pillars: transparency, outreach, accountability, progress as a party, community input, inclusiveness. They will have another meeting soon. There is a preamble on the DTC website that lists environment, education, economic, fiscal responsibility, short- & long-term planning, planning & zoning, social justice, transparency & accountability. We can email ideas to Pam Parkington.
Developing a candidate questionnaire, based on District D questionnaire and other ideas. Feeling that many of our elected officials are not accessible. Commitment to attending meetings. We would be the first DTC in Fairfield County to have a platform on our website.
Mike Barbis mentioned that he has had explain to people our system with the districts, how to become a voting member, etc. The DTC rules are posted, but not everyone can understand them or know which portion rules to read to get answers. We should draft a short version.
Nora King asked about districts holding a certain number of meetings and publicizing their meetings. Chris Yerinides asked that all districts announce ahead of time the dates & times of their meetings to be posted on the DTC website. Chris is working to make the Facebook pages and websites consistent, but each district should manage their own. We are still trying to un-link from old Facebook & web pages. The website is NorwalkDemocraticParty.com Kate Tepper said she would include the Facebook addresses on the DTC emails.
Ed Camacho suggested we hereby create a Platform Committee. Moved, seconded. Voice vote in favor.
Ed Camacho suggested we hereby create a Communications Committee. Moved, seconded. Voice vote in favor.
Ed Camacho suggested we hereby create a Fund Raising Committee. Moved, seconded. Voice vote in favor.
CT State Legislature Elsa Obuchowski reported that the League of Women Voters held a town hall with all of our state legislators on Saturday 3/25 that was attended by a capacity crowd, and people stayed after the official ending time to discuss more questions.
Tomorrow night 3/28 Lavielle – Wilms – Wood – Tues March 28, 7 to 8:30 PM, South Norwalk Library. Chris Perone is planning a town hall, date & time TBD
Board of Education Mike Barbis distributed a summary of the BOE plan for repairing & building school facilities (see attachment) showing how it was initially proposed, modified by budget director, went before Planning Commission, etc. The BET has now approved the plan. The Common Council Planning Committee is having a public hearing April 6 on the capital requests for all departments. The full Council will vote April 11.
BOE has been interviewing Project Managers (similar to what was done in 2000). The city builds the schools; BOE works on the plan but it is then done by city and under state law. An Education Specification Committee is required by state law for each project. June 30 everything has to be submitted to State of CT. First year they will build at Ely new school, new K-5 on campus of Ponus Ridge Middle School.
Common Council (Democratic caucus was tonight, so most CC members were not here.) The Chair recognized Bruce Kimmel, who reported that capital projects come to the Council even though they begin with BOE. Tech request for BOE also are considered capital items. The April 6 public hearing will have public comment. Thursday 4/11, by charter the first CC meeting in April, they have to vote up or down on the capital budget. BET determines the cap of how much can be spent, but CC has final say on how it is divided up. Bruce said it’s potentially confusing because some aspects of the budget are covered heavily by the media and others are not. The finance director’s job is to make sure we don’t exceed a certain level of spending. The media misleadingly gave the impression that these cuts meant there wouldn’t be any repairs to schools. In future, we should devote a certain amount to repairing schools just like we repair roads and it is planned years in advance so there’s an index showing which roads are due for repaving in which year.
Bruce reported that another CC item is revising our noise ordinance. The mixed-use aspect of the noise ordinance is complex and requires careful negotiation.
District Updates
District E: The chair recognized Nora King, who reported that April 5 at 7 PM in the Community Room at City Hall there will be a meeting on how to run for office. Outline the roles of different elective offices. This is similar to what they did 2 years ago, but this year they are encouraging women to run for office. They will have Patricia Russo from the Yale Campaign School as guest speaker.
Nora also reported that she is heading a group called Rise Up and Shine with the purpose of protecting our rights: women’s rights, immigrant rights, animal rights, environmental protection. They are having a Unity for Community march on April 23 from 1 to 3 PM at Pinkney Park. She invited everyone to visit their Facebook page.
District A: Elsa Obuchowski reported that we meet on the first Monday of each month at 7 PM in City Hall, except in July it will be Wednesday, July 12. Chris Yerinides mentioned we will have an event such as a community cleanup. We identified Mathews Park as possibly benefiting from a cleanup.
District B: Darlene Young reported that they are having a community cleanup April 22.
District D: Joe Tamburri thanked everyone for attending their St. Patrick’s weekend fund raiser.
District C: Max Cisneros reported that protecting each other and protecting the environment are primary Democratic values. He informed us about a canvassing called Make the Road CT activity in Bridgeport to ban fracking waste from 9:30 to 2 this Saturday. Nina Sherwood added that the ordinance proposed before the Norwalk Common Council would ban fracking waste in Norwalk and also ban the transport of fracking waste through Norwalk.
Mayor’s Report [Mayor Harry Rilling was not present]
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2017 Municipal Elections
Chairman Ed Camacho mentioned that Norwalk will be electing a Mayor, Common Council and Board of Education. He reminded us that the DTC votes on candidate endorsements (required by July 18-25). We have the in-district Common Council seats (2 per district) and 5 at-large Common Council seats, 4 BOE at-large seats, Mayor. Galen Wells added that traditionally we try to have at-large candidates representing all different districts. After the DTC endorsement vote, there is a window of time to obtain petition signatures to run in a primary.
Elsa Obuchowski mentioned Boards & Commissions as a function of Common Council approvals, and reminded people that in terms of winning elections, people are wary of voting for someone they don’t know, so it is important to get out and meet people and talk to people.
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Old Business — New Business [none raised]
UPCOMING EVENTS
Forum on Running for Local Office in Norwalk — Free and open to all
Wednesday, April 5th, 7 PM – Community Room, Norwalk City Hall
NEXT DTC MEETING: Monday, April 24th at 7:30 PM, South Norwalk Community Center
ADJOURNMENT The meeting was adjourned at 9:05 PM.
Respectfully submitted, Elsa Peterson Obuchowski, Recording Secretary
