Record Journal Voter Guide for Wallingford: Democratic Candidate for Mayor Vincent Testa

As published in the Record Journal Sunday October 30, 2011

Vincent F. Testa (D)
Age: 51 Address: 15 East St.
Occupation: Mortgage broker.
Education: B.S., biology, Fairfield University.

Platform: Specific plan to target and recruit new businesses, including creation of clean energy research and development hub in industrial parks; improve technology and business operations in town government; restore paramedics and improve retention of police officers; share services between town and schools and improve public building maintenance to cut spending and ease tax burden; support schools' strategic plan.

Misc.: Town Council incumbent (fourth term) and minority leader; former Board of Education member; former substitute teacher at Dag Hammarskjold Middle School; pursuing teacher certification; board member Wallingford Symphony Orchestra, Child Guidance Clinic and Yalesville Little League; Wallingford Education Foundation golf tournament committee member; Business Network International development ambassador.

Website: www.vinnietestaformayor.com
Facebook:www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/pages/Vinnie-Testa-for-Mayor/118934548181765
Email: vtesta@comcast.net

Walllingford - Final voter registration session set

WALLINGFORD - Registrars of voters will conduct a final voter registration session from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday in Room 211 at the Town Hall.

After 5 p.m., voters are asked to enter the building by the automatic door at the rear left corner of the Town Hall and take the elevator to the second floor.

Registrants are required to appear in person. Voters wishing an absentee ballot are asked to contact the town clerk’s office for an application.

Completed forms are to be returned to the town clerk’s office.

“Even though I’m a Republican” Jason “has my 100% support”

“I don’t always vote for the party – I always vote for the person”

Thanks for the support Kim – you rock.

(Tell your friends )

The Simpson Court Referendum - The difference between misinformation and outright lying

Let’s first define “public parking”.

Public parking means using the lots to park your car where you do not patronize any of the adjoining businesses. You park your car in the lot and walk away from all the businesses in the area. You park and leave your car and carpool with someone else to go somewhere. That is public parking.

Parking in the lots and then going into one of the businesses – that is customer parking.

When you go to Target and park in the lot to go into the business you are leveraging customer parking. If you leave your car in the Target parking lot and go with someone into their car elsewhere you are leveraging that parking lot as if it were public parking and you could be towed in theory if they were enforcing that.

We are not discussing customer parking; that is not at issue. For these property owners to lease their spaces for people to establish businesses there they must provide some minimum level of owner, leaser, and / or customer parking.

Now onto the heart of the matter – public parking.

“135 Free PARKING SPACES”

Let’s all forget about the $500,000.00 the town is talking about investing into these private owners’ properties over the next 30 years for a moment.

On a year to year basis for DECADES the Town of Wallingford has been putting tax dollars into these properties and other private lots downtown on behalf of the tax payers in exchange for public parking use. 

This has been mainly in the form of man hours from public works; plowing and sanding in the winter and other work throughout the year.

These actions and efforts have resulted in the expenditures of tax dollars.

That means these parking spaces have not been “FREE”.

With the decision as it currently rests from the vote of the Town Council, we are planning to enter into a 30 year lease with these private property owners where Wallingford will STILL be expending monies for regular maintenance and upkeep.

In addition to that, Wallingford will be investing, solely, up to $500,000.00 into period lighting, lot resurfacing, line repainting, other structural and integrity repairs without a single dime coming from any one of the four property owners.

How is this “135 Free PARKING SPACES”?

It is coming at the cost of tax dollars expended annually and other monies in lieu of taxes for capital expenditures.  

How is this “135 Free PARKING SPACES”?

How is it that the main drivers of this and the Support Our Downtown movement are (primarily) our conservative leaders in town? The ones that will generally claim that they are fiscally responsible with our tax dollars. Where we cannot raise taxes to spend on this and that in this economy. They are the same ones that say that everyone is struggling and where the elderly who have gone without cost of living adjustments over the past couple of years cannot bare the burden of any higher taxes.

Where are all those fiscal conservatives these days?

That’s right – many of them are out there telling you to vote no and support the council’s decision to spend your tax dollars on this benefit. A benefit that the property owners will enjoy as equally as Downtown Wallingford will.

Without those property owners investing a single dime to the effort.

So you see folks the “FREE” in “135 Free PARKING SPACES” is just that for those four property owners in that all of this benefit they are getting for free.

Think about that before you go out to vote on election day Tuesday November 8th for who will represent you over the next two years

You will also need to think about whether the council decision should stand at referendum on Monday November 13th.

If you support the town investing the tax dollars in this manner then you will vote NO to maintain the Council’s decision to move forward.

If you are against this expenditure, where Wallingford foots the entire bill and the property owners spend nothing then you would need to vote YES to repeal the Council’s decision.

It’s your town – get informed and get involved.

One Week to Register to Vote for Municipal Elections on November 8th

Press release from Secretary of the State Denise Merrill:

For Immediate Release:                                                                            For more information:

October 25, 2011                                                                                        Av Harris: (860) 509-6255

                                                                                     Cell: (860) 463-5939

-Press Release-

Merrill: One Week to Register to Vote for Municipal Elections on November 8^th

Secretary of the State Reminds Voters Registration forms Must be Postmarked by Today, In-Person Registration Deadline is 8:00 P.M. Tuesday November 1^st 

Hartford:  Secretary of the State Denise Merrill today is reminding Connecticut voters who wish to register by mail that voter registration forms must be postmarked no later than today in order to cast a ballot in the upcoming municipal elections on Tuesday November 8, 2011.  Eligible voters who wish to register in-person may do so at their Registrar of Voters office until 8:00 p.m. on Tuesday November 1^st to qualify for the Municipal Elections.

“The municipal elections to decide who will serve in some key decision making roles in your community are approaching very fast, so I urge adult citizens of Connecticut to make sure they are registered now,” said Secretary Merrill, Connecticut’s chief election official.  “Crucial decisions on town and city budgets, schools, infrastructure and environmental policy are facing many towns in our state.  Make sure you have a voice by registering to vote by next Tuesday at 8:00 p.m.” 

Polls will open statewide from 6:00 a.m. until 8:00 p.m. on Tuesday November 8, 2011, when the majority of Connecticut’s municipalities will hold a General Election for municipal candidates.  Absentee ballots are also available, voters can go online to www.sots.ct.gov to download an application for an absentee ballot or a voter registration card, see if they are registered and where their polling place is located and see the ballot for their town and city.  Today is also the last day write-in candidates wishing to run in the Municipal elections can register with the Secretary of the State’s office.  Registration forms for write-in candidates must be received by the Secretary of the State by 4:00 p.m. today. 

Av Harris

Director of Communications

Connecticut Secretary of the State Denise Merrill

(860) 509-6255 ofc

(860) 463-5939 cell

av.harris@ct.gov

North Farms Co 7 Volunteer Fire Dept. Open House October 22nd

North Farms Co 7 Volunteer Fire Department is celebrating 65 Years of Service at their Open House on October 22nd from 3pm to 6pm

Wallingford 2011 Elections - Q&A for candidates set at two forums this week

This story originally ran in the Record Journal on Wednesday October 12, 2011 under the title “Q&A for candidates set at two forums next week”

In the instances where the article reads “next week” please remember that it will be referring to THIS WEEK Wednesday October 19 and Thursday October 20.

By Russell Blair
Record-Journal staff
rblair@record-journal.com
(203) 317-2225


WALLINGFORD — Voters will have a chance to hear candidates for mayor, Town Council and Board of Education at two candidate forums next week.

On Wednesday, council candidates will answer questions from students from Sheehan and Lyman Hall high schools and local reporters, with a similar forum Thursday for the mayoral and school board candidates. Both are scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. in the Town Hall Council Chambers.

The forums are being sponsored by the Wallingford Community Women.

“This gives people an opportunity to learn more about candidates,” member Jeanne McFarland said. “This is a chance to ask specific questions. It’s a more informal opportunity to get information.”

Republican Town Committee Chairman Robert Prentice said the forums are a valuable opportunity for candidates, too.

“This is a chance for everybody to say what they have to say,” Prentice said. “All the signs in the world don’t tell anybody about the candidates.”

The forums will be taped and broadcast on WPAA-TV in the weeks before the election.

Democratic Town Chairman Vincent Avallone said forums are good for newer candidates who aren’t familiar with the political process.

“For newer candidates, this makes a big difference,” he said.

Avallone said some candidates are nervous about being on television, but are excited to get their message across.

Prentice said he expects the entire Republican slate to be present both nights. Avallone said the only absence he was expecting was Valerie Ford, a school board candidate who has a work commitment.

McFarland said her organization — formerly the Wallingford Junior Woman’s Club — has helped run the event with the League of Women Voters before, but this year’s forum is the first time it has sponsored the event alone.

Candidates will be allowed two minutes to respond to questions from the panel. Each candidate will answer eight to 10 questions. At the end, each candidate will be allowed three minutes to summarize their platform.

The council forum is divided into segments, with Democratic candidates Nick Economopoulos, Don Harwood and Robin Hettrick and Republican candidates Vincent Cervoni, Craig Fishbein and Tom Laffin answering questions beginning at 7 p.m., and Democrats Debi Reynolds, John Sullivan and Jason Zandri joining Republicans John Le-Tourneau, Robert Parisi and Rosemary Rascati at 8 p.m.

Thursday’s forum will begin with school board Democrats Kathy Castelli and Jay Cei pairing up with Republicans Tanya Bachand, Michael Brooder and Christine Mansfield at 7 p.m., followed by David Leonardo, Patrick Reynolds and Michael Votto representing the Democrats, joined by Republicans Joe Marrone, Roxane McKay and Chet Miller at 8 p.m. The mayoral forum will follow at 9 p.m. with Democrat Vincent Testa Jr. and Republican Mayor William W. Dickinson Jr.

FROM WALLINGFORD – Hey kids, it’s time to show up

As originally published in the Record Journal Sunday, September 27th, 2009

It was also cross posted to my personal blog – From the Mind of Jason Zandri

The item regarding the Charter Revision vote is out of date and no longer relevant but the rest of it as timely as it ever was.

 

According to some research I have done recently, in the 2008 Presidential election the number of Wallingford peo­ple registered to vote aged 18 to 30 that came out and voted was about 2,800.

For people aged 60 to 72 that number was a little more than 4,000.

Both age sets encompass a span of 12 years.

In 2008, 22,000 of the nearly 26,000 reg­istered voters in Wallingford generated an 85 percent voter turnout rate.

In the 2007 local election the number of people aged 18 to 30 that came out to vote in Wallingford was about 500.

Of the nearly 4,200 people aged 18 to 30 that were registered to vote only 500 showed up—that is a paltry 12 percent.

For people aged 60 to 72 that number was about 2,800 out of 4,700 or 60 per­cent.

When we talk about the impact for bet­ter or worse of the largest voting block the discussion always focuses around the older folks but it is not just because they are larger in size (as they are so by only about 500 voters) but rather due to the fact that they show up in greater numbers. In order to get to 2,800 voters showing up in a voter block for the 2007 local elec­tion you have to include everyone aged 18 to 47 — a bracket of 29 years.

That is a total of 11,400 registered vot­ers to yield the same 2,800 turnouts.

Let me say it again— you have to lever­age 11,400 registered voters from the 18 to 47 demographic to get the same turn out number of people aged 60 to 72 where 2,800 out of 4,700 showed up.

2,800 people aged 60 to 72 out of 4,700 is 60 percent.

2,800 people aged 18 to 47 out of 11,400 is 25 percent.

I understand that the numbers in total drop below 50 percent for local elections; in 2007 voter turnout was 46 percent.

The reason for this is mainly due to the younger generation of people not show­ing up.

This is especially concerning tome as a parent of four little children. At 40 years old I am in with a group of people that seem not to be willing to take control of their own destiny for themselves or their families.

Say whatever you want about how you can’t change things, politics is all dirty and it caters only to this group or that group or whatever— it becomes a self ful­filling prophecy when you don’t show up to vote.

I feel that local elections impact you more than any other election you could participate in. All the voters are from Wallingford, there is no other election that you could have a greater impact on by just voting.

In a Presidential election you are cast­ing your important vote among millions of others; in Wallingford it is one vote of about 12,000 or so.

Your locally elected officials directly af­fect everything from what you are charged in taxes by way of the budget and what allocations get handed off to support the schools that your children are attend­ing and so on. They provide the platform and funding for or removing it from all the local services you may use.

There are many changes offered to the voters in the 2009 election from the in­cumbents that are running for office again to all the newcomers throwing their hats into the ring.

There are changes being proposed to the Town Charter. This document dic­tates the guidelines of how elected offi­cials are to discharge their duties in serv­ice to you and the town and it is the first time any changes are being offered in 18 years.

You as a voter directly get your say as you get the opportunity to vote “yes” or “no” to each of the proposed changes.

Democracy at its best— all you need to do is show up.

Article posted on Examiner.com

Maggie DellaRocco - Griffin

Hartford Business Networking Examiner

Wallingford Resident Jason Zandri is running for Wallingford Town Council – 2011

Continue reading on Examiner.com

Wallingford Resident Jason Zandri is running for Wallingford Town Council - 2011 - Hartford business networking | Examiner.com

http://www.examiner.com/business-networking-in-hartford/wallingford-resident-jason-zandri-is-running-for-wallingford-town-council-2011#ixzz1abdYRlCV

Vinnie Testa for Mayor - Family Pasta Dinner and Campaign Rally

Vinnie Testa for Mayor
Family Pasta Dinner and Campaign Rally

Thursday, October 13, 5:00-9:00


VFW Hall 23 Prince Street


$20 / $30 per couple


**Kids eat free! Bring the whole family. No need to cook. **


Please R.S.V.P. vtesta@comcast.net or 203-675-4079

 

I am planning to be there as well after 6PM – hope to see you there!

MY TAKE - Letter to the editor - A few facts

Current Town Councilor Rosemary Rascati sent a letter to the editor of the Record Journal and it was published on Saturday October 8. The full letter is available on my Wallingford Politico blog.

Political letters to the editor after Labor Day are supposed to be limited to 100 words or less. By the paper’s own admission, an error was made allowing Rosemary’s piece to run at the 300 word standard limit.

I wrote a full reply to this submission that the paper will not publish; they admit the error and take full responsibility but they are going to continue to re-enforce the standard of 100 words or less for political letters and letters from candidates.

While I think an equal response is fair and warranted given the fact that an error was made on one side of the argument, I understand the paper’s position on trying to maintain the original intent of the directive of limiting political letters to 100 words or less.

I am going to work on my 100 word response but in the meantime my full response to this is posted below and an expanded version will be online at The Post-Chronicle as they allow for 500 word submission.

 

There have been numerous letters to the editor regarding the Simpson Court public parking situation downtown.

Over 3,000 people lent their signatures to the petition to force the referendum.

In order to make the referendum binding, yes or no, 20 percent of the registered voters need to vote. That would be 5,000 plus registered voters.

While it may be a minority it is not small; in the last local election only 37 percent of the registered voters showed up to vote.

Recently one writer to the paper indicated that the petitioners and subsequently the voters “forced a referendum on the Wooding/Caplan property” and, “Now they advocate that Wooding/Caplan be used for parking. Isn’t this a bit short-sighted since we may need it for a new police station? Or perhaps they will then suggest that the Town buy another lot.”
The voters “stopped” only the proposed plan at the time; the Council could have revisited and come up with another option that the public might have liked better but they chose instead to take no action.

If we are talking about “short-sighted since we may need it for a new police station” – the Council voted to sell it – if the referendum failed where would we be? The Council’s decision would have been done and Wallingford would be buying another lot.

Other comments were “In its present condition, should someone fall and be hurt (behind Simpson Court), the Town of Wallingford could be held liable” – this can also be applied to the Wooding-Caplan property where the town is the sole owner.

Get the facts; make up your own mind and then vote.

Vote for your representation on Tuesday November 8^th and then vote your option on the parking matter on Monday November 14^th

It’s your town – get informed, get involved and vote.