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Wednesday, June 17, 2009

0)6/17/09 The Raw Greenwich News Feed:

The Latest Greenwich News Briefs:

1 charge dropped in Greenwich mystery killing
Boston Herald
Connecticut prosecutors have dropped one charge against a Massachusetts man, one of two men accused of killing Greenwich real estate mogul Andrew Kissel. ...
Greenwich Chrysler dealer awaits Fiat surge
Connecticut Post
By Michael C. Juliano John Wade, president of Jeep Chrysler Dodge City in Greenwich, stands Tuesday in his dealership showroom. ...
Ride for a lifetime: Two Greenwich teachers bicycle across US ...
Greenwich Time
By Colin Gustafson Greenwich High School teacher Ben Alander, right and Greenwich Country Day School teacher Liz Cryan, left are teaming up to bike 3800 ...
Greenwich drowning case pushed back
Greenwich Time
By Debra Friedman The case of a Stamford pool company president charged in the drowning death of a 6-year-old Greenwich boy continues to drag after the ..
Greenwich school's lot size increase concerns neighbors
Greenwich Time
By Frank MacEachern Some central Greenwich neighbors are casting a wary eye at a private school's plans for a home it purchased two years ago. ...
Sale of land next to Greenwich 'hole in the ground' hits opposition
Greenwich Time
"When we talk about quality of life in Greenwich, you think of a downtown or a village where you park your car and run errands," Berg said. ...
Greenwich: Institutions Back HFs, PE
Emii.com - New York,New York,USA
Institutional investors are backing alternative investments, such as hedge funds and private equity, according to a survey by Greenwich Associates, ...

The Latest Greenwich Blog Post:

Any day now, but not in Greenwich « For What It's Worth
By christopherfountain
In case you're wondering, that would include just abut everything in Greenwich north of $1 million. As I've hinted here before, that's the part of our market that's bloated, still swelling and not moving. "Tighter lending standards and ...
For What It's Worth - http://christopherfountain.wordpress.com/

ALSO:

Apple to liven up Greenwich Avenue Greenwich Time
The building at 356 Greenwich Ave Greenwich which once housed Clearview Cinemas is said to be the future home of a new Apple store opening later this year A ...


Please send your comments, news tips and press releases to GreenwichRoundup@gmail.com

06/17/09 The Himes Times: "Pay-as-you-go"

June 17, 2009

Dear Friend,

I picked up The Economist this week. They crisply captured the economic "bind" we face:

"In the short term government borrowing is an essential antidote to the slump. Without bank bail-outs the financial crash would have been even more of a catastrophe. Without stimulus the global recession would be deeper and longer--and it is a prolonged downturn that does the greatest damage to public finances. But in the long run today's fiscal laxity is unsustainable". (The Economist, June 13)

It is clear that the next several years will be the economic equivalent of threading a needle. While we address the massive unfunded liabilities associated with Social Security and Medicare (now well in excess of $50 trillion), we will need to identify the moment at which our nascent recovery is self-sustaining and put on the brakes. If we are to avoid inflation, interest rates will need to go up and government spending will need to go down. Both of those things will be enormously unpopular, but the Federal Reserve and the Congress will need to remember that inflation is far more damaging.

Although this won't be easy, I think we're setting the stage. There is of course no way to address our unfunded liabilities and budget growth at the federal, state and municipal levels without getting spiraling health care costs under control. We're working on that, and I'll be watching closely to make sure that cost reduction is a key part of health care reform.

This week, the House will also take up a bill requiring Congress to observe "pay-as-you-go" legislation I have co-sponsored. Simply put, that means that if Congress is going to spend a dollar, it has to have the money or give up spending a dollar somewhere else. Pretty much like every household and business in the country. No more charging entitlements, wars or tax cuts to the national credit card.

I am committed to working towards "pay-as- you -go" legislation that is true its' title. This concept - put into practice--combined with the economic recovery we may be starting to see, will help us thread the needle necessary to sow the seeds of our economic recovery.

Sincerely yours,

Congressman Jim Himes

P.S. Follow me on Twitter to get the most up-to-date information directly from me! Just click here: jahimes

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06/17/09 READER SUBMITTED COMMENTS: Question

Hi,

I very much enjoy your bog. Can you tell me how I can find the list of salaries for town of Greenwich employees.

With kind regards

Steve Katz

COMMENT:

Dear Steve,

The salaries for town of Greenwich employees is public information and you are legally entiled to it. Basicaly, you write a letter to the Town Of Greenwich Clerk and tell her you are filing a freedom of information request for the saleries and overtime paid to all the Greenwich employees. The Clerk then has four days to repond to your requst.

If for some strange reason the town clerk was to deny your request, then you must file a complaint with....

Freedom of Information Commission

18-20 Trinity Street

Hartford, Connecticut 06106

Telephone: (860) 566-5682;

TOLL-FREE (CT ONLY): (866) 374-3617

Fax: (860) 566-6474

EMAIL: foi@ct.gov

WEBSITE: http://www.state.ct.us/foi/

Thier Website Has A

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Page.

They Also Have This Page


You CAN Fight City Hall!


Eric V. Turner *
and
Gregory Daniels **

Public employees are frequently the butt of criticism which runs the gamut from laziness, to arrogance, to dishonesty from the citizenry of this state. Tales of unpleasant experiences abound, particularly with respect to front-line employees. Is such criticism fair?
We believe that, unfortunately, such criticism is fair.


Last spring the Connecticut Freedom of Information ("FOI") Commission and the Connecticut Foundation for Open Government commissioned a survey of local government to determine the level of compliance with the state’s FOI Laws. The survey results indicate that many municipal offices do not routinely comply with the requirements of the FOI Act. Three different kinds of public agencies were surveyed – school superintendents, police agencies, and municipal clerks’ offices. Each was asked to allow viewing of a particular category of records that are clearly public. The specific categories of records requested included teacher attendance records from school districts, arrest records from police agencies, and marriage license applications from clerks’ offices.


The agencies failed the test of compliance miserably, with an overall rate throughout the state of only 22 percent. While 67 percent of all agencies were rated as "very cooperative" or "somewhat cooperative" by surveyors, 15 percent received grades of "very uncooperative" and another 17 percent were considered "somewhat uncooperative." Throughout the comments registered by surveyors are reports that public employees were downright "rude" or "suspicious" or annoyed by the fact that the surveyors were asking to see records.


Based on this survey, the criticism of government workers may be well-founded and reflects an accurate perception of how government employees treat the citizens of this state. In fact, it could be respectably argued that some employees of public agencies are barriers to carrying out good and efficient public service.


According to the survey, about one-third of the employees were less than cooperative. Assuming that employees in both the public and private sectors are comprised of a relatively similar cross-section of the general population, private sector employees should produce a similar unsatisfactory result. There is one important difference, though. If a person encounters a business that provides poor service, that person can take his or her business elsewhere. Unless one moves, however, one cannot change where he or she does government business.


A natural consequence of an unhelpful or even disrespectful attitude on the part of public employees is the disinclination to deal with them. Thus, we wonder how many people do not utilize governmental processes because they fear a negative or discourteous response. Our experience at the FOI Commission has shown that very few minorities have filed complaints.

Although the survey did not test for racial discrimination, several minority surveyors informally reported that they felt unwelcome a number of instances when they presented their request for public records. Could it be that minorities bring a disproportionately small number of FOI complaints because they simply avoid making requests for information in order to avoid the possibility of an unpleasant or negative encounter with public employees?


But our government is only as bad as we allow it to be. Public officials must be held accountable. One way to do this is by seeking the information you want, and filing a complaint with the FOI Commission if you do not get it to your satisfaction.
The state Freedom of Information Act gives people the right to inspect or copy (at a marginal rate) public records. It also provides the right to attend most meetings of public agencies.


So, if you are denied access to government records of meetings, or if undue obstacles are placed in your way to effectuating your rights, utilize the process under the state FOI Act to obtain it. Contact the Freedom of Information Commission. More importantly, don’t be intimidated or deterred by unpleasant government employees. You do not have to move to get better government. Make your government accountable by insisting on your rights.

____________
*Eric V. Turner is director of public education for the state Freedom of Information Commission. **Gregory Daniels is a management analyst for the commission. For further information regarding the Commission, please contact us at (860) 566-5682 or www.state.ct.us/foi/.

And This Page....

PUBLIC OFFICIALS JUST DON’T GET IT

By Eric V. Turner, Director of Public Education, CT Freedom of Information Commission

In two recent newspaper articles, public officials made it appear that the Connecticut Freedom of Information (FOI) Act inhibited them from talking openly and honestly about the public’s business.


One official said that because of FOI laws, town council members can’t get together in private and try to work things out behind closed doors. In private, she stated, "We could just talk to each other as people, not as politicians."


Another former official voiced similar sentiments. He said he wishes he could have gone out for a beer with the other members of his board, even the ones with whom he disagrees. He reportedly said that he couldn’t do that because of FOI laws.


Nonsense! These statements illustrate a fundamental misunderstanding by some public officials not only of what the FOI Act requires of all public officials, but also of why such laws are needed in a democratic society.


First of all, nothing in the FOI Act prohibits government officials from talking to each other civilly and "as people, not as politicians." If they can’t do so publicly, that solely reflects on the character of the individuals concerned, not on the law. Second, nothing in the FOI Act forbids agency members from going out socially to get to know one another. In fact, the act expressly excludes from its coverage a "social meeting neither planned nor intended for the purpose of discussing matters relating to official business."


Under the FOI Act, the public has the following three basic rights with respect to public meetings: to know that a public meeting will take place; to attend the public meeting; and to obtain the minutes of the meeting. Exceptions are permitted for some things like personnel matters, contract negotiations, legal strategy in connection with pending litigation, and security matters.


Generally speaking, what the FOI laws prohibit are public officials meeting in private to discuss the public’s business. After all, it’s the public’s business, not private or personal business that’s at stake here. And how else can the public know if their elected or appointed "public servants" are serving them well and how and why public funds are being spent, without requiring that the public’s business be conducted in a forum open to the public?


Unfortunately, public officials all too often seek secrecy for their own benefit or comfort - not for the good of the public. Therefore, when politicians make comments bemoaning the requirements for open public meetings, be wary. It may be because they believe they were elected to serve their own personal or partisan interests and not the interests of the citizenry.


It was 25 years ago this August that President Nixon resigned because of the "Watergate" scandals, which in turn, led to passage of FOI laws, including those in Connecticut. Do you remember the old adage that those who fail to heed the errors of the past are doomed to repeat them? To avoid a repetition of past mistakes, it’s incumbent upon public officials to ensure that the public’s business remain just that - public.

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06/17/09 BOE PRESS RELEASE: Folsom Housemaster Appointed

Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Betty J. Sternberg, has appointed Ms. Jory
Lockwood to the position of Folsom Housemaster at Greenwich High School
(GHS), effective July 1, 2009. See attached for more information.


Kim Eves
Director of Communications
Greenwich Board of Education
290 Greenwich Avenue
Greenwich, CT 06830

www.greenwichschools.org

Phone: 203-625-7415
e mail: kim_eves@greenwich.k12.ct.us
Fax: 203-869-8003

SUPERINTENDENT APPOINTS FOLSOM HOUSEMASTER

(For immediate release: Wednesday, June 17, 2009 – Greenwich, CT)

Superintendent ofSchools, Dr. Betty J. Sternberg, has appointed Ms. Jory Lockwood to the position of FolsomHousemaster at Greenwich High School (GHS), effective July 1, 2009. Dr. Sternberg said, “Joryis highly qualified for the position of instructional leader for Folsom House.

Her experience as ateacher of both math and English for thirty (30) years with the Greenwich Public Schools,twenty-seven (27) of which have been at Greenwich High School, has provided her with an in-depth knowledge of curriculum and effective instruction for students of all abilities, as well asthe operations of the school. She has assumed numerous leadership roles as Senior Teacher,Learning Facilitator, new teacher Mentor, and as a technology facilitator, leading numerousprofessional learning opportunities for staff on integrating technology and instruction.

She is alsoa Greenwich High School graduate! These experiences and her genuine enthusiasm and passionfor the students and staff of the high school make her uniquely qualified for the position ofFolsom Housemaster. I am confident that she will make great contributions toward achievingthe goals of District and of the high school.”

Chris Winters, Director of Curriculum, Instruction and Professional Learning and the incoming Greenwich High School Interim Headmaster, noted, “Jory is a veteran math teacher at GHS whohas demonstrated leadership in many capacities both at the high school and in the district. Her passion to see all students achieve at the highest levels, to form strong relations with staff, and tobe a steady communicator with parents makes her ideally suited for the Folsom Housemasterposition. Jory brings expertise with technology and the use of data to the administrative team.Her energy to identify needs and follow through with appropriate solutions will be muchappreciated by the Folsom community.”

Ms. Lockwood began teaching English at Eastern Middle School, then Eastern Jr. High School,in 1979. Three years later, in 1982, she moved to Greenwich High School as a teacher in the English and Mathematics Departments. By 1986, Ms. Lockwood shifted to the Mathematics Department and has skillfully taught remedial, grade level and honors level classes from AlgebraI through BC Calculus.

In 2001, she added Technology Integrator to her responsibilities asteacher and has been instrumental in developing and directing professional learning programs forstaff around technology. As Technology Integrator, she runs the Green Witch College of TechKnowledge, Wednesday professional learning programs, Tuesday Tech afternoons, new teacherorientations to District technologies, and website training and oversight. She is adept at using data to inform decisions around instruction in the classroom and professional learning needs inthe school and the department. Analyzing the Math CAPT data, her work was the basis forinforming instructional changes in the department.

She also collected, analyzed and presenteddata around teacher corollary assignments that led to the improved use of teacher time during theschool day. She has coordinated and administrated the tenth Grade CAPT testing program,resulting in a 99% completion rate.

Ms. Lockwood is a member of the District’s AdministratorAspirant Program, a recipient of the Greenwich Distinguished Teachers Award, and has been anAdjunct Professor at Manhattanville College’s Graduate School of Education, since 2007.Ms. Lockwood received a B.A. in English and Theatre Arts from Trinity College, Hartford, CTin 1978; a M.A.T. in English from Manhattanville College, Purchase, NY in 1982; a M.A. in Educational Computing from Fairfield University, Fairfield, CT in 1989; and an AdministrativeCertificate in Educational Leadership from Sacred Heart University, Fairfield, CT in 2005.

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06/17/09 Women's Golf Tournament

Press Release


Women’s Greenwich
Town-Wide Annual Championship Tournament


The 2009 Greenwich Town-Wide Women’s Town
Championship Tournament will be held Thursday, July 16th and
Saturday, July 18th at the Griffith E. Harris Golf Course. The format is 36 holes, medal play- gross and net. There are three flights: Town-Wide,
Seniors (50+) and Super Seniors (65+).


Town Champion in each flight is the player with the lowest gross score. Overall Champion can come from any flight. The cost to enter is $57 for seniors and Super Seniors and $73 for Town-Wide. A favor is being provided by theDowlingGroup. Note: There must be a minimum of 48 players by July 8th to play both days. The deadline for applications is Wednesday, July 8th at 4:00 p.m.

06/17/09 Photos for press release

I sent this press release yesterday, but forgot the photo. Please feel
free to pick one, both, or none. I am not a great photographer so I will
understand if you don't use them.

Thanks

Comment:

The Photos Are A Nice Slice Of Greenwich Life

The Concert Press Release Can Be Found Here:

09/16/09 Concerts Press Release

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06/17/09 The Raw Greenwich News Feed: Overnight Update:

The Latest Greenwich News Brief:

Vacancies up at Greenwich senior residences
Greenwich Time
At The Mews, an 84-unit, assisted-living center in downtown Greenwich that offers three meals a day, a weekly housekeeping service and 24-hour emergency ...

The Lastest Greenwich Blog Post:

McCarthy, Paladino Qualify for U.S. Public Links Championship ...
T29 William George Tischler, Greenwich, CT +8 76 76 152. T35 Matt Lyman, Middletown, CT +9 75 78 153. T35 Robert Colucci, Stamford, CT +9 78 75 153. T37 Bernie Izzo, Westport, CT +10 82 72 154. T37 Rick Millington, Trumbull, ...
Sports blogs - http://blogs.courant.com/sports_blogs/



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