Joey Diaz, left, and his partner of five years, Frankie D'Amico, were the first gay couple to apply for a marriage license in Greenwich Wednesday, the first day of gay marriage in Connecticut. Vital Records Registrar Barbara Lowden will prepare their license.
(Colleen Flaherty/Greenwich Time photo)
Staff Writer
Article Launched: 11/12/2008 01:00:49 PM EST
GREENWICH - Joey Diaz and his partner of five years, Frankie D'Amico, were the first same-sex couple to apply for a marriage license in Greenwich today.
They applied shortly after a state Superior Court judge in New Haven entered a final judgment making official the Oct. 10 Connecticut Supreme Court ruling legalizing same-sex marriage.
"It's a light for the whole nation," said D'Amico, 55, "especially with a new president. It's historic."
"It's a step forward," added Diaz, 40, smiling.
The men, both from Queens, N.Y., waiting quietly beginning at 9 a.m. today at the Town Clerk's Office for vital records registrar Barbara Lowden to receive word that she could begin issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples.....
....The town has a 24-hour processing time for marriage licenses. Diaz and D'Amico said they will pick up the license Friday and get married in Greenwich the same day, hopefully outside.
ALSO:
Police bust 'wholesale' drug dealer
More than 26 pounds of marijuana seized
Article Launched: 11/12/2008 02:51:08 PM EST
STAMFORD - Police arrested two Greenwich residents Tuesday evening and found $65,000 worth of marijuana in their Valley Road home, Stamford police said.
Lt. Jon Fontneau, head of Stamford's Narcotics and Organized Crime unit, said officers from Greenwich and Stamford executed a search warrant Tuesday evening and found more than 26 pounds of marijuana in plastic bags, coolers and garbage bags at the house. Police also found $2,500 worth of hallucinogenic mushrooms, he said.
Seawn Sheridan, 48, of 237 Valley Road, Greenwich, was charged with possession of more than a kilogram of marijuana, possession of hallucinogens, operating a drug factory, and counts of intent to sell on his drug possession charges. Sheridan was held on a $50,000 bond.
Fontneau said officers found packages of marijuana splayed throughout the Valley Road home. A police dog from Greenwich helped locate drugs, he said.
"He was not your nickel dealer," Fontneau said. "He was your wholesale dealer."
Officers also arrested Daniel Dishey, 44, a resident at the Valley Road home. Police charged him with possession of marijuana and intent to sell marijuana. He was held on a $10,000 bond.
COMMENT:
Good Job Stamford PD
By Meredith Blake
Staff Writer
Article Launched: 11/12/2008 02:35:19 AM EST
Despite costly construction delays and handicap accessibility issues, the new Greenwich Family YMCA president and CEO, Rebecca Fretty, said the nonprofit is "deadly committed" to completing its $40 million renovation project by June 2009......
......With only one phase of the building completed, some people, particularly those who donated money, have had questions about the project, Fretty said.....
.....over the past five years, the project has encountered some delays. As recently as last month, attorneys for the YMCA filed an extension for the building of a second gym, which would have included squash and racquetball courts, among other facilities, Fretty said.
That project is currently on hold until more funds can be raised. ....
The YMCA has also had to contend with members and the public who have expressed frustration that the facility was not made wheelchair accessible during the first phase of the project, Fretty said.
"Am I horrified and sad that it is not accessible?.....
.....The Greenwich family of Luis Gonzalez-Bunster, who is in a wheelchair, has requested the facility build a temporary ramp until the rest of the facility is complete.....
.....Fretty, a 15-year member of the YMCA, said she was hired by the Board of Directors after members had first asked her to join the board this summer. She has an MBA from Duke University and has worked in marketing. Her last job was with the Secaucus, N.J.-based Hartz Mountain Corp., where she was senior director of animal health and wellness. .....
COMMENT:
Greenwich Family YMCA president and CEO, Rebecca Fretty is treating Luis Gonzalez-Bunster, who is in a wheelchair like an animal.
Animals And Luis are not allowed in the YMCA.
Greenwich Family YMCA president and CEO, Rebecca Fretty, is an insensitive jerk towards the crippled of our town, because she doesn't understand that illegal not to provide handicaped access to the building.
Greenwich Family YMCA president and CEO, Rebecca Fretty is being mean spirited and cruel, because she has has the money bugeted for and available for ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) compliance requirements.
However, Greenwich Family YMCA president and CEO, Rebecca Fretty would rather waste the YMCA's doners generous and hard earned money on a unnessary and expensive pig headed lawsuit that they are going to lose in Federal Court.
Moreover, Greenwich Family YMCA president and CEO, Rebecca Fretty is opening the town planning department up to possible litigation for giving and maintaining a temporary certificate of occupancy to a building that intends on continuing to discriminate against the crippled and infirm.
Once again rookie Greenwich Time reporter Meredith Blake has proven that she is incompetant and lazy scribe.
Did Meredith talk to and quote generous YMCA donors who who want to know where their money went or how it was spent, for this story?
Did Meredith talk to and qoute Greenwich Building officails to see what their reaction was to the YMCA arrogant decision to openly violate the temporary certificate of occupancy that calls for ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) compliance, for this story?
Did Meredith talk to and quote outraged members of the community who are disgusted that the YMCA is arogantly chosing to violate our laws and discriminating against the crippled, for this story?
Did Meredith talk to and quote YMCA members and the public who have expressed frustration that the facility was not made wheelchair accessible during the first phase of the project, for this story?
Did Meredith talk to the family of Luis Gonzalez-Bunster, who is in a wheelchair and has requested the YMCA build a temporary ramp for this story?
Did Meredith talk to the attorney that is going get a big chuck of YMCA donor money in a legal judgement that was unnessary and foolish, for this story?
No Meredith Blake The Incompetant and lazy rookie Hearst Newspaper reporter only quoted.......
Greenwich Family YMCA president and CEO, Rebecca Fretty
Ryan Chianelli, project superintendent from Worth Construction
Tim Wagner, the YMCA's director of real estate and building operations
Rookie Reporter Meredith Blakes Reporting Is So Unfair And Unbalanced.
Rookie Greenwich Time Reporter Meredith Blake Looks Like A Bimbo As She Is Being Led Around The Facility By Three YMCA Insiders Who Fail To Mention That The Soon To Be Litigated Facility Is Over Budget And Behind Scheadule.
You don't need an MBA from Duke University to figure out that violating the law and discriminating against the infirm and handicapped is going to severly hurt the YMCA's future attempts to raise money in Greenwich.
Hmmmm....Should I give money to the group that discriminates against the crippled and infirm or should I give money to non-profits that welcome and help the towns hanicapped?
By Neil Vigdor
Staff Writer
Article Launched: 11/12/2008 02:34:53 AM EST
Halfway into his first term as Greenwich's top elected official, Republican First Selectman Peter Tesei has confirmed that he plans to seek re-election next November.
"I don't think there's any surprise about it," Tesei said Tuesday. "I feel that I'm getting things done. I'm certainly not resting on my laurels."
Tesei, 39, won the job in November 2007 over Democrat Frank Farricker, whom he defeated 8,016 votes to 4,086.
The landslide completed a trifecta of public service for the town native, who spent the previous decade as a member of the Board of Estimate and Taxation, the final six years of which were as chairman of the bipartisan fiduciary body.
Before that, Tesei, who is married with a young daughter, served for 10 years as a member of the Representative Town Meeting, earning the distinction of being the youngest member ever elected to the legislative body as an 18-year-old in 1987.
Selectman Peter Crumbine, a Republican who was Tesei's running mate in 2007 and came in third in the race for the Board of Selectmen, said Tesei has been an effective leader of the town.....
....A former vice president at BNY Mellon Wealth Management in Greenwich, Tesei has dealt with his share of challenges as well during his first term.
At the start of summer, his administration was widely criticized for going along with broad changes to Greenwich's beach policy that, for the first time, allowed nonresidents to ride town ferries without being accompanied by residents. The changes have been panned by residents, who argued that their tax dollars support the upkeep of the ferries and they should have priority to ride them.
In mid-July, Tesei presided over a national controversy when a group of local teens converted a town-owned lot in Riverside into a Wiffle ball field without permission. Siding with neighbors opposed to the field, Tesei ordered the field closed because of liability concerns and the precedent of allowing squatters to claim town property.....
....Tesei has also inherited his share of headaches, from delays to the Hamilton Avenue School renovation project to a projected $10 million budget gap between revenues and expenses.....
....A former president of the Junior League of Greenwich who is viewed by some as a potential rival to Tesei's re-election bid, Lavery said she also disagreed with his appointment of two fellow Republicans to the committee that helps recruit candidates to serve on town boards and commissions.
Lavery, 60, said she hasn't decided her political plans and won't do so until after the holidays.
Tesei said Lavery had ample opportunity to express her concerns about changes to the ferry policy earlier this year and didn't. He also said that it was within his authority as first selectman to select people to serve on the Selectmen's Nominations Advisory Committee.
"It sounds very much to me like Lin is running. If she is, she should say so," Tesei said.....
COMMENT:
Greenwich Roundup has not agreed with all of First Selectman Peter Tesei's decisions.
We can say that Peter Tesei is a very accessible government official in the ten short months that he has been on the job.
Moreover, The First Selectman has started to bring some much needed transparency to town hall.
Lastly, it is clear that Peter Tesei honestly tries to be a consensus-builder in a very diverse town.
By Debra Friedman
Staff Writer
Article Launched: 11/12/2008 02:34:52 AM EST
The state Appellate Court has sent the case of a Greenwich man convicted of harboring a crocodile in his home back to a lower court for a new hearing....
....Gary Ryder was arrested in 2004 after police said they found a crocodile in his bathroom during a search for a reported missing adolescent. He was later convicted on one count of illegal possession of a reptile, but appealed the conviction saying authorities did not have a warrant to search his home. ....
.....Greenwich police responded to Ryder's home in August 2004 on a report of a missing adolescent. After receiving no response from the doorbell, officers entered Ryder's home by an unlocked back door, at which time they discovered a large reptile. A few weeks later, Ryder was arrested, facing the illegal possession charge as well as a risk of injury charge for allegedly exposing childen to the risk the crocodile presented.
Ryder told the court his conviction created many problems with the Department of Children and Families....
.....In January 2005, Ryder filed a $30 million lawsuit against the Greenwich Police Department in federal court in Hartford claiming that police entered his home without a warrant, violating his constitutional rights. Ryder also alleged that police attempted to blackmail him by claiming to have photographs of the crocodile in his home and that he was targeted for being gay.....
RTM may not hear GCA proposalBy Neil Vigdor
Staff Writer
Article Launched: 11/12/2008 02:34:49 AM EST
If the Greenwich Center for the Arts was a theatrical production, it would be facing the final curtain before it even makes its stage premiere.
Elected officials say prospects are slim to none that the Representative Town Meeting will take up a proposal next month to lease the town-owned Havemeyer Building to the GCA nonprofit group for creating a downtown arts center.
Friday is the deadline for getting an item onto the Dec. 8 RTM agenda, setting up the possibility that the wealthy group of donors who pledged $15 million toward the $30 million project could walk away at the end of the year as they have signaled.
"I think the project is simply not going to go forward," said Franklin Bloomer, chairman of the RTM Land Use Committee....
.....Bloomer, in contrast, was asked by Tesei to review the lease this summer, when questions arose about the financial footing of the arts center, potential costs associated with the project that would be borne by the town and the type of uses of the building that would be permitted.
"The lease needs quite a bit of changes," said Bloomer, who called both the proposed lease and business plan presented by the arts group flawed. "Something as significant as the lease of the significant community asset to a private group really needed to be out in the public eye some time before the RTM was asked to act on it, and that really never happened."
With the economy in a slump and other arts organizations around the country in financial peril, Bloomer also questioned the feasibility of raising the $30 million for the project.
"You almost have to wonder whether the money is there now," Bloomer said.....
By Debra Friedman
Staff Writer
Article Launched: 11/12/2008 02:34:51 AM EST
The police union has voted to accept a new two-year contract with the town and is now waiting for the agreement to go before the Representative Town Meeting in December, officials said.
The Silver Shield Association, comprising 149 officers up to the rank of lieutenant, voted in favor of the contract at the end of October. The new contract would result in moderate increases to their salaries and greater contributions to health benefits.
According to the collective bargaining agreement between the town and the union, which is posted on the towns' Web site, officers will see an annual wage rate increase of 3.75 percent.
Officers also will be required to pay more toward their medical benefits, including $10 more for their medical co-pays, according to the agreement.
Sgt. James Bonney, president of the union, said the vote was nearly unanimous.....
.....Bonney said he believed the town would be proposing more sweeping changes to officers' schedules in the next contract. In March, union members planned to ask for wage increases in return for possibly working more hours a week and rearranging their schedules to cut down on the need for overtime. However, Bonney said that idea was taken off the table early on in the negotiation process.
Officers in the Silver Shield Association are working under their previous contract, which expired in June, until the RTM ratifies a new one......
Police blotter
Bret Woodsen, 30, of 744 Lake Ave., turned himself in to police headquarters early Friday morning on a charge of second-degree failure to appear, police said.
Woodsen was originally charged with traveling too fast and driving with a suspended license, according to a police press release.
He was released on a $500 bond and is scheduled to appear in state Superior Court in Stamford on Friday.
Staff Writer
Article Launched: 11/12/2008 02:34:18 AM EST
Helen Neafsey/Staff photoThe thunderous burst of a cannon echoed over Greenwich Avenue at 11 a.m. Tuesday, offering an explosive start to an otherwise somber occasion: the American Legion Post 29's annual Veterans Day ceremony......
....In Greenwich, more than 50 residents and town officials braved blustery winds to gather in the shadow of the post office to commemorate that occasion and pay homage to all Americans who have served in war. ....
....The ceremony included flag-bearers from the Greenwich Police Department's honor guard; a 21-gun salute by a Stamford-based division of the U.S. Naval Sea Cadets; and a flag-raising ceremony by the Greenwich Police Explorers, a group of local high schoolers interested in law enforcement.
Members of the Boys & Girls Club of Greenwich's honor guard also gave a ceremonial salute to the crowd of mostly older residents, many of whom sported their former military hats that showed they had served in World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War.
Notables attending the ceremony included First Selectman Peter Tesei, state Senator-elect Scott Frantz and state Rep. Livvy Floren, all of whom who stood several feet away from an empty chair commemorating those deemed missing-in-action or held as prisoners of war.....
Why are we running an editorial about Veterans Day on Nov. 12, one day after the fact?
No, we didn't forget. We did it this way as a reminder that, while it is appropriate to set aside a day to honor our veterans, doing so doesn't square our debt to them.
We must honor the extreme sacrifices they make in our name on Nov. 11 and every other day of the calendar ......
COMMENT:
Yeah Right, The Greenwich Time Editors Are Starting To Belive Thier Own Hype And Lies......
PLEASE SEE:
Its Now Time To Beat The Press
The Greenwich Time Editors Are Still Behind The Times: The Greenwich Time Editorial Page has not been updated in 5 days !!!!
UPDATE 1:18 pm:
WHEN WE SAY FROG THE GREENWICH TIME EDITORS JUMP
It's welcome news that the Federal Communications Commission has finally begun an investigation into the recent pricing policies of the nation's major cable operators...
The Greenwich Time webmaster is once again manipulating the web sites clock.
The Greenwich Time is lying to it's readers when says that the above editorial was posted ans available at:
Article Launched: 11/11/2008 02:44:08 AM EST
Google News Even Says
The Greenwich Time Editors Are Lying
To Their Readers
Please see this Google News result:
Welcome probe of cable televisionGreenwich Time, CT -
1 hour agoIt's welcome news that the Federal Communications Commission has finally begun an investigation into the recent pricing policies of the nation's major cable ...
It is nice to know that the Editors Of The Greenwich Time Are Reading And Listening To Greenwich Roundup And Updated Your Opinion Page An Hour And A Half After We Remarked That The Page Had Not Been Updated In 5 Days.
But The Greenwich Time Editors Should not Cheat And Backdate There Articles And Opinion Pieces. If The Politicians In Town Hall Were Back Dating Documents The Greenwich Time Would Have A Field Day Pointing Out The Dishonesty.
Yet It Looks Like The Greenwich Time
Is Always Lying To Their Reading Public.
AND:
What Else Is The Greenwich Time Being Dishonest About?
Maybe Hearst Newspapers Needs To Hire And Ethics Ediror To Help Greenwich Time Managing Editor Jim Keep Things Honest Around The News Room THERE WERE NO NEW LETTERS TO THE EDITOR PUBLISHED ON THE GREENWICH TIME WEB SITE TODAY. THERE WERE ONLY THESE OLD LETTERS.....
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