10/20/08 Members, old and new, gathered in the student center to enjoy food and cake and talk about the past and the role the RTM has had in the town

Above: A 1939 photo of the RTM.

Bellow: Lt. Gov. Michael Fidele speaks with Joan caldwell, who was honored as the longest serving member of the RTM. Caldwell has served 42 years on the RTM. The 75th Anniversary Celelbration was celelbrated at Greenwich High School student center.

(Helen Neafsey/Greenwich Time staff photo)

RTM celebrates 75th anniversary

During her first call at an RTM meeting in 1965, Joan Caldwell consolidated a bond issue, approved a new elevator and appointed nominees to different boards and commissions, and then it was over.

Imagining a more a contentious and interesting discussion, she was somewhat disappointed.
"I thought I will never last," she said.

But not long after, the Representative Town Meeting would be embroiled in an important debate over whether to build a new high school on Hillside Road. And as the longest continuously serving member of the RTM, Caldwell has been involved in many important votes, and seen the town change from a small upcountry town to what it is today, she said....

...The RTM, a nonpartisan organization, which deals with issues ranging from capital expenditures to municipal budgets and labor contracts, was first instituted in March 1933. For more than 200 years, then Greenwich had the traditional form of government, the town meeting, where anyone could vote on an issue. But as the town grew, it became progressively more difficult, and the RTM was proposed and instituted, according to David R. Tobin, state of Connecticut Superior Court Judge and former RTM moderator....

....But Tobin remembered the beloved Greenwich resident Josephine Evaristo, who served on the RTM for 41 years. At most meetings, Evaristo would raise her hand to talk about the transgressions of Greenwich Republicans and to discuss the possibility of relocating the transfer station and the dump, from her district in Chickahominy into the backcountry, where coincidentally many of the town Republicans lived....

....RTM moderator, Tom Byrne also spoke, making jokes about the many names of residents who have served including the Knights, Bishops and Kings.
"We've had them all," he said.

Since its inception, more than 2450 residents have served on the RTM, with an average of 6.7 years per term.

During the ceremony, First Selectman Peter Tesei, a former RTM member, read a proclamation congratulating the RTM for its service and the longevity of the institution.

Tesei also recalled when he first joined the RTM that a former first selectman told him it will be one of the best experiences of his lifetime.....

...Also at the event Rep. Dolly Powers and Rep. Livvy Floren read a citation from Hartford, recognizing the RTM for its service

"This is an outstanding milestone," Powers said.

Please Read The Fulll Greenwich Time Story

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!0/20/08 READER SUBMITTED COMMENTS: Church is good - Newspapers Are Bad

To the Editor:

I think the Harvest Church sounds like it has a lot to offer. I enjoy reading how excited you are about being part of it. I wish more people would find genuine peace in their houses of worship. Just a little spirituality, adds great substance and meaning to a person's life.

I believe the reader's comments re: comparing you to former journalist Joe Pisani, were sarcastic, and not to be taken seriously. Blog away. Religion is important. Some people are shy about speaking their true feelings with regard to their beliefs but, as more people share, the outcome is usually beneficial.

As an editor, you do not share the lack of accountability, the questionable morals, nor the blatant censorship, we witnessed for many years coming from The Hour, The Advocate, and the Greenwich Time.

COMMENT:

Thankyou for your kind words

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10/20/08 More than 200 hundred people came out to race their boats across the pond, and cheer on their neighbors

Emmin Shung launches the family's model sailboat, while his son, Artimis, 4, in brown, and Ajax, 7, in blue,watch at the Model Sailboat Regatta at Binney Park Pond.

(Helen Neafsey/Greenwich Time staff photo)

Model boats cruise at Binney Park

Old Greenwich residents Josh Boksenbaum, 6 and his father Steve, were putting the last-minute finishing touches on their homemade boat "R 4," just an hour before the race.

With their catamaran, made out of smart water bottles glued together as the base, wood, painted purple, a baking sheet as a rudder and a garbage for the sail, Josh felt confident they were going to win.

"We always win with this design," he said.

Josh had designed the boat with his father for the 46th annual Model Sailboat Regatta, sponsored by Old Greenwich Riverside Community Center, which was held Sunday at Binney Park....

...Johnny Pastore, 7, made a sailboat out of water bottles to make it float, and an egg carton as the base, with paper as the sail, held together by glue, while Julia Peldunas 5 and her father Brian, sailed a 30 year-old homemade, hand painted sailboat with a fiber glass haul and an aluminum rudder.

Brothers Elias Frank, 12, and Gabriel Frank, 15, collected wine corks for more than a year in anticipation of Sunday's regatta.

They built the bottom of their sailboat with chicken wire, bubble wrap and black tape and filed it with more than one hundred wine corks, some stained from red wine. The sails were made from old white T-shirts, and they added a red flag for design. They aptly named it the "Drunken Sailor." ....

....There were nine races, which were determined by age and type of boat, ranging from mono hulls to radio-controlled to homemade.

With the windy, cool weather many of the boats easily made their way across the pond in Binney Park, demarcated by flags, to determine the start and finish.
For new sailor Richard Jove, 9, racing his radio-controlled sailboat is a chance to learn more about sailing.

"It's a great way to learn the principles of sailing and it's fun," said his dad, Old Greenwich resident, John Jove.

But for Josh Boksenbaum, it's not just winning that matters. The most fun was making the boat, he said.

"I am always looking forward to (this event)," he said, "We try to come up with something good every year."

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10/19/08 READER SUBMITED COMMENTS FROM MY GREENWICH NOT THEIRS

"My Greenwich, Not Theirs"

Might Not Like Greenwich Roundup And

Joe Pisani's Reporting That Has A Religious Slant

Mr Greenwich Roundup Editor :

Is this "church going" something you learned from watching the master of religious deceit, Joe Pisani? Joe, THE CENSOR, excuse me while I step out side to go to my daily mass.....and return to look the other way in the cases of public otrocities and cover-up

Wait,....are you Joeseph F. Pisani hiding behind a mask of TRUTH?

"Hold the presses, let's cover up a murder people.....I got some connections, ya know...lets just make this story short and vague, as not to ruffle anyone's feathers....kill the story on the rape, there were no witnesses." "Oh, let me run to get Ashes...be right back people."

His "Our Greenwich" which, by the way, he and his BIG 4 staff members are not residents of. No wonder the site is such a wreck!! His town is not OUR TOWN.

Excuse me, but the pregnant married McDonald's Restaurant worker is WORKING. How many people quit working the minute they conceive? Ummmmm......none!!! I think Pisani's daughter was probably thinking she wished she had a ring on her finger. But she doesn't. Blame your father.

Sarah Littman? What is her obsession with Sarah Palin? C'mon!! Who goes on and on about how someone forms sentences and actually attempts to use a graph to prove a lack of conversational grammar or flow of diction? What could possible motivate a woman w/a family to put so much thought into how poorly SHE THINKS Palin speaks? How about feeding your daughter and stop w/the caffeine!-induced mania!!!!!

Palin has forgotten more than you know, Ms. Littman. At least she doesn't pretend she's a mom, she is one. And her kids get fed.

Who gives a rats ass what these people write about? Who can even find the little web site? I had it sent to me as a joke. It is all self-perpetuated nonsense.....imaginary STAR SITTINGS by what's her dish name.....it's the scum of the news world.

Church is good, news is better. Pray for GOOD NEWS and it will come!!!!!!
Just the facts.

Any questions, my brother :) Joe?

Signed,
My Greenwich, not theirs!!!!!! Amen :)

COMMENT:

Since you have used my signature red text color, I will respond in black.

I have wondered if including mentioning what's currently going on in my little life would bore readers to death.

But, I have felt that mentioning something that I recently or currently was doing might add some background to the story. Frankly, I was worried that spending so much at church this week would kill my web stats, because there would be less posting at Greenwich Roundup.

During this 25th Anniversary Week For Harvest Time Church, in which, I spent a great deal of time at multiple church activities I did post much less and feared that my web stats would sink to nearly nothing.

However, from Wednesday to the web traffic has ranged from 524 visitors in one day to 701 visitors in one day. Sunday was the day with 524 visitors, but Sundays are always my lowest traffic days.

My numbers were a bit off, because I posted less I think I possibly could have improved those numbers by 20 - 25% if I had posted a bit more. Plus other bloggers like Bill Clark and Chris Fountain probably snagged a big chunk of my potential web traffic when they reported about Betty Sternberg's leaving in June.

I was a day late and a dollar short when I reported mostly about what Mr. Clark and Chris Fountain reported the day before.

But, I had a great time at Harvest Time and learned many new things, so i guess the temporary loss in web traffic was worth the experience.

I was afraid that I would possibly offend some in the community by espousing some of my recent shift in spiritual beliefs. However, the posts that mention religion seem are some of the most viewed posts at Greenwich Roundup.

Further, they have evoked quite a bit of email and comments.which I hope to have answered by Tuesday.

While Ex-Greenwich Time Editor Joe Pisani has been a churchman much longer than I have I do think that he has repeatedly made many choices as editor that were morally wrong.

Number one was not publishing the Greenwich Time's Investigative Report On The Martha Moxley report for over a decade. This is I had been editor of the Greenwich Time would not have happened.

Joe Pisani spent 30 years as editor and no one can think of any great reporting that occurred at the Greenwich Time wile he was in charge.

But the local politician's love him, because he never held them accountable.

Further, Joe Pisani was a an that would censor letter to the editor writer Bill Clark for many many years.

Moreover, Joe Pisani would often ignore the plight is persons or families that were afflicted by town employees.

So Basically Joe Pisani's legacy after 30 years at the Greenwich Time is That we live in an unaccountable town, because the Greenwich Time didn't do it's job of pursuing a story to where ever it may lead.

Joe Pisani was not a "Let the chips fall where they may" type of editor

There was a lack of follow up on News Stories.,especially if a dead body was found, when Joe Pisani was Editor Of The Greenwich Time.

Here are two deaths that the Greenwich Time initially reported on and then forgot about untill Greenwich Roundup started highlighting the lack of police progress in the cases.

Overdose cases lead to arrests

In little more than one month, Greenwich police have concluded two extensively investigated drug overdose cases with the arrest of four people who were charged with crimes linked to the tragic deaths.

Legal experts say it is not uncommon to charge people with a crime as the result of a drug overdose investigation, but it is difficult to prove.

"This is not unusual, but it's still a real stretch," said Greenwich-based attorney Mickey Sherman. "If you're just sharing drugs with someone, I don't see a jury convicting anyone.

If you sold the drugs, even then it's a stretch, but the state is in a better position," said Sherman.
Steven Duke, a professor at Yale Law School, also said it is challenging to prosecute charges like these, particularly when dealing with manslaughter.

"It's hard to establish the responsibility of the provider of the drugs to the death unless they show an awareness of the likelihood of the death," said Duke.

Frank Chimblo, Jr., 35, of Greenwich was charged Oct. 3 with second-degree manslaughter and illegal sale of narcotics in connection with the criminal investigation into the death of Kyle Lendenmann. The 17-year-old died in Feb. 2007 as the result of an accidental methadone toxicity, according to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.

Catherine Bausch, 28, of Norwalk was also charged with illegal sale of narcotics as a result of the police investigation.

In the 2004 overdose death of John Bria III, Jason Cunningham, 24, of Greenwich and Savanna Jean Lamotte, 23, of New Haven, were charged in September with possession of narcotics in connection with the criminal investigation. These charges did not implicate the suspects in Bria's death. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner ruled Bria's death the result of an accidental cocaine and heroine overdose....

.....According to Fernow, proving a possession of narcotics charge from a four-year old investigation is challenging because often times the case is based on observational evidence.

Matthew Maddox, a Stamford-based attorney representing Cunningham stated at the onset of these charges that he did not believe the state had enough evidence to prove his client was guilty. Maddox said in order to prove a drug felony charge, police are supposed to have physical evidence, which he did not believe is the case in this instance.

His client pleaded not guilty on Sept. 23 and is scheduled to appear back in state Superior Court in Stamford on Oct. 20. Lamotte's attorney told the court she would file for a pre-trial intervention drug education program which would enable the court to dismiss the charges upon her successful completion of the program....

Obviously, if Joe Pisania and the Greenwich Time had kepta spotlight on the investigation the Greenwich Police Department would have been more accountable to the families of the dead youth and to the public in General.

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