A capitol idea

I was at the Legislative Office Building at the Capitol today, working on a TV commercial for a local hospital and it was a bit like old home week.

I saw Matt Lesser, a legislator from Middletown who is a Wesleyan student on hiatus.

I said hello to Tom Swann, whom I met while working on Ned Lamont commercials.

I bumped into Tim Wolf, an early Peace Train "employee" in the stairwell.

I saw Bill Corvo of Kleen Energy having lunch with Joe Serra.

And I saw Middletown Common Council member Vinnie Loffredo.

Rosa Delauro challenges the Army Corps of Engineers

Representative Rosa Delauro invited Westfield residents, city councilors, and the owners of the property coveted by the Army, to talk about the proposal to build an Army Reserve Training Center on Boardman Lane in the Westfield section of Middletown.

Because it was a private meeting, I agreed not to report on the meeting itself, but only on the press presentation which followed.

Delauro reported that at the meeting Westfield residents, and others from Middletown, council members, the mayor, Sebastian Giuliano and Secretary of State Susan Bysiewicz, discussed and debated the proposed Army Base. Westfield residents oppose the siting of the training center in Westfield for a number of reasons, from environmental and traffic concerns, to questions about the economic impact of the base. New concerns about water, sewer and flood issues surfaced.

At this point Delauro, Giuliano and Bysiewicz are all opposed to building the training center on the site in Westfield. All cited the intractability of the Army, and their lack of communication on the topic, as problems in solving the siting issue. Delauro and Bysiewicz are also amenable to having the training site built outside of Middletown, while Giuliano stills supports building the training center on one of three city-recommended sites, a site adjacent to the Pratt and Whitney plant on Aircraft Road, a site next to the Kleen Energy plant on River Road, and a site behind an auto junkyard on Saybrook Road. All three sites are technically in Maromas.

Delauro has promised to lobby Secretary of the Army Geren, and along with Bysiewicz has authored a letter to Governor Jodi Rell, who is commander-in-chief of the Connecticut National Guard, and may have some influence in determining where the training center is built.

The press conference drew all four local TV stations, two newspapers, the state TV station CTN, and at least three radio reporters. Delauro, Bysiewicz, Giuliano (the three political leaders who are most deeply involved in the issue) and Jennifer Mahr, a representative of the Westfield Residents Association addressed the gathered reporters. Then a parade of less-directly-involved, though concerned, politicians including state representatives Ray Kalinowski, state senator Paul Doyle and state representative Joe Serra (who was not at the meeting with residents because of a dental appointment), took the opportunity for a little political grandstanding before the gathered cameras. Also in attendance was state representative Brendan Sharkey who represents governor Jodi Rell's push for smart growth.

It's become clear that the Army will have a fight on its hands if it insists on the Boardman Lane site, but it's not clear whether they will abandon Middletown, or reconsider building on brownfield sites.

The Middletown Common Council meets on August 4th to consider a resolution which will oppose the Army Corps of Engineer's choice of the Westfield site.

As Mayor Giuliano indicated, that to make the site buildable, "thousands of tons of trap rock will be shifted into wetlands. If the city had asked the Corps of Engineers to approve the site for the building of the new high school, they would have stopped us."

Fucking up the river

The following came in as an anonymous comment to my blog about the Army Corps of Engineer's projected plans to build a training center on River Road - a site suggested by the city.

It's so well written, and well thought-out that I wanted to elevate it to a full-fledged blog post:

The vertiginous terrain has caused severe problems at the nearby Kleen Energy construction site, with erosion visibly pouring into the Connecticut River. These problems would be increased with the addition of an Army base which will require parking for 1,000 cars on a busy weekend. The Army deserves a good site for the new facility. A site perched high above the Connecticut River adjacent to a unique, vast, undeveloped forestland offering priceless panoramic views is not a good choice for an Army base. Not only is it a logically bad choice on account of two messes being worse than one mess, but these two messes would be sure to multiply exponentially if the City continues to pursue its stated course of self-destructive planning. First the City seriously injured itself by approving Kleen Energy, now it appears eager to inflict a mortal wound by encouraging "light" industry along its undeveloped Connecticut River water frontage. What would constitute "heavy" industry , parking lots the size of the Mojave Desert? Hello? Would "sensitive" development be right for the steep slopes of the Grand Canyon? I don't think so. Wake up Middletown! Treasure this beautiful part of the City and work to preserve and protect it for generations to come.

The gash on the hillside

You may have noticed, while appreciating the Springtime view of the Connecticut River from Middletown looking south, that there's a new treeless gash in the hills of Maromas where the new Kleen Energy gas-fired electricity plant will be built. I've not seen plans of the plant, but my instinct is that all of downtown Middletown will be forced to "enjoy" a perfect view of the plant after it's built. It'll be there as a reminder, over the next 25 years, of the enormous tax break the plant will enjoy, as the town struggles through a crumbling economy.

Trash talk

Trash magnate Phil Armetta, will be thrown in the pokey for three months. Considering he could've gotten a maximum sentence of eight years, I imagine he's relieved.

In case you didn't read the story to the end, Armetta is reported to be a "silent partner" in a deal the City of Middletown made recently. Middletown accepted ownership of a to-be-drilled well in exchange for granting Kleen Energy and White Rock Holding rights to pump from a Connecticut River acquifer. If you forget the details of the deal or the council vote, this was published in the Courant the day after the vote:

The common council late Monday voted 7-3 to approve an agreement that will allow developers of a proposed power plant to draw more than 7 million gallons of water per day from the Connecticut River to cool the plant's turbines.

Two partnerships led by William Corvo needed the city's endorsement to help land a state permit to draw the water -- the key to proceeding with the $250 million power plant on a former feldspar mine in the Maromas area. The property is owned by developer Philip Armetta, a silent partner in the power-plant project.

In return for that support, Corvo's groups -- Kleen Energy LLC and White Rock Holding Associates -- proposed building a system of pumps and wells off River Road. The system, built at no cost to taxpayers, would draw water for the 620-megawatt electricity generation plant, and also provide the city with a potential back-up supply of drinking water.

This arrangement was initially proposed under the administration of former Mayor Domenique Thornton. Mayor Sebastian Giuliano was initially cool to the deal, but ultimately reached an agreement with Corvo that was announced July 18.

The water system would have an assessed value of about $13.2 million in real estate and contents in the first year and provide about $300,000 in annual taxes.

Councilman Ronald Klattenberg said the water project is a boon for the city and added that the natural-gas fired electricity plant would be a clean source of energy.

Councilman David Bauer opposed the water draw. And he said that a tax-break engineered four years ago for Kleen Energy's power plant is too sweet. The plant would pay $59 million in taxes over 25 years under the terms of the tax abatement; without it, the plant would pay nearly $270 million over that period, Bauer said.

"The `new revenue' is a mirage," Bauer said.

Middletown resident Shannon Brown said the public should have the opportunity to learn more about the deal.

"I'm not opposed to the water project. For all I know, it may be a terrific idea. I'm not supporting it, either. For all I know, it may be disastrous. The point is, the city has no rationale for accepting or rejecting this project," said Brown, adding that a recent workshop session before the council raised more questions than answers.

Completion of the power plant is still a couple of years away.

Not a single Council member questioned William Corvo about his "silent partner," at the council meeting. The DPUC also granted the partnership the rights to build the plant despite objections by Attorney General Richard Blumenthal.

Why would the city and the state do a deal with a company who has a silent partner who pleaded guilty to such a crime ? I know, good question, right?

Sounds like frosting on a turd to me

If you stop in the coffeeshops and newstands around town, you're liable to hear that the Kleen Energy plant is a raw deal for the people of Middletown.

If you read the paper, you'll discover that it's likely a bad deal for everyone in Connecticut. Both the Office of Consumer Counsel (which would like the deal re-structured in its entirety) and Attorney General Dick Blumenthal (who wants subsidies stripped from the plan), have cast their vote against the current (no pun intended) plan.

Councilman David Bauer was credited with calling the deal frosting on a cow pie. A spoonful of sugar doesn't make everything go down easier.

Open goal

It's not good for democracy. It's not good for the town. For a mayoral candidate to run unopposed is an embarrassment.

In fact, I think Seb Giuliano has done a lot of good for the town. I don't always agree with his policies (Liberty Square and Kleen Energy are two notable recent examples), but he cleaned up the high school project, got rid of a lousy police chief, prevented a big box from opening in town, and seems to be working hard, against great Democratic machine odds, to clean up City Hall.

On the other hand, an unopposed run might give him the impression that he's doing everything just right.

I suppose I don't have much of a right to complain because I refuse to run for public office, since I consider it tantamount to bashing your head against a wall on a regular basis, still, it wold be nice to have a choice.

Hiding a resolution in plain sight or the parliamentary two-step

Middletown's Common Council played a bit of a parliamentary trick on the public Monday night when it introduced a resolution as an amendment to the agenda, thereby avoiding public notice of the resolution and the vote.

In adding this resolution to the agenda as an amendment, it circumvented the right of the public to examine pertinent materials, formulate and ask questions, and attempt to influence council members to vote appropriately.

The resolution reads as follows:

10-19 Resolution: Authorizing the Mayor to sign all documents between the City of Middletown, White Rock Holding Associates, LLC and Kleen Energy Systems, LLC regarding the River Road Collector Wells and Storage and Treatment Facility.

The Council held a workshop in July on the matter which raised many questions, without satisfying answers. And despite the fact that very little new information was available, the Council slipped the resolution onto the agenda, virtually unnoticed, and voted its passage.

The problem of skipping public oversight is vexing. This particular deal, negotiated by mayor Sebastian Giuliano, is a key element in allowing Kleen Energy to build it's power plant along the Connecticut River in Middletown's Maromas section. Without the water promised through this deal, the plant could not operate.

As resident Shannon Brown noted, the deal might be good, or it might be bad, the problem is the public can't decide because the details have been witheld.

The original deal was struck by the previous mayoral administration, and Giuliano originally was not in favor of the plan. Something changed his mind, though he hasn't shared the epiphany with the public.

And there are questions about how much the city gets in the deal, how much it will eventually cost the city, and the effect this project will have on the environment. There are also questions about a man who originally brokered the deal, and has now been called a "silent partner" by the Hartford Courant. The Courant also reported today that Philip Armetta owns the land on which a leased pump drilled into the Connecticut River aquifer will be built. Armetta was indicted last year in a major investigation conducted by the U.S. Attorney's office into racketeering by Connecticut trash haulers . Recently he pleaded guilty to misprision of felony, which means he knew about felony but did not report it. Is this an ideal business partner for a long term deal with the city? It doesn't seem to be a question the city wants to consider.

The Councilors were provided with some financial information by the city's financial director, An those who voted for it glowed with praise for its virtues, calling it the type of plant that any community would welcome (although most of the power generated will be for Fairfield County and Long Island, and neither locales is clamoring for the plant), and a plan that will provide a free industrial well to the city, and a source of income through potential water sales (though details of water rates, and cost of operation were not available.

Councilman David Bauer who spoke at length about the hidden costs of the project, was treated with polite derision by those in favor of the plan.

It makes one wonder why such an important deal was voted on as an amendment, with little public oversight, at midnight, as the second-to-last item on an agenda, at a meeting in August at the height of vacation season. A cynic would suggest that the timing was completely intentional.

Did I just praise a Republican?

Our Democratic town committee lost my respect when they refused to endorse Ned Lamont in his run for Senate. Instead they stood firmly by that weasel Creepy Joe Lieberman out of loyalty or pragmatism or cronyism. And look where it got us.

Now they can't seem to find someone to run against Republican Mayor Seb Giuliano. No surprise. He dismantled a relationship with an indicted builder who was in the midst of constructing a new high school. He railroaded a developer who was going to turn downtown into big box heaven. He squeezed an ineffectual police chief into retirement. He breathed some fresh air into city hall.

So when Councilman Gerry Daley says: "I hope no one in this room or the public interprets the fact that we're not nominating a candidate for mayor as some form of endorsement for the current mayor," at the Democratic caucus, and claims that the current mayor doesn't have, "a single initiative that he has proposed that has benefited the city in his term" I think it shows a fear of losing power on some important boards and committees.

The mayor has spent some time undoing the misdeeds of the former mayor, and came to office too late to stop all of them (the Richland Group - Ferry Street complex comes to mind), and he's got to focus on a few more of those bad deals (he seems to be working on Kleen Energy, but not nearly as energetically as needs be), and that's signature enough on good works for me.

It's shameful to have an election with no opposing candidate. It's shameful that the Democrats can't see beyond their old-boy network, and find a real, progressive candidate. It's a shame that no one is confident enought to step up to the plate to run against the Republican reformer. And it's an indictment of politics as usual.

The ridiculous strategy of asking voters to cast a ballot for "none of the above" just shows how bankrupt the local Dems are.

Unless a Democratic miracle occurs, in the fall I'll be voting against my instincts for a Republican candidate again.