Wallingford News

Have your flowers and eat them, too. The new Edible Arrangements, 21856 Towne Center Drive, Towne Center Plaza, uses fruit as flowers in "floral" arrangements.

Wallingford police have been working hard to find those responsible for several vehicle break-ins and it looks like that hard work is starting to pay off.

WALLINGFORD - Republicans won a resounding Town Council victory Tuesday, wresting control from Democrats and gaining a 6-3 majority, the most possible under minority representation rules. "I thought we had a shot at 5-4, so this is wonderful," said a re-elected Bob Parisi, who has served on the council for so long that even he can't remember (he's served 17 non-continuous terms since 1970). Parisi said he thought the victory had something to do with charter revision, seen as an effort to rein in the power of the mayor, but also "something to do with the Choate issue," he said. The Democrat-controlled council had clashed with the prep school over a proposal to close part of a town road. Along with Parisi, Republican incumbents winning re-election were Rosemary Rascati, Jerry Farrell Jr. and John Le Tourneau. Newcomers Craig C. Fishbein and Vincent Cervoni also won seats. Cervoni ran unsuccessfully for the council in 2007. Winning Democrats were incumbents Nick Economopoulos and Vincent F. Testa Jr., and John J. Sullivan. Democrats Michael Brodinsky, the council chairman, and Michael Spiteri did not seek re-election. Dickinson has proven invincible as a candidate for mayor since he was first elected in 1983. Democrats are finding it increasingly difficult to find a candidate willing to spend the time, money and effort to challenge him. "There's some coattail effect," said David Gessert. "We've got a very popular mayor." Gessert is a member of the Public Utilities Commission, a former Republican town chairman and former chairman of the Town Council. He called Tuesday "probably the biggest win we've had in a long time." "I thought the charter was a very important issue," said Dickinson. "Fortunately, people in town saw that and understood it and wanted to keep the charter the way it is." Republicans also won in terms of high-tech, using computer projection of results, while Democrats stuck to the old-fashioned method of marker pen on poster board. "With the majority comes responsibility," said Farrell, as early results were coming. It was an observation repeated often after it became clear the Republicans had won. Parisi said he thought the town was comfortable with its mayor, and needed stability and reassurance at a time when both are scarce. "The first thing I think we want to do is sit down and see what goals we're going to set and not try to set the world on fire," he said. "I don't think the public wants it."

Find Freddie Cruger at Wallingford's Trail of Terror. www.secure.bebo.com If the rainy weather kept you from partaking in some of this year's Halloween attractions be thankful Wallingford's Trail of Terror has accommodated you.

WALLINGFORD- Since Mayor William W. Dickinson is running unopposed this year, the Quinnipiac Chamber of Commerce decided to include Town Council candidates in its forum Thursday at the Wallingford Senior Center, held in advance of the Nov. 3 election. The forum was attended by 13 council candidates: seven Democrats- incumbents Vincenzo Di Natale, Nick Economopoulos and Vincent Testa, as well as Don Harwood, Robert Gross, John Sullivan and Geno Zandri - and six Republicans - incumbents Jerry Farrell Jr., John Le Tourneau, Robert Parisi and Rosemary Rascati, and Vincent Cervoni and Craig Fishbein. The candidates expressed their individual views on business-related topics and fielded a prepared question from the chamber's moderator. Fishbein, a newcomer to the Republican's ticket and local attorney, said he thought Wallingford needs to develop a strong, intertwined, self-sustaining relationship amongst its current businesses. "It's always been my credo to buy local. We have to buy local in order to stimulate job growth," Fishbein said. "I think that that is the key to everything here, to our economy. We can't worry about what's going on on the national level- we have to control our own economy locally." DiNatale, co-owner of Ives Road Wine and Spirits, said he favors the town exploring ways to avoid a tax increase in the coming year, including possibly taking more money from its reserves and funneling it into the budget. While Cervoni, an attorney who ran unsuccessfully for a spot on the council in 2007 on the party's ticket, said he wanted to explore ways to attract more businesses to town, which he felt would lower taxes for residents. But Harwood, who serves as director of operations for Bristol- Myers Squibb, said he felt the town couldn't merely look to private business to cover the tax burden. "I think we all are going to be dealing with a lot of counting," Dickinson said. "We're in difficult times and I don't think that should be lost on local government - it shouldn't be lost on any level of government - but these are serious times and we have to count every dollar." Candidate forums featuring the mayor, school board and council candidates will be held Oct. 21 and 22 in Town Hall, 45 S. Main St., at 6:30 p.m. They are sponsored by the League of Women Voters of Cheshire/Wallingford and the Wallingford Junior Woman's Club.

WALLINGFORD - Even though he's running unopposed this year, William W. Dickinson Jr., the town's longtime Republican mayor, is still mounting a robust campaign. Dickinson, who has held office since 1984, has planted campaign signs across town, sent out multiple mailings and appeared at campaign events with Republican candidates for the Town Council and Board of Education. The only difference is that this year he's not squaring off against an opposing candidate, but is focused on stopping an attempt to revise the Town Charter. "I'm very concerned about the charter issue," Dickinson said Tuesday at a $25-per-person campaign fundraiser at Gouveia Vineyards. "I think people need to be well-aware that there's an election this year and what's at stake." Charter revision has been a thorny issue since the council voted down a request to open up the document early last year. That prompted residents to launch a successful petition drive, and the Charter Revision Commission produced seven amendments that are on the November ballot. One of those would reduce from seven to six the number of council votes needed to overturn a mayoral veto. Since no party can hold more than six council seats because of minority-representation rules, vetoes are impossible if the vote falls along party lines. Republicans, who are in the council minority and were also the minority on the charter commission, have criticized the effort as an attempt by Democrats to curtail the mayor's power. Dickinson's mailings describe his accomplishments and urge voters to "save our charter - vote no on all proposed amendments." He also made a $250 contribution to the "Save Our Charter" political action committee formed by Republican Town Committee member Christopher Diorio, which urges residents to oppose the charter amendments. When the Democratic Party did not field a challenger in 2001, the Republicans did well that year, garnering 56 percent of votes cast and taking the maximum six of nine seats on both the council and school board. Councilor Vincent Testa, a Democrat who is seeking re-election, said the party couldn't find anyone able to devote the time and effort necessary for a mayoral run this year.

Robbers broke into a home here Friday night and tied up a 16-year-old boy, police said.

WALLINGFORD - Among the lawn signs advertising candidates for Town Council and Board of Education, another variety of sign has begun to crop up. It states simply: "Save Our Charter." The red and blue signs are the work of a new political action committee, formed by Christopher Diorio, urging residents to reject all seven of the proposed revisions to the Town Charter when they go to referendum on Nov. 3. Diorio says he formed the committee because he doesn't think any of the proposed revisions to the charter will benefit the community. "I'm very concerned about the proposed changes to the charter and I do not think that they will be good for the town's government," Diorio said. "You're playing on a very slippery slope when you have proposed questions to change the document that this town is governed by." Forms were filed with the town clerk on Sept. 29 and list Diorio as committee chairman and Michael Glidden as treasurer. The PAC has received $900 in campaign contributions from four donors: Mayor William W. Dickinson Jr. ($250); Laurie Manke ($200); William Wadsworth ($250); and Glidden ($200). The Wadsworth Family Foundation, a charitable initiative set up by Wadsworth and his family, made news this summer when it donated $4,500 to help save the Wallingford Symphony Orchestra's free outdoor holiday concert over the Fourth of July weekend. Diorio said the committee has placed about 140 signs around town thus far, but has no plans at the moment to launch a mailing campaign or stage any type of public rally or event to further spread its message. "I think we have a great system here. I think we are a model town for the state. My attitude is: if it's not broke, don't fix it." The commission that handled the majority of the revision process was appointed by and mirrors the makeup of the Town Council - five Democrats, four Republicans - but the council itself had final oversight and approval of its proposed revisions. Because of this, Republicans have been vocal in their opposition throughout the process, saying that the revision is nothing more than a thinly veiled attempt to whittle away at Dickinson's power. Dickinson, who has held office since 1984, said he donated to the "Save Our Charter" committee because he supports its message. "I think serious harm can be done to the town by adopting the charter revision," Dickinson said. "I think, for the most part, it's unnecessary."

WALLINGFORD - The town is readying its ballots for November's municipal elections, but the issue of whether a referendum to revise the Town Charter, which will appear on the opposite side of the ballot, is really all that much of an added cost still appears to fall pretty much among party lines. Town Clerk Barbara Kapi, a Democrat, said printing the seven proposed charter revisions on the opposite side of the ballot will result in an increase of about 9 cents a ballot. Nine cents multiplied by 17,250, the number of absentee and regular ballots Kapi plans to order from Adkins Printing, the New Britain printing company that supplies the town with its ballots, amounts to an increase of $1,552.50. Kapi said her office expects to spend about $9,000 on ballots this year, but typically budgets about $13,500 for that expense to cover costs for any potential primaries before an election, so the added expense for the referen-dum questions will be borne by the unused primary funds this year. "We always have to budget for a possible primary, so you always budget for an election and a half," Kapi said.

People Submitted by Dawn Aldrich on 2009-09-03.   Auntie's House, a new preschool picture book by Wallingford author, Dawn Aldrich, will be a featured title at the CAPA booth inside the Connecticut State House during the Big E in Springfield, Mass.

She was entitled to one paycheck a month but paid herself far more often. She pocketed money that other credit union members had mailed in to pay down loans.

WALLINGFORD, CT, August 29, 2009 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Connecticut Better Business Bureau warns consumers about any "gift" check that involves sending money by wire transfer.

It's day number 56 of Connecticut's state budget crisis. Democrats said they will vote on another budget plan on Thursday; one they hope they can get the Governor to sign into law.

The state Department of Environmental Protection says that with summer winding down and many lifeguards going back to school there are fewer of them on duty at state swimming areas.

Kathy Griffin, the star of her own show on Bravo, "Kathy Griffin: My Life On the D-List," brings her stand-up act to the Chevrolet Theatre in Wallingford Sunday at 8 p.m. August 27, 2009 Kathy Griffin , the star of her own show on Bravo, brings her stand-up act to the Chevrolet Theatre in Wallingford Sunday at 8 p.m. Her reality show, "Kathy ...

Kenneth Ireland walked out of the New Haven Superior Courthouse on Wednesday a free man for the first time since his arrest in 1988 for the rape and murder of Barbara Pelkey.

The system that stole 20 years of Kenneth Ireland's life gave him back his freedom earlier this month, in yet another dramatic demonstration of DNA testing's ability to deliver justice.

A Connecticut judge has dismissed murder and rape charges against a man who spent two decades in prison before DNA testing showed he could not have committed the crimes.

Reaction from families of those killed in the 1988 Lockerbie crash was fast - and furious.

Kenneth Ireland speaks to reporters outside a New Haven court after a judge dismissed rape and murder charges after DNA cleared him, August 19, 2009.