Birth Control: Some History

The current national debate over whether or not women can have their birth control covered by medical insurance regardless of their employers' religious beliefs has had me wondering what year it is. In Waterbury, debate over birth control is usually associated with 1939, not 2012.

First, let me clarify (for those who are confused about this) that birth control is not the same thing as abortion. Most methods of birth control prevent conception from ever happening. The sperm and the egg never meet. A new life is never begun.

Now for the history:

Contraception became illegal in Connecticut in 1879, part of a movement against "obscenity" led by Anthony Comstock. The federal Comstock Act of 1873 made it illegal to send anything "obscene, lewd, and/or lascivious" through the mail. Birth control devices were considered obscene by Comstock.

A movement to legalize contraception was started by Margaret Sanger, who opened a birth control clinic in 1916. Sanger's dedication to promoting birth control was partly influenced by the experience of her mother, who had 18 pregnancies (11 of which resulted in live births) in 22 years, dying of tuberculosis and cervical cancer at age 50.

The Connecticut League of Women Voters began debating the issue of contraception during the 1920s. They finally voted in favor of promoting the legalization of birth control in 1933, although Catholic members of the League were strongly opposed to legalizing birth control.

Catholics were not the only opponents to birth control. Swedish Lutherans declared at their 1931 New England Conference of the Augustana Synod that birth control would destroy families and the "entire social structure."

Dr. Robbins W. Barstow, president of the Hartford Seminary Foundation (established by Congregationalists), was also president of the Connecticut Birth Control League. The League reported in 1939 that the maternal mortality rate in the U.S. was much worse than in countries where birth control was available for women of all income levels.
 
In 1934, Barstow's wife came to Waterbury and addressed the First Congregational Church Woman's Guild, stating that "Most of our social problems... are due to the number of unwanted, handicapped and degenerate children annually brought into the world because mothers don't know how to prevent their coming." (Hartford Courant, 19 Jan 1934).

Four years later, in January 1938, a field worker and organizer for the Connecticut Birth Control League, Leah Tapper Cadbury, began meeting with Waterbury residents to establish a birth control clinic. Her first meeting was with Anne Chase Hart, daughter of industrialist Henry Sabin Chase, and two physicians, Dr. Joseph L. Hetzel and J. Harold Root. Anne Hart recommended her sisters Edith and Mildred Chase and her sister-in-law Florence Chase as potential sponsors for the new clinic. Subsequent meetings were held at the homes of Mildred Chase Ely and Ruth Northrop.

There were some Waterbury physicians who gave birth control advice to their patients, but this was done covertly. Two Waterbury ministers who attended the early meetings were pleasantly surprised to learn about this. They had never approached any doctors about the issue, worried they might be offended.

During a meeting at the end of February 1938, former nurse Clara Lee McTernan (wife of the founder of McTernan School) volunteered to organize a transportation service to an existing clinic in Hartford. Milicent Pond, employment supervisor at Scovill Manufacturing, offered to be the driver.

Birth control at this time consisted of diaphragms and a contraceptive jelly.

Clara McTernan, after getting the transportation to Hartford established, began working on establishing the Waterbury Maternal Health Center, which opened in the Chase Memorial Dispensary across the street from City Hall on October 11, 1938.

Chase Memorial Dispensary, Field Street

Dr. William A. Goodrich, a Waterbury native who had opened his OB/GYN practice a year earlier, was recruited by McTernan to be the lead doctor. He was joined by obstetrician Dr. Roger B. Nelson, who was studying with Waterbury's Dr. Charles L. Larkin, chief of gynecology at the Chase Dispensary.

Additional staff consisted of nurse Kathryn Jennings, treasurer Harriet Griggs, and record-keeper Virginia Goss (mother of future CIA Director Porter Goss).

Clinic hours were held every Tuesday morning. The clinic was very specifically intended for poor, married women living with their husbands. There was an average of about one new patient each week. They included a woman who had given birth annually four years in a row, and another who had four children born within five years.

The Waterbury clinic had significantly fewer patients than clinics in Hartford and New Haven, largely because the other clinics no longer required that the patients have specific health problems that would make pregnancy dangerous for them. New Haven reported 214 new patients who were Catholic, 163 who were Protestants, and 20 who were Jewish.

By June 1939, the Waterbury clinic was targeted by the local Catholic Clergy Association, which called upon public prosecutors to take action. The physicians at the clinic insisted that birth control advice was given only to women whose health would be endangered by pregnancy, but the Catholic Clergy Association continued to demand that the clinic be shut down.

Clinic records were seized, and patients were interviewed by prosecutor William Fitzgerald. Charges were pressed against McTernan, Goodrich and Nelson, who were defended by J. Warren Upson.

The case dragged on until April 2, 1940, with the Connecticut Supreme Court of Errors ruling on March 20, 1940 that the 1879 statute could be interpreted to apply to the distribution of contraceptives. The defendants, however, were not convicted. Fitzgerald declared that there was no criminal intent.

All birth control clinics in Connecticut closed their doors following the March 20th ruling. New clinics did not open until 1965, when the U.S. Supreme Court voided the 1879 legislation. During the decades in between, there were numerous attempts to at least modify the law to allow doctors to prescribe contraceptive devices when the married woman's life would be at risk from pregnancy.

In 1947, three Waterbury physicians were banned from St. Mary's Hospital because they supported the Alsop Birth Control bill, which would have permitted physicians to prescribe contraceptives to save their patients lives. All three doctors were Protestants. A group of 17 Protestant ministers, two Rabbis and a social worker, all in Waterbury, signed a declaration that the three doctors were exercising their Constitutional right and should be respected for standing up for their principles.

Seven decades later, some Catholic pro-life activists continue to celebrate the action that was taken by Catholic priests against the Waterbury clinic. What makes it especially interesting is that the clinic trial is usually regarded as an important foundation for Roe v. Wade.  I guess the significance of historic events is all about interpretation.

For more on the Chase clinic story, read David J. Garrow's Liberty and Sexuality: The Right to Privacy and the Making of Roe v. Wade. If you are interested in serious research, the Mattatuck Museum has J. Warren Upson's papers in their archives.

Movie Time!

After posting about Waterbury architect Robert Wakeman Hill, I was contacted by a historian researching Torrington's Yankee Pedlar Inn. It turns out the Inn is another one of Hill's buildings. It is great fun to visit, as it retains much of its Victorian charm despite having been modified at different times. In fact, it retains so much character that it has become the setting of a scary movie. This is not to say that the Inn is a scary place to visit. It has that old-fashioned charm that makes you feel like you are stepping back in time, which does lend itself well to scary movies.

The Innkeepers hits the theaters this weekend. I don't know if it's any good, but it might be good spooky fun to go see the movie, then go to the Inn for dinner (or even rent a room for the night).

Blight Meeting

Things are heating up!  The Mayor convened a public meeting last night at Walsh School to share with area residents the new anti-blight and litter initiative he has launched. It was the best-attended event in the WOW neighborhood in a long time. The Walsh gym was packed. There were, of course, city officials and several community activists present, but they were far outnumbered by neighborhood residents. There was a buzz of excitement and a renewal of hope.

The format was largely one in which the different city departments involved in the new anti-blight initiative explained what they are doing. Although one audience member later accused them of merely patting themselves on the back, they really were reporting to the public and much of what they had to say was very warmly received.

As the Mayor pointed out, he has been in office for less than two months. I think there has been more progress in fighting blight in that time than there has been in years. Two of the most important steps are the formation of the Waterbury Blight Enforcement & Control Division and the formation of the Blight Task Force. Instead of farming out blight control to WDC, which has very limited enforcement ability, a division of the police department is now in charge of enforcement. Instead of every city department working on their own, their efforts are unified by the task force.

There seemed to be two basic areas of concern for residents and landlords.

The first concern is that the city is not actually going to follow through on its new promise to help the neighborhood. I think everyone who has lived in the WOW neighborhood for more than 15 years can quickly point back to broken promises and empty promises of the Giordano and Jarjura administrations. All I can say in response to that concern is that the past is the past. Learn from the past, hold the city accountable for its promises, but don't slow things down by dwelling on past wrongs.

The other area of concern is that property owners will be treated unfairly. The city is absolutely getting tough on blight. Property owners are going to be held fully accountable for the condition of their properties. The possibility of jail time for property owners who refuse to comply with anti-blight regulations is being looked into. The city, however, does recognize that not all situations are the same. I know they are very sympathetic towards landlords who are stuck with destructive tenants and are working on finding solutions.

The city is very willing to help anyone who needs help. One audience member last night talked about the difficulty she is having with her rental property. She can no longer afford to maintain it, can't sell it, and was unable to get any assistance from HUD. As soon as she finished speaking, someone from the Health Department sat down with her, got her contact information, and started the process of finding a solution. Mayoral Aide Geraldo Reyes sat down with her next to talk about how he can help.

There was one new initiative announced that received a vigorous round of applause. As most everyone in Waterbury has noticed, the Republican-American has started posting the names and addresses of property owners cited for blight violations by the Health Department. The majority of the property owners live outside Waterbury. This is a huge frustration for those of us who live in the WOW neighborhood. We get blamed for the blighted conditions here, but many of the problems are caused by absentee landlords. What makes it particularly frustrating is that we in the neighborhood have no way of reaching those out-of-town property owners, no way to talk to them about doing a better job of maintaining their property, no way to tell them to clean up, but we are still blamed by the rest of the city for their blight no matter how clean our own properties might be (and, as Bonnie Orintas noted, the WOW neighborhood has some of the city's most beautiful and best-maintained properties).

At last night's meeting, Roseann Wright, Director of the Health Department, announced that they are now sending press releases about out-of-town owners of blighted properties to their local newspapers. This was loudly applauded. Here is a sample press release that was distributed last night:

Paul Guidone presented a Facility Improvement Plan for Walsh School. The plan includes a long list of short-term renovations to be completed before the new school year starts in the fall, including recaulking windows and building exterior joints, reconstructing the front entrance sidewalk, installing security cameras and a new fence, and cutting back overgrown trees and shrubs. The long-term plan is short, but is mainly major renovations and expansions. The Walsh School Facility Improvement Plan is a perfect example of where we are: everything on the list should have been done already, which is frustrating; but I am so pleased that is going to happen now. Waterbury is finally moving in the right direction.

Last, but not least, a delicious pasta dinner was served at the end of the meeting by the PAL organization.

Snow Monsters Return!

I was hoping the snow would lead to some more creativity at MD Auto on North Main Street, and it has. Yay!

Here are this year's first snow creatures.

This one is, sadly, damaged. Someone kicked him in the jaw.

I have not yet met the artist (MD Auto was closed when I went by today), but the Rep-Am reported last year that Harold Figueroa is the inspired genius.

Here's a couple of the snow/paint sculptures from last winter: late December,  mid January and late January. Each one is more complex and "finished" than the last.

Winter Critters

So much for not having anything to blog about. The snow day must be inspiring me.

 The birds are all busy at the feeders. Same crowd as usual. Sparrows, chickadees, cardinals, nuthatches, woodpeckers, and juncos.

Then there are the cats. For some reason, we've been invaded by stray cats. First there was the Cute Black Cat (CBC).

He's adorable. Started showing up at the window when we called for the cat who is supposed to come when called. CBC didn't care that we weren't calling him, he wanted in on the action. Normally I don't feed stray cats, but this one was very persistent. After a couple days of food and water, he started looking better. He figured out how to get into the garage and has been sleeping on the soft top of my car.

CBC hasn't been on the front porch asking for food in several days. He has been replaced by Straggly Kitten. Straggly is a mess. He looks awful. He has trouble using his mouth for eating and drinking. He has a large bald spot on his tail. The first night he appeared, his belly looked unnaturally swollen. His fur was messy, sticking out in all different directions, and filthy. He looks better now.

He keeps trying to run inside the house, but I already have five indoor cats and I'm not going to allow an unneutered, potentially diseased cat inside (especially since one of my older cats is suffering with a bad tooth problem right now).

Luckily for Straggly K, there is a cat shelter on the front porch. I have lined the sides with blankets and made a cozy nest for him. He's been guzzling down all the warm water we bring him, and filling his stomach with food. I picked him up yesterday and realized he is nothing but skin and bones--his belly no longer looks distended, so it may have been just from starvation, not disease. The missing fur could be from flea-related over grooming.

I can't afford to take stray cats to a regular vet (can't afford to take my indoor cats to the regular vet!), but the H.O.P.E. Spay/Neuter Clinic has very affordable rates for neutering and vaccinating. Even better would be if one of my readers wants to adopt him (hint, hint).

Upcoming Events

I have not been doing much blogging lately, probably because it's winter and I'd prefer to hibernate or relocate to someplace warm and sunny. I've tried to think of interesting topics to write about, but nothing has really gripped me--and been a quick write. I've been busy with a backlog of freelance work which I still haven't caught up on (ye editor of The Observer has begun to nag), so there's not much time for blogging.

While I still don't have anything interesting and quick for the blog, I figured I could do a filler post listing a few upcoming events that are likely to be blog subjects.

WOW Community Meeting
Tuesday, January 24, 6:30 p.m. at Walsh School
Held at the request of Mayor O'Leary, the meeting will inform students and parents in the WOW (Walnut-Orange-Walsh) neighborhood, as well as the school's faculty and staff, of the status of improvements completed and planned for the school and the surrounding neighborhood. The public is encouraged to attend.

"The Future of Our Downtown Green" Community Forum
Wednesday, January 25, 6:30-8:30 p.m. at the Mattatuck Museum
A public meeting to discuss ideas for the Green, part of a grant-funded study.

WOW/NRZ Youth Council's 9th Annual Black History Celebration
Wednesday, February 1, 6:00 p.m. at the WOW/NRZ Community Learning Center
This year's theme is "Celebrating a Rich Heritage" and features a host of distinguished speakers and guests.

Blight Update

I attended a meeting this morning at City Hall convened by Mayor O'Leary with representatives from key city departments, Board of Education, Board of Aldermen, WDC and community leaders. The topic: Blight.

When the Republican-American first reported that there was interest in relocating the Walsh School students to the new Jonathan Reed School, I was not happy. While I absolutely agreed that the Walsh students should have the best educational facilities, I was horrified at the concept of abandoning the school. If a neighborhood is blighted and the city decides to give up on it, the neighborhood will become a war zone/slum/ghetto/whatever you want to call it. Closing the school will make the neighborhood worse. Yes, the students would be attending school in a new building, but they would still be living in the old, blighted neighborhood, which would disintegrate rapidly. If the neighborhood blight is a problem for the school and the students, the only solution is to clean up the blight. If the school building needs repairs and upgrades, make that happen too.

I was very happy to read yesterday's article, in which the Mayor and the School Superintendent both supported improving the neighborhood and the school, rather than giving up on them.

The meeting this morning was the first of many. I wasn't sure what to expect. I've grown accustomed to city meetings in which everyone sits around debating what to do, complains about the problems, and then nothing ever gets done. This was not that sort of meeting. This is not that sort of Mayor.

Mayor O'Leary made it very clear that it is time for change, time to change the culture, time to change the tactics, time to change the attitude. He expects everyone, city employees and city residents, to roll up their sleeves and work their hardest to turn this city around. As he said, when you walk through neighborhoods like the one surrounding Walsh School, you can feel overwhelmed by the problems and not know where to start. I'd say, based on today's meeting, he's going to take on all the problems at once, building a strong team of people to make it happen.

He has encouraged everyone to be creative with their solutions and to be willing to try new things. He wants to end the culture of negativity, of people saying things can't be done, that problems can't be solved. He asked each department head present to come up with some specifics on improving the city's response to the blight problem, and he asked the community leaders present to make sure the residents do their part as well. He made it pretty clear that he expects everyone to work hard, find positive solutions, and give it all they've got. Leadership in action!

I don't want to sound like I'm back in campaign mode (I'm not), but this was a great meeting.  During the campaign, every so often someone would ask me if O'Leary really was going to follow through on his promises to clean up blight, etc. It's not going to happen overnight, but it's pretty obvious to me that this city is about to get a whole lot better.

Midnight Oath of Office

Although the public, full Inauguration will be held on Friday, our new Mayor took the Oath of Office at 12:01 a.m. on Thursday, December 1 to ensure a seamless transition of power for the new administration. Also sworn in tonight were the Town Clerk, City Clerk and Corporation Counsel.

There's been some confusion about the two swearing-in ceremonies. Tonight's was held for practical reasons. For example, if the Town Clerk had not been sworn in tonight, it is conceivable that the validity of any birth certificates or other documents she is responsible for could be called into question.

Friday night's Inauguration is a full-length event, held at a time that will be vastly more convenient for the general public.

There were a fair number of people invited to tonight's event who were able to stay up that late (I'm starting to feel old, getting tired so early!). The Waterbury Observer took photographs, and the Republican-American took photographs and video. Here's a few of the photos I took.

First up, everyone waiting for midnight.... It reminded me of when I was a little girl and thought that staying up until midnight was incredibly momentous. I wonder how the Mayor's daughter will remember this night.

Mayor-Elect O'Leary being greeted by his daughter.

Mayor Bergin, who has shared some amazing stories of past campaigns.

The Mayor's swearing-in was conducted in the Aldermanic Chambers. The Oath of Office was administered by Senior Justice William J. "Taco" Sullivan.

Mayor O'Leary!

Inauguration on Friday

For the first time in a decade, a new Mayor will be inaugurated in Waterbury this week. The public ceremony will be held on Friday, December 2. The event is free and open to the public. After the ceremony is over, I recommend trying one of our great downtown restaurants. I've includes links to most of them below the invitation (I couldn't find websites for all of them, and I've left out eateries that are not open for dinner).

East Main Street
City Hall Cafe
Golden Wok II
Louie's Pizza House
Zachary's Pizza House

South Main Street
El Americano Restaurant

Bank Street
Churrascaria Braza Brazilian Bar & Grill
Diorio's Restaurant & Bar

Leavenworth Street
Drescher's Restaurant
Signature's Restaurant

West Main Street
La Cazuela Restaurant & Lounge

Robert Wakeman Hill

In the years that I have been working with Waterbury's history, I have repeatedly come across references to an architect named Robert Wakeman Hill. He usually is overshadowed by later Waterbury architects, and I haven't felt like I was very familiar with his work. Some of his better-known buildings were destroyed long ago, while many others simply aren't recognized as being his work.

Earlier this year, I started researching Hill for the Waterbury Hall of Fame. I also put together a slideshow of his buildings for the Induction Ceremony which was held recently. Since then, I have been working on putting together this blog post and have found a few more buildings which I believe he designed. I have included buildings outside Waterbury as well.

Hill was active in Waterbury beginning during the Civil War and continued working until the early 20th century. For a time, he was one of only two architects in Waterbury. He designed buildings when Waterbury was first growing into a city. His buildings were located in what was then the core of the city, primarily downtown, the South End, Brooklyn, North Square and Hillside. As the city development spread outward in the 20th century, the older neighborhoods were neglected. Several of the R.W. Hill buildings that survive in Waterbury are in poor condition. Others have been demolished or drastically modified. I have including historic images when possible to show what has been lost.

Robert Wakeman Hill, in Anderson's History of Waterbury

Documentation

Sometimes I still marvel at the wonders of the internet. The Republican-American supplemented their latest article about the Jarjura-Davino unemployment scandal in today's paper by putting the documents relating to the case online. Anyone can read them and come to their own conclusions.

Here's my understanding of the basic chronology of the case (with links to corresponding documents):

In April 2010, the Waterbury Police began investigating Joseph Davino after learning that he was using city workers on city time to do work for his vending machine business and to work on his home.

About two weeks later, at the end of April, Davino submitted his resignation letter, citing his father's health as the primary reason and his own health as a secondary reason. He submitted the resignation letter to Mayor Jarjura, not to Leo Frank at WDC. Davino was employed at WDC and paid with money given to WDC by the City.

Two weeks after that, on May 13, Davino was arrested. He was charged with second degree larceny and defrauding the city of Waterbury.

At some point after submitting his resignation letter, Davino applied for unemployment benefits. He was denied unemployment on August 10, 2010 on the grounds that he "voluntarily left suitable work without good cause attributable to the employer." His employer was determined to be WDC.

On October 13, 2010, Mayor Jarjura sent a letter to the Appeals Division stating that "the job in question was being eliminated. I so advised Mr. Davino and the position was in fact eliminated in the new budget."

Bear in mind that the new budget was submitted in June, after Davino resigned and was arrested.

Davino's unemployment appeal hearing was held on October 14, 2010. The day before, on October 13, Davino appeared before Judge Richard Damiani and was granted an accelerated rehabilitation program as "punishment" for his felony offense resulting from his criminal job performance. The felony charge was not erased from his record until a year later, after he completed his probation.

During his appeal hearing, it was determined that his job was going to be eliminated (based on Jarjura's letter) and that the "employer maintained no issues regarding the claimant's job performance." The document does not specify who that employer was. Was that employer Jarjura? Whoever it was, how can he justify stating that there were no issues with Davino's job performance? His job performance was so terrible, he was arrested and charged with a felony.

Because Jarjura submitted that letter, and because the Appeals Division was not informed of Davino's criminal job performance, he was granted unemployment benefits of just over $500 a week. Thanks to the recession, Davino will have mostly likely qualified for 99 weeks of unemployment, a total of about $50,000.

At last night's Board of Aldermen hearing, city attorney Craig Sullivan insisted at great length that the Board of Aldermen have no legal right to discuss the documents now available online. He based this on the ground that Davino had been an employee of WDC, not of the City of Waterbury. Which, in my mind, raises a big question, or maybe draws attention to a contradiction. If the Mayor of Waterbury had the authority to intervene on Davino's behalf to help him get unemployment, why doesn't the Board of Aldermen have the authority to decide if that intervention was appropriate?

I find it very disturbing that the city's lawyer is trying to prevent the Board of Aldermen from investigating possible cronyism on the part of the Mayor.  If the Board of Aldermen can't look into possible political corruption on the part of the Mayor, who can?

Another question--where is Larry DePillo in all this? He's being very quiet for a watchdog always on the lookout for corruption and waste.

It may not matter in the end. Democrat candidate for Aldermen Greg Hadley alerted the Department of Labor to the situation last week after the Republican-American published the story about Jarjura helping Davino get his unemployment. If the Department of Labor looks into this and finds a problem, well, they are the ultimate authority in this situation, and they certainly can't be accused of being politically motivated.

Not a Whisper...

Maybe it's more of a shout. Ever since announcing his bid to become the first Republican to be elected Mayor of Waterbury since Giordano, Mike Jarjura has repeatedly stated that there has not been "a whisper of impropriety" about his administration. I guess he has selective memory.

Remember how he gave Ken Skov a sweetheart pension deal in which Skov earned 2 years of benefits for every 1 year he worked? Turns out that was nothing compared to what he did for his friend Joe Davino (who is his near-constant companion on the campaign trail).

After Davino lost his job at the Waterbury Housing Authority, Jarjura put him in charge of cleaning up blight in Waterbury. Davino chose to resign from that job shortly before he was arrested for defrauding the city of Waterbury and committing second degree larceny. He was found using city workers on city time for his own personal activities on more than 80 occasions. He never had to make restitution to the city, and he never had to serve any time--because Jarjura spoke before the judge and asked for leniency. If that's not improper, I don't know what is.

Today the other shoe dropped. The Republican-American published a stunning article. Jarjura actually admitted to reporter Penny Overton that he personally made sure that Davino would be able to collect unemployment benefits, even though Davino chose to resign from his job. You don't qualify for unemployment if you quit. No wonder Jarjura has refused to replace him, even though the city is drowning in blight, and we desperately need someone to take charge and get it under control. Since Davino quit his job, Jarjura has been decreasing the size of the department. I haven't understood that, but I get it now. Jarjura lied to the Department of Labor. The only way he could cover up the lie was to start eliminating positions in the blight department.

Ironically, Jarjura's latest print advertisement boldly declares that "It Was Corruption That Raised Your Taxes." Okay, let's talk corruption. The Mayor gave his friend a city job. When the Mayor found out his friend stole from the city, he protected him as much as he could, and defended him before the judge. Meanwhile, the Mayor lied to the State Department of Labor to guarantee that his friend could claim unemployment benefits. To cover up the lie, the Mayor eliminated his friend's job from the city budget. Never mind that it's a vital job for the health of the city. The Mayor decided that covering up his lie and shielding his friend from justice was more important. He abused his power as Mayor to aid a criminal.

Jarjura wants to talk about corruption. Okay, let's talk. This is a clear case of cronyism, which is political corruption. Davino stole from the taxpayers while he had the blight job, now he's stealing from the taxpayers even though he quit the job. And Jarjura made it all happen.

This is the same Mayor who spent his first four or five years in office making money off a whorehouse later connected to human trafficking. The same Mayor who is currently making money bringing economic development to Middlebury, not Waterbury. If he or his friends can profit, he doesn't care about laws or the taxpayers he is supposed to represent. It's no wonder he was willing to defend someone who stole from the city and then was willing to lie to the state and cover up the lie by eliminating a vital position so that same criminal could collect unemployment.

Do we really want two more years of this?

Why I Support O'Leary for Mayor

Before this summer, I did not know Neil O’Leary very well. I had seen him at downtown events a few times when he was Police Chief, and I had read about him in the newspaper. When NBC’s Dateline aired their special about Donna Palomba, I watched and was deeply moved by what O’Leary said. I could tell he genuinely cared about helping and about doing the right thing. He was compassionate but also determined to pursue the case. He did the right thing for no reason other than it was the right thing to do.

Neil O'Leary and Donna Palomba, 2011

I went to the launch of his campaign in February and was impressed first by the incredibly large number of people in attendance and second by his speech. I remained on the fence, because some of my specific concerns weren’t yet addressed. In particular, I wondered if he had a clear vision for the city’s future, if he cared about helping improve the quality of life in all of the city’s neighborhoods.

The turning point for me came this spring. After attending the WOW/Scovill Homes Community meeting in May, O’Leary contacted me for a sort of walking meeting. I took him on a tour of the problems at the Scovill Homes, and he took me on a tour of the PAL. By the end of the tours, I was an O’Leary supporter. Here’s why:

• When we walked through the Scovill Homes area, he didn’t just say “wow, that’s terrible, something should be done.” He came up with three or four possible solutions that could be implemented swiftly, efficiently and effectively.

• He listened to my ideas about what to do, and he treated my ideas with as much respect as his own.

• He showed genuine concern and respect for the people who live in my neighborhood, and sincerely expressed the belief that no child should have to grow up surrounded by blight and decay.

Neil being interviewed for Albanian tv RTV 21.

• PAL. This is one of the most overlooked, underappreciated programs in the city. I wish everyone could take a tour of the facilities and see what’s going on there.

- Using existing buildings, the PAL center has a strong educational component. It’s not a Police Athletic League, it’s a Police Activities League, and there’s a reason for that. They do way more than just sports.

- They are turning a blighted neighborhood and brownfield into a clean neighborhood and park.

- The neighborhood used to be one of the highest crime areas in the city, now it’s a safe place for children.

Aerial view and map of PAL neighborhood.

- Since the PAL program started, juvenile crime has dropped more than 50% in Waterbury.

- Instead of seeing police officers as enemies, the children in the program see them as mentors, which they are.

- The program helps kids who need help the most. 80% of the PAL members come from low income households—low income meaning less than $12,000 per year for many of these households. I can’t even imagine trying to raise a family in Waterbury with $12,000 a year. There are so many opportunities that children growing up in poverty simply don’t have. Even something as basic as a computer—or three meals a day. Thanks to PAL, these kids are getting those opportunities. “Today’s Youth, Tomorrow’s Leaders” is PAL’s motto.

- PAL has basically created a small campus similar to those of private schools. Talk about amazing—thousands of kids growing up in poverty are being given an advantage that will help them succeed in life and break the cycle of poverty.

What Neil has been able to accomplish at PAL is something I would like to see happen everywhere in Waterbury. He took something that was a mess and turned it into a success.

Neil and PAL members helping seniors take care of their yards.

Neil O’Leary is a good person. He genuinely cares about other people, he wants to help people in need, and he has already proven himself to be successful in that.

Over the past few months, since joining the campaign team, I have been increasingly impressed with Neil’s leadership skills, determination and vision for the city of Waterbury. Ten years is a long time to be stuck with one Mayor—we have begun to stagnate. It is time for new leadership, for fresh eyes, for renewed vigor. Neil O’Leary has a remarkable ability to bring people together, to motivate them, to inspire them, and to keep them working well as a team. He makes sure everyone knows their efforts are appreciated. He knows how to find solutions to problems, how to think outside the box, how to run a successful business. He has done great things as a police officer, as a police chief and as a private citizen. As Mayor, he will do great things for Waterbury.

Neil with Aldermanic candidates Greg Hadley and Anne Phelan,
CT Speaker of the House Chris Donovan and Congressman Chris Murphy.

Blight Revisited

If you haven't figured it out by now, I am greatly frustrated by the blight that plagues our city. We're drowning in blight, and the city seems incapable of solving the problem.

This isn't a new problem. Go back to the Waterbury Observer from 1997 and you'll see a full-page advertisement with a photo of a blighted building being demolished--along with Phil Giordano's campaign slogans "Promises Made, Promises Kept" and "Leadership You Can Trust," and the boast that "70 houses have come down under the Giordano Administration."

(On a side note, from a purely political campaign perspective, it's interesting the way the word "trust" gets used. Giordano's ad put heavy emphasis on his being a "trusted leader." Today's Rep-Am included a letter written by a Jarjura supporter putting heavy emphasis on Jarjura being a Mayor he can trust.)

Jarjura's track record in dealing with the blight problem is miserable.

In 2004 Jarjura gave his good friend Joe Davino one of the most important jobs in the city, putting him in charge of cleaning up blight in Waterbury (after Davino abruptly lost his job with the Waterbury Housing Authority). The situation was as "loosey-goosey" (to use Jarjura's own words) as it gets. In fact, Jarjura himself described Davino's working arrangement as "loose" (Rep-Am, May 6, 2010). When the investigation was complete, it was proved that Davino was guilty of defrauding the city of Waterbury and committing second-degree larceny. Specifically, instead of having his crew work on cleaning up blight in the city, he had them stock his private vending machines and work on his house. Mayor Jarjura spoke on his behalf and asked the judge to be lenient.

In that same article, Jarjura apparently "thought nothing of giving him permission to take time off during the week when things were slow" -- seriously??? Slow??? In a city that is drowning in blight, when can there possibly be slow times?

So there you have Jarjura's "leadership" in dealing with blight for 6 of his years as Mayor. He put one of his closest friends in charge of the problem, not because he was qualified but because he was an old friend, and thought it was perfectly okay for him to be "loose" about the job.

After the Davino scandal wrapped up, Jarjura decided to reduce funding for fighting blight from the city budget. His proposed city budget, announced in March 2011, would have reduced the blight team from 4 full time and 4 seasonal workers to just the 4 full time workers (the previous year there were 8 seasonal workers--see Rep-Am, March 31, 2011).

Most recently, Jarjura decided to bond $1 million for tearing down blighted buildings. You know what happens when you tear down blighted buildings? You get blighted empty lots.

Here is an example of what happens. This is the corner of Walnut and Wood Streets. Several buildings were torn down by the city, and then the city walked away. The lot is full of weeds and litter, and the sidewalk is full of weeds and litter.

Here's a different section of sidewalk on Wood Street. Mayor Jarjura walked up Wood Street this summer--he walked in the street because the sidewalks are unusable. Nothing has happened to fix the problem, even though he has now seen it with his own eyes. Tell me again about how there were "slow" weeks for Joe Davino and his blight crew, and I will gladly show you again that there is more than enough blight to keep a crew of 20 working nonstop.

Here's another example I've blogged about before: this building on the corner of Walnut and Wood Street is blighted, there's a giant hole in the sidewalk large enough for a person to fall down, and the intersection is a school bus stop. Mayor Jarjura stood in front of this building this summer and declared that it needs to come down. It's still standing.

Here's a "good" one. This building partially collapsed in January. Now it is October, and the mess is still making the sidewalk unusable.

What possible excuse is there for ignoring this?

There's another aspect to blight in Waterbury. The preceding blight is largely due to abandoned property. But there are also blighted properties whose owners are active in Waterbury and are not being held accountable for maintaining their buildings.

The Rep-Am recently published a story about the former Bristol Company factory, which is owned by Norman Drubner and is severely blighted. Drubner is also at least partly responsible for some of the most blighted eyesores in downtown Waterbury. He may not own them, but his name is the one prominently featured on them.

Let's start with South Main Street. Here's a building viewed by thousands of people going to shows at the Palace Theater. It's dragging down the entire block.

At street level, it's hideous. It reminds me of some of the scarier-looking parts of Bridgeport.

Over on the Bank Street side, things are slightly better, but not great.

The building is crumbling apart.

Graffiti on the front door. Who would want to buy or lease something that looks like this?

And then there's the former Jimmie's Restaurant, on the corner opposite City Hall. Jarjura must see this every day that he goes to work for the city. How can he stand to look at it every day?

Drubner may not own this building, but surely he could do something to make the restaurant entrance more appealing. If it weren't for the efforts of Main Street Waterbury, it would look even worse.

Where is Mayor Jarjura's leadership on blight? Norman Drubner has allowed blighted buildings to remain blighted. Jarjura wants the city to give Drubner nearly $2 million for his open space property. How about getting Drubner to commit to using the money to fix up blighted buildings? Better yet, how about requiring that Drubner fix up any blighted building he owns before the city gives him any money.

UPDATE 10/12: Sometimes I write blog posts because I'm upset about something. This was definitely one of those posts. I've seen the same blight day after day for years. It's very frustrating. In fairness, maybe the building owners can't afford to do any repairs. Maybe Drubner isn't involved enough to help out. That's when I would expect to see leadership from the Mayor. There are a lot of different ways in which a city can help in these situations. Jarjura has shown little interest. Imagine if Jarjura had made the renovation of blighted downtown buildings a top priority. For that matter, imagine if, instead of developing property in Middlebury, he and his partners had chosen to invest in rehabbing our historic downtown buildings? Other cities have made it happen: why not Waterbury?

Voter F.A.Q.

Here are some answers to questions I've had in the past, and to questions I know other people have had. Let me know if you have questions I've missed, and I will try to find the answers.

Am I eligible to vote?

To be eligible to vote in Waterbury, you must be:

• A U.S. citizen

• A resident of Waterbury

• At least 18 years old by Election Day (November 8, 2011)

• Completed with confinement and parole if previously convicted of a felony and have had your voting rights restored.

How do I register to vote?

You must complete and return the State of Connecticut Voter Registration Form, which can be downloaded from the Waterbury Registrar’s webpage.

What is the deadline for registering to vote?
This year (2011), you have until October 25 to register by mail. You have until November 1 to register in person at the office of the Registrar of Voters.

Who is the Registrar of Voters?

Waterbury has two Registrars. Patricia Mulhall is the Democratic Registrar. Timothy DeCarlo is the Republican Registrar. Their office can be reached at (203) 574-6751.

The Registrars of Voters are responsible for conducting elections, primaries and special elections and maintaining accurate voter records. Other activities include redistricting, canvassing and registering voters, having special voting sessions and conducting registration sessions at high schools.

Where do I go to vote?

Your polling location (where you vote) is assigned based on your home address which you gave when you registered. If you have moved, but haven’t updated your information with the Registrar of Voters, your polling location will be based on your address when you registered.

You can look up your voting location online at http://www.dir.ct.gov/sots/LookUp.aspx

When do I vote?

Elections are held on the second Tuesday in November. This year (2011), Election Day is November 8. The polls open at 6 a.m. and stay open until 8 p.m.

What do I bring with me when I vote?

You will need to bring some form of identification. Acceptable forms of ID at the polling place are:

• Driver’s license or other current and valid photo ID showing your name and address

• Any other preprinted form of identification that shows your name and address, such as a current utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck or other government document that shows your name and address.

For more information, please visit http://www.sots.ct.gov/sots/cwp/view.asp?a=3679&q=432116

Can I use an absentee ballot?

You may vote by absentee ballot if you are ill; physically disabled; serving in the military; those who will be out of town on election day; those providing service as poll worker in polling places other than their own; or those whose religion forbids secular activity on election day.

To obtain an absentee ballot, call the Registrar of Voters at (203) 574-6751.

How do I get a ride to the polls?

Campaign volunteers are happy to give you a free ride to your voting location. The Democrats can be reached at (203) 753-6345. You do not have to be registered as a Democrat to call.

(Full disclosure: I am a Democrat, active in the campaign, which is why I have that phone number. I do not know what numbers the other parties are using for rides to the polls, but I am sure they will publicize them before the election.)

What is the ballot like?

In Connecticut, voting is done by filling in an oval for the candidate with a black marker. When the ballot is completed, it is fed into a computer scanning machine.

Each slate of candidates is presented in a row. Because the current Governor is a Democrat, the local Democrat candidates are on Row A (in previous years they were on Row B because the Governor was a Republican).

You may select one candidate each for Mayor, Town Clerk, City Clerk and City Sheriff.

You may select any nine candidates for Board of Aldermen.

You may select any three candidates for Board of Education.

You can vote for more than one candidate per column for Board of Aldermen and Board of Education, so long as you do not vote for more than nine total candidates for Board of Aldermen and no more than three total candidates for Board of Education.

Why should I vote?

Local elections have a direct impact on your quality of life. The local government is responsible for the taxes you pay on your car and home, they are responsible for the local public schools, parks, sidewalks and streets, water and sewer services, public safety and winter plowing.

It has been my experience that city officials pay more attention to districts with high voter turnout, especially during campaign season (every other year in Waterbury).  

How do I find out more about the candidates?

Biographies of all the Democrat candidates are available online at olearyformayor.com

Short resumes of the Republican candidates are available online at mikejarjura.com
Information about the Independent candidates is online at ipwtc.com

Profiles of candidates from all three parties will be available from the Republican-American at http://rep-am.com/elections/

The Waterbury Observer has conducted two-hour interviews with each of the three Mayoral candidates and will be publishing the transcripts online soon.

What does a Mayor do?

The Mayor is the chief executive officer of the City. The Mayor is responsible for the City Budget, the good order and efficient government of the City, appointing department heads and members of specific boards and commissions, and other duties as described in the City Charter. The Mayor reports to the Board of Aldermen on the condition of the City in relation to government, finances, public improvements and other issues.

The Democrat candidate for Mayor is Neil O'Leary.
The Republican candidate for Mayor is Michael Jarjura.
The Independent candidate for Mayor is Larry DePillo.

What does a Town Clerk do?

The Waterbury Town Clerk, currently Democrat Antoinette “Chick” Spinelli, is responsible for recording and indexing land records; issuing and recording vital records such as marriage licenses, birth certificates, burial permits and dog licenses; recording military discharges; keeping notary, justice of the peace and campaign finance records; issuing absentee ballots and preparing state election reports.

The Town Clerk’s office, located on the first floor of City Hall, is open Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

What does a City Clerk do?

The City Clerk, currently Democrat Michael J. Dalton, is the keeper of records for all Municipal Boards and Commissions; receives all correspondence for most Municipal Boards and Commissions; is the public service agency to allow access to records of all Municipal Boards and Commissions; and is the recipient of all claims and writs served on the City.

The City Clerk makes available copies of the City Charter, Operating Budget, Capital Budget, Three Year Financial Plan, Labor Contracts and other documents.

The City Clerk’s office is open Monday through Friday, 8:50 a.m. to 4:50 p.m.

What does a City Sheriff do?

The City Sheriff, currently Democrat Stephen M. Conway, is responsible for directing public speaking at meeting of the Board of Aldermen and other Municipal Boards when requested; serves violations for many city departments such as the Health Department, Building Department and City Planning; and serves expulsions for the Board of Education.

What does the Board of Aldermen do?

There are 15 aldermen for the City of Waterbury, elected in odd years. They are the legislative body of the City Government. No more than 9 members shall be of one political party.

The Board of Aldermen derive their authority from the City Charter and the Connecticut State Statutes. The Board of Aldermen can modify the city budget as submitted by the Mayor, have the power to investigate all departments, officers and employees; oversee and adopt legislation pertaining to the finances of the City; provide for public works; and other powers as detailed in the City Charter.

The Board of Aldermen meets the first Monday after the first and third Thursdays at 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted.

What does the Board of Education do?

There are 10 Commissioners on the Board of Education, serving four-year terms. Their terms are staggered so that there are always some veteran members on the Board following each election. No more than 6 members shall be of one political party. Five members are elected every two years. No more than three candidates from each party can be on the ballot.

The Board of Education appoints and evaluates a Superintendent of Schools, determines the number of principals, assistants and teachers to be employed and their salaries, is responsible for the construction and repair of all school buildings, and submits an annual Operating and Capital Budget to the Mayor.

Sublime Sky

Last night's sunset was spectacular, and it included a rainbow. I spotted the rainbow after I pulled into the Walmart/Stop & Shop plaza.

I was all excited about the rainbow. Then I turned around and saw an amazing cloud/light formation.

By the time I came out of the grocery store, the sky had turned a deep pinks and purples.

Unemployment Rate

Here's another one of my updates on the Waterbury unemployment rate. Guess what? We're still number one--in the bad way, not the good way. Waterbury continues to have the highest unemployment rate in Connecticut, ten years in a row. Why? I'm not sure. Our mill rate certainly doesn't help entice employers to stay or move here. You can't really blame the loss of the brass industry--that's old news from 30+ years ago, and it's something we recovered from (in terms of unemployment figures--the psychological impact lingers on). We were doing well during the late '90s. So what happened in 2001 to drag us down, and why haven't we recovered since then?

Here are the latest figures. Did you know that job hunters are being told to not even bother looking in the Waterbury area?

Connecticut Statewide Unemployment Rate
2010 Annual: 9.1%
January 2011: 9.6%
July 2011: 9.2%

Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk Metro Area Unemployment Rate
2010 Annual: 8.5%
January 2011: 8.9%
July 2011: 8.5%

Danbury Metro Area Unemployment Rate
2010 Annual: 7.7%
January 2011: 8.0%
July 2011: 7.4%

Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford Metro Area Unemployment Rate
2010 Annual: 9.2%
January 2011: 9.6%
July 2011: 9.3%

New Haven Metro Area Unemployment Rate
2010 Annual: 9.3%
January 2011: 10.0%
July 2011: 9.7%

Norwich-New London Metro Area Unemployment Rate
2010 Annual: 8.8%
January 2011: 9.4%
July 2011: 8.8%

Waterbury Metro Area Unemployment Rate
2010 Annual: 12.1%
January 2011: 12.8%
July 2011: 11.8%


Figures for July are preliminary, except for the statewide figure. All data is taken from the Bureau of Labor Statistics website.