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October 25, 2005

Lawn Sign Wars

Growing up in suburban Hamden, the night before Halloween was "doorbell night." They called it "mischief night" everywhere else. Same idea.

Along with ringing doorbells and running away, the evening usually featured acts of minor vandalism committed with soap, shaving cream, eggs, magic markers and toilet paper. The father of one particularly unpopular kid used to spend the evening standing in the driveway wearing a yellow raincoat, hose in hand, protecting his home and car.

He was able to fend off the soap and toilet paper, but eggs would rain down mercilessly out of the dark.

Doorbell Night was an outgrowth of the "trick" component of Halloween: My mother tells me her generation simply made mischief on anybody dumb enough not to give out candy.

My generation needed a whole night just for the tricks, and we were indiscriminate.

I gave up Doorbell Night when I hit that point in my teens when looking all doe-eyed and innocent at the nice police officer was no longer a reliable strategy for getting him to overlook the half-carton of eggs in my hand.

I miss the tradition, and my brother and I have -- over beers -- on occasion discussed reviving it. But the stakes are too high these days. And, let’s face it: At 35 I’ve almost outgrown it.

Apparently, though, lots of otherwise grown-up people have not.

A variation of this has become a time-honored tradition in the region's communities in the weeks leading up to municipal elections.

I speak, of course, of the Lawn Sign Wars, and they’re in full swing this year — writ large.

In Seymour, Democratic Selectman Jeanne Loda is offering a $500 reward for anybody who provides information leading to the arrest of whoever vandalized her campaign billboard on Route 67.

The guilty party put an 'X' over Loda’s face and scrawled the word "liar" underneath.

Can’t really blame Loda for having her panties all up in a bunch after spending four figures on an advertisement that now makes a solid case for her opponent.

But one wonders if she's secretly salivating at the prospect that the reward might ferret out an agent of her archrival, First Selectman Robert Koskelowski, at whom she has sniped relentlessly in the political arena over the last few years?

For his part, Koskelowski denies involvement but has offered to pay half the cost to replace it (which has the added bonus of making him look like a model of magnanimity in the process).

Without actually uttering the words "poor sport," Koskelowsky points out that his lawn signs have been vandalized in the past, but hasn’t bothered to report them to police, much less offer a reward.

If all this rings a familiar note, it's because it essentially happens every year.

Last year, Milford's Gayle Slossberg worked up a lather during her successful run for state Senate, claiming some of her signs had been stolen from supporters' yards and dumped at a synagogue. Democrat Slossberg, who is Jewish, left it to her campaign manager to suggest a hate crime had occurred.

Republican incumbent state Sen. Win Smith Jr. staked his own lawn-sign claim, alleging some 200 of his campaign's lawn signs had been swiped.

Claims such as these have become so commonplace that newspapers rarely bother to report them unless there's some unusual twist.

Like this one: In 2001, former Bridgeport Schools Supt. Sonia Diaz Salcedo and her husband, Sylvester, squabbled publicly over a lawn sign he’d erected in their Black Rock frontyard.

And Milford politicians have been in an ongoing dispute over whether political lawn signs are included in the city's efforts to ban everything not specifically endorsed by Bishop Jay Ramirez's Kingdom Life Church.

Posted by edcrowder on 7:46 PM | Comments (1373)

October 7, 2005

On vacation

No, I haven't given up on blogging. I'll be away until Oct. 18. Be good.

Posted by edcrowder on 4:39 PM | Comments (1314)

October 5, 2005

The Guilty Party

I won't make it my practice to promote political candidates in this space. But this one happens to be a friend of mine. She's running against New Haven Mayor John DeStefano under the Guilty Party banner. You might remember Guilty Party founder, artist/musician Bill Saunders, running for mayor in a red wig and a polka-dot miniskirt a few years back. But just because they're having fun doesn't mean they're not serious about taking on the establishment. And their plight illustrates how the political deck is stacked against third-party candidates, serious or satirical.

This is the first time I can ever recall a reference to Franz Kafka in a press release.

For Immediate Release

For additional information, call / email Bill Saunders or Nancy Shea (guiltyparty@snet.net / 203-782-9304)

The Guilty Party is hopeful that John DestefaNO will be able to straighten out the mess in at least one government office in Hartford.

When the New Haven City Clerk recently forwarded the list of candidates for the November election to the Secretary of State’s office, it included Leslie Harper Blatteau, the Guilty Party candidate for mayor of New Haven. However, Ted Bromley, an attorney with the Secretary of State’s office, has advised to City to keep Blatteau off the ballot.

The Guilty Party is calling on Secretary of State Susan Bysziewicz, Mayor John DeStefaNO and Governor M. Jodi Rell to evaluate the process that squashes ballot access and limits the rights of ordinary citizens to participate in the political process.

"Bromley is just doing his job," said Guilty Party Head William Saunders. "That job is to stifle the political rights of Connecticut's citizens. It is up to the Secretary of State, New Haven Mayor and the Governor to step up and say whether they support true participatory democracy or not."

The elections office claims The Guilty Party failed to file an incidental document by a deadline that does not appear to exist under state law. Bromley cannot even agree with himself on what that deadline might actually be, having offered suggestions of three different dates in various communications with the Party.

"Franz Kafka couldn't make this nonsense up," said Blatteau’s campaign manager Nancy Shea. "The state insists we file a piece of paper stating The Guilty Party Nominating Committee has no rules, on the basis of a rule that doesn't seem to exist."

The Guilty Party has fielded candidates for New Haven mayor in the last two municipal elections, taking 15 percent of the vote against John DeStefaNO in 2003.

The Guilty Party was formed in 2001 as an objection the one-party monopoly on political power in New Haven. Since then it has risen to the level of minor party status under state law, qualifying it to field candidates for mayor. It is fully compliant with all state regulations governing minor party political activity in New Haven.

Saunders said the Party nominating committee will meet after the election and set rules for its operations.

"Rule number one will be to never tell the state what our rules are," Saunders said.

Posted by edcrowder on 12:50 PM | Comments (1930)

October 4, 2005

Best. Press. Release. Ever.

Will update with real entry soon. But for now, I offer the following press release from country singer Chris Cagle for your consideration. For further updates, stay tuned.

To All My Loyal Music Fans:

As many of you are aware, I had been anxiously awaiting the addition of a new baby to my life. The baby has been born and both mother and child are in good health. Since the birth, however, we have discovered that biologically, the child is not mine.

As excited as I was about becoming a new father, my disappointment is equally as strong. So out of respect for all that are involved, please allow this situation to remain private and know that I will not be commenting further on this very personal matter. I'm thanking you in advance for your kind cooperation and understanding."

Chris Cagle

Posted by edcrowder on 5:16 PM | Comments (5148)