Democracy for CT - Latest Events

Veterans for Peace Memorial Day Parade
May 26, 2008 (10:00 am - 10:00 am)
(Special Events)
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5/19 Hartwell Convention Party and 5/17 Jim Himes Party

AN UNCONVENTIONAL CONVENTION

Live music - food - drinks - fun - and progressive conversation!

The Democratic Nominating Convention for John Hartwell will be held at Trackside in Wilton on Monday, May 19th starting at 7:PM. Trackside is right next to the Wilton Train Station.

Be sure to join John and his supporters as they let Republican Toni Bouchet know that THIS year district 26 will have a Democrat in the State Senate.

Everyone is welcome but the support of those in John's district (Westport, Wilton, Redding, Ridgefield, Bethel, New Canaan, Weston) would be really appreciated. For those of you who get off the train around 6:30 why not just drop by and see what's going on?

For the first time, Democrats have a candidate who is not only exceptionally well qualified but has an excellent chance of taking this Senate seat away from the Republicans. Remember that it is YOU that John will represent and you need to let him know what your concerns and ideas are so that he can do the best possible job for you.

You can find out more about John's campaign and his platform for change at johnhartwell2008 For more information call 203-401-8065

Coming soon! Be sure to look at thisWebsite on Wednesday (14th) to learn more about the lively discussions at May 7th MeetUp. Property and other taxes and how they are collected, used (and sometimes abused) were discussed in detail. Another important issue covered by our Speaker Profresor Fred Carstenson, was how the lack of a coherent Business plan for Connecticut is damaging the State's economy and what can be done to improve business growth - and therefore our tax base.

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Please join your friends and neighbors

at the home of Alison Conroy

Saturday May 17, 2008

7-9 pm

208 Chestnut Hill Road

Wilton, CT 06897

for

Cocktails and Conversation

With

JIM HIMES

Democratic Candidate for Congress

RSVP: Alison Conroy 203-762-7373 or

This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

 
Help Democrat John Hartwell take back Dictrict 26!

TAXES - THE SEQUEL!

We may all still be recovering from April 15th, the day we supposedly stop paying the government and start working for ourselves but it's never too early to start thinking about cutting down on Uncle Sam's cut of our income – and that means tax reform. So, if you want to hear some thoughts on the subject be sure to come to DFA'S next MeetUp at 7 PM on Wednesday, May 7th at the Silver Star Diner in Norwalk when we'll be hearing from Professor Fred Carstensen, a leading progressive economist. He has strong and informative views regarding the impact of different kinds of taxation on economic growth and will be discussing tax reform from a Connecticut point of view.

Professor Carstensen has successfully completed more than a 100 studies during his ten years' tenure as Director of the Connecticut Center for Economic Analysis (CCEA) http://ccea.uconn.edu/ Concurrently, Carstensen has been involved in the collection and preservation of Connecticut business archives since he arrived at UConn in 1982 as an Associate. Professor Carstensen graduated from the University of Wisconsin (Madison), and received both his MA and PhD from Yale University.

A SEA CHANGE TO SEE CHANGE

As many DFA members may already know, John Hartwell, Fairfield County DFA's organizer and moderator is running for State Senate against Republican incumbent Judy Freedman and will be asking for your support in this endeavor. We already know of John's phenomenal hard work, organization skills, and ability to get things done during the past few years running Fairfield County DFA. To get the job done John needs volunteers between now and June to help with phone banking and obtaining voter registration lists. John will be discussing his “Agenda for Change” at the MeetUp. He's a tough guy and will take on any questions so let's have a good turnout on May 7th to show both our support and appreciation for all his hard work – and tell him when he is elected that we are going to make him work even harder!

So, all you political junkies, liberals, progressives and hard working people, come and be part of helping to elect a strong and principled Democrat to replace a lackluster Republican. It's time for a Democrat to take back district 26!

Call 203-401-8065 with any questions

 
Is Affordable Housing a Win-Win for Fairfield County?
A Democracy of America Forum Report on April 2nd MeetUp
Panelists.
Rafie Podolsky Attorney with the Legal Assistance Resource Center of CT
Joan Carty, Executive Director of Housing Development Fund, Inc
Dave Goldenberg Chair, the Ridgefield Affordable Housing Committee
David Fink, Policy and Communications Director for the Partnership Strong Communities and Staff Director of the HOMEConnecticut campaign

The panelists discussed the economic, aesthetic, environmental and demographic realities that impact on affordable housing in Connecticut communities. Many of these factors will favor an increase in affordable housing throughout the state in the coming years, in a win-win situation for those seeking affordable housing and for the towns themselves. As the evening progressed, it became apparent that the discussion on solutions for traffic and transportation problems in Fairfield County covered in the previous meeting dovetailed rather nicely with the need for affordable housing.
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DFA - Prescription for Unclogging Our Traffic Arteries

Transportation Forum at MeetUp recommends intensive care for our ailing traffic arteries

"Who would have thought that traffic problems could be so exciting?" That's a direct quote from one of the attendees at the Fairfield County March 5th MeetUp. It was just one of many similar comments from others attending this lively, interactive and informative MeetUp - "One of the best Meetings we've ever had!" was the verdict of many other participants.

Four panelists, including three from Fairfield County, described how the clogged arteries of southwest Connecticut's transportation system are adversely affecting businesses, the workforce and ordinary residents, then prescribed a variety of solutions at the March 5 MeetUp. The panel was composed of Jim Cameron of Darien, chairman of the Connecticut Rail Commuter Council; Jara Burnett of Greenwich, President of the League of Women Voters of Connecticut; Joe McGee of Fairfield, vice president of Public Policy and Programs for the Business Council of Fairfield County; and Mike Riley, president of the Motor Transportation Associaton of Connecticut, a trade organization of the state's trucking firms.

In introducing the four speakers, moderator John Hartwell referred to a report by South Western Regional Planning agency showing that by 2025, traffic would be "severely congested" along both the Merritt Parkway and I 95 from one end to the other. "We are planning for failure," said Hartwell, who is the Democratic candidate for the State Senate in District 26.

Hartwell also reported that Metro North will soon be putting 300 of its state-of-the-art new passenger coaches into service, adding that the railroad is still debating how many of old cars it will retire and how many it will retain to boost overall capacity over the next few years. "Where are these people going to park," he asked. Hartwell also pointed out that since 1995 the Connecticut Department of Transportation has suffered a 35% reduction in staff compounded by intense turnover in the Commissioner's office.
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