• remedy is still going to have an adverse affect on individual property values -- the property owner is still going to suffer loss -- once the environmental land use restriction is recorded on the Hamden land records. And these contaminated properties are assessed with the same high taxes as Hamden properties without contamination.
• has identified at least 20 homes with severe structural damage, and this much-anticipated plan advises those homeowners who have lived with sinking homes, and homes with cracks from floor to ceiling and in basement floors and foundations for so many years that now “the State and the Town of Hamden will lead an effort to identify funding to allow the purchase, at fair market value, of those residences with extensive, severe structural damage …” The town, the state, the RWA, etc. have all known for years that these people cannot sell their homes because of the damage -- and NOW THEY’RE GOING TO SEEK FUNDING? The state officials at the meeting didn’t seem to know where the money would come from, and Hamden’s mayor doesn’t know where the money is coming from. We all know how long it takes government to find funding, especially funding to purchase homes in an economically depressed area.
• recommends that a “Detailed Remedial Action Plan be submitted by the Responsible Parties to the DEP and the property owner, and after comment and consultation, the DEP will review and approve said Detailed Remedial Action Plan for each property.” Sounds good, but I’m sure it’ll take another five years just to follow the paperwork.

I could go on and on but the meeting left me feeling very sad. These are poor working people who have been to meeting after meeting, year after year, submitting suggestion after suggestion, completing form after form, tormented by fears about their health and the health of their children, and the health of their senior relatives due to this contamination. They all left feeling frustrated and fearful upon hearing this much-anticipated DEP proposed remediation plan.

Antoinette Oliveira
Dudley Court
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If You Vote Like a D, Think Like a D, then Be a D

I am writing this letter to the hundreds of newly registered Hamden Democrats. As many as 700 Hamden residents either switched their registration from unaffiliated to Democrat or newly registered as Democrats in order to vote in the Aug. 8 primary. On behalf of the Hamden Democratic Party, I want to welcome you, and I urge you to remain a Democrat to help us build the party.

What are those goals? Well, among other things, on the national level they include a balanced budget, a competent and coherent plan for getting the United States out of Iraq, a strong defense against terrorism, protecting the promise of Social Security and ensuring that every American has access to affordable health care. On the state and local levels, those goals include tax reform and honesty in government.

There are some things that stand in the way of achieving your goals. First and foremost, we need to elect a Democratic governor for Connecticut this year. The inequities of our current property tax system and the terrible increase in Hamden residential property taxes can be blamed on the fact that, for the past 12 years, Republicans have controlled the governor’s office and have blocked any reasonable, coherent tax reform. Former Gov. John Rowland and his partner Jody Rell have overseen 12 budgets that rejected every measure that would have offered property tax relief to communities like Hamden. If you are unhappy about your property tax bill, the best way to address the problem is to vote for Democrat John DeStefano in November.

The second obstacle to seeing your goals achieved is the Republican Party in Washington, which has routinely rejected any concept of fairness. In both Connecticut and Washington, D.C., the politics of greed has taken over. The Republican Party’s acronym, GOP, now stands for Greedy Old Party. Connecticut’s John Rowland was only the first. Consider this list: Duke Cunningham, Tom DeLay, Jack Abramoff, Robert Ney, Halliburton. The list seems endless and is growing daily.

But in Connecticut, we have three marvelous Democratic candidates running against Republican congressional incumbents: in the 2nd District, Joe Courtney; in the 4th District, Diane Farrell; and in the 5th District, Chris Murphy. All three need and deserve your support.

The last time Hamden’s Democratic registration was this high was immediately after the 2004 presidential election, another time when Hamden residents overwhelmingly identified themselves with the Democratic Party. We had about 13,000 registered Democrats at that time, but nearly 18,000 Hamden residents voted for John Kerry and John Edwards. And last year, Hamden overwhelmingly elected Democratic Mayor Craig Henrici with over 80 percent of the vote in the final election.

I urge all of you to remain in the Democratic Party. The local Democratic Party Web site is www.hamdendemocrats.com; notices of our upcoming meetings are posted there. Help us to elect John DeStefano, Joe Courtney, Diane Farrell and Chris Murphy. Help us to give your government back to you.

Joseph P. McDonagh, chair
Hamden Democratic Town Committee

This otherwise tardy communication results from a recent notification passed down to me this week. Mr. Anthony Aceto notified our family this week of a hall of fame dinner event commemorating my father, Joseph T. Bucci, as well as others. I followed a winding path of Web sites to the Hamden Daily News that posted a Nov. 28, 2005, article titled "The History of 'The (Green Bowl) Game,'" written by John Carusone.

Mr. Carusone makes reference to a "Gridiron District Hall of Fame" in regards to Don Noto and Joe Sette. Could this be the same HOF suggested by Mr. Aceto? If so, what is this organization? I suspect it is restricted to the district athletic league of years past, e.g., Hamden, Notre Dame, West Haven, Hillhouse, etc.

I am also compelled to mention an error in Mr. Carusone's article. Mr. Carusone makes flattering reference to "Other Hamden Greats" including "Joe Bucci a defensive back with the AFL Boston Patriots" (as well as, Mr. Aceto). I have the strongest suspicion that the reference is to my father. However, my father did not play for the Boston Patriots at any time in his life. There is evidence from my father's scrapbook of having attended tryouts, and having received a "don't-call-us, we'll-call-you" letter from Patriots management. The oversight is not a major issue unless I consider the possibility of other errors being introduced at the Gridiron District event, assuming the dots connect between Mr. Aceto, Mr. Carusone and my father.

I would sincerely ask that Mr. Bucci's biographical information be crosschecked with Bucci family members, as there is the possibility of embarrassment or emotional upset. At your request, I am happy to provide contact information for the family.

Thomas Bucci
Glastonbury

I was initially stunned and shocked by the fact that the mayor indicated the actuarial amount required to fully fund our pension plan is $250 million. I had understood that the figure was closer to $160 million. That’s a huge difference, especially since we only have approximately $82 million in the fund now.

What caused such a huge change? Did our actuaries calculate the previous figure incorrectly? Did the recent retirements have this great an impact on the fund? These are questions that need to be addressed.

Bonding the pension has enormous risks, but if done correctly, can make sense. The first concern is what the annual principal and interest payments will be compared to future pension contributions. Under this year’s budget, we placed $9 million into the pension fund, and next year we are slated to contribute $12 million. Assuming that the principal and interest payments on the bond are less than $12 million, then you must add what our contribution will be next year, based on the fact that we would have just made an $85 million deposit from the bonding. Remember, even if we fund up to 70 percent of the new requirement of $250 million, we would need $175 million. Adding our current $82 million with the new $85 million totals $167 million. Hence, we would still be $8 million short.

The second concern is what our rate of return has been historically on our pension plan. The plan is invested in market securities, which have had fluctuating results. With $167 million invested, how much return can we reasonably expect? Is that return enough to cover our annual obligations? What was our average rate of return over the last 10 years? As an example, if our average rate of return has been 3 percent and the interest rate on the bond is to be 4 percent, it may not make sense to proceed in this direction.

The final issue that I can envision at this point is the degree of risk we have within the pension plan’s portfolio. Given that we are borrowing a substantial sum to invest in this plan, we can ill afford to lose money should the market downturn. Imagine borrowing this kind of money and then after two years only having $60 million left while paying principal and interest on $85 million. That would be disastrous.

I would suggest we take a good long hard look at our portfolio and consider a more conservative approach, even it that means placing a high percentage of the fund in government bonds, etc. Of course, that could mean a lower rate of return, but it sure beats the alternative, which is a potential loss.

Given these issues, the possibility of bonding can be effective, but it must be done with careful consideration and realization of the risks involved. All parties concerned, the mayor, Council and Pension Board must cooperate and understand these risks and plan accordingly.

Jim Pascarella
At-large councilman
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School Supers Not Overpaid

Both Dr. Bonner and Hernandez were new hires last summer and have been learning their responsibilities quickly and filling in for the superintendent as needed. As I read the Hamden Daily News article on the highest paid town workers, LINK I note that with their raises included, our two assistant superintendents would only come in 13th or 14th on the list, and clearly they had to put in many late nights without the benefit of overtime.

Moreover, both were doing this at a salary less than that of their counterparts in other towns. The Board believes in retaining and grooming qualified people in important positions such as these -- a strategy that leads to stability and saves money in the long run. Most importantly, not one cent used for these raises will be taken out of the classroom.

Lynn Campo, member
Hamden Board of Education

Some of those veteran and coalition members are calling for a boycott of TJ’s if owner Thomas Jakubisyn does not remove the poster. To date, Jakubisyn has refused to even consider removing it.