August 26, 2008

Another Smashing Classic

How can we possibly show gratitude to the individuals and sponsors who contribute each year to the Frank P. Cesare Memorial Golf Classic and benefit dinner, held to support and memorialize our husband, father and grandfather? It is with our most sincere and heartfelt thanks that we write this letter of appreciation to all those involved in this event over the years.

We would like to personally commend Michael Iezzi and former Hamden Police Chief Robert Nolan for their leadership roles as co-chairmen of this year's event. Their dedicated commitment to this memorial, as well as to the members of the Hamden Police Department, is unwavering, and this event would not be what it is today without their hard work and support.

Our sincere gratitude also goes out to Republican Town Committee members Sarah Morrill, Jennifer Cutrali, Mike Fimiani and Officer Dave Falcigno for their tireless commitment to this cause, doing the countless small things that mean so much to making an event such as this a success. We would like to thank Hamden Police Department union president John Sullivan for his eight years of continuous and loyal support of this event, and for his contributions to making the tournament's success a reality since its inception in 2001.

We wish to applaud this year's event day volunteers including John Somers, Carl DiMeo, Adrianna Petrucci, Tyra Moss, Laura Cappella, Kathleen Lorson and Cindy Supparo for dedicating their time and energy by helping out with making sure everything ran smoothly. Special recognition goes out to Brueggers Bagels of Hamden for its generous breakfast donation for the golfers. Thanks also to the many corporate and individual sponsors for their continued support of the tournament.

It is amazing to see what a beautiful course Laurel View has become! Golf professional and course manager Matt Manchetti is a true gift to Hamden. His professionalism and that of his staff and their combined ability to accommodate our every need made the day even more enjoyable. We are witness to the fact that Matt and his staff have made Laurel View a premier golf course in Connecticut. Thanks to Kelly and Grant and their staff at Laurel View Banquet Facility for providing a wonderful dinner experience.

It has been a pleasure over the last eight years to hold this yearly event, awarding the town over $50,000 to purchase much-needed public safety equipment in memory of Frank Cesare. As you may recall, Frank's belief was always to combine public service with private charity to help make our town better for all. As the years go by, and we now see Frank's grandchildren start to participate in the golf tournament, we know that their grandfather would be so pleased.

We continue to applaud and appreciate the fine, dedicated men and women of the Hamden Police Department for making our town safe each day. Frank would be so proud of the outstanding work these individuals continue to do each and every day for our town!

We look forward to next year's event, and hope to see you on the course!

The Cesare Family
Hamden
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CT Dems Too Soft on Violent Crime

In July 2007, Jennifer Hawke-Petit and her daughters, Hayley and Michaela Petit, were brutally murdered in the course of a home invasion in Cheshire by two men with extensive criminal records. As news of this tragedy spread, concerned citizens across the state watched as the Democratic-controlled General Assembly refused to get tough on crime.

Led by state Rep. Al Adinolfi (R-103rd District), the Republican leadership in the General Assembly put forth plans to toughen penalties for persistent criminal offenders. On three separate occasions, the Democrats in the Senate and the House rejected Republican plans to enact commonsense minimum sentencing requirements for offenders committing their third violent felony.

Prompted by the state Republicans, the Democrats permitted some measures toughening sentencing for violent crime to come up for a vote. The bill established the crime of home invasion as a violent crime, required those convicted of home invasion or burglary to serve a minimum of 10 years and addressed concerns with sentencing that were raised by the Connecticut Supreme Court. The bill also reformed the state parole system and appropriated additional spending for that purpose.

Notably, this bill did not include a "three strikes" provision. As the bill was being considered by the House, the Republicans offered an amendment requiring a mandatory life sentence upon conviction of a third violent felony, such as rape or home invasion. My Democratic opponent this November, Rep. Brendan Sharkey, voted against this commonsense proposal.

The Democrats' opposition to the three strikes amendment is unconscionable. Our criminal justice system is clearly failing when thrice-convicted violent felons are permitted to roam the streets of our communities. If I am fortunate enough to be elected this November, I would support the "get tough on crime program" supported by Al Adinolfi and the House Republicans, which was thwarted by the Democrats last session. The citizens of Hamden and this state deserve better.

Matt Corcoran
Candidate for the 88th State Assembly District

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August 16, 2008

Local Green Commissioner Warns of Butt Pollution

Dear Cigarette Smoker:

To all of you considerate and respectful smokers who properly dispose of your cigarette butts, regardless of where you are smoking, I send a resounding thank you.

To those of you who drop your butts on the street and sidewalks, I send a plea that you STOP. Cigarette butts are the most littered item in America.

According to cigarettelitter.org, it is estimated that several trillion cigarette butts are littered worldwide every year. That's billions of cigarettes flicked, one at a time, on our sidewalks, beaches, nature trails, gardens and other public places every single day. These little filters can take decades to break down.

Cigarette butts are not biodegradable or safe. They are made of cellulose acetate, a plastic, and they contain the toxic chemicals they were designed to trap from the cigarette. When you drop a butt on your neighborhood street or sidewalk, you leave toxic material for birds' and other animals' nests. This material can be carried by rain or wind into our local water supply where the chemicals can leach out of the filter into the water, further threatening the quality of our drinking water and health of aquatic life.

Last but not least, improperly disposing of your cigarette butts, like all littering, is disrespectful to the community. Fortunately you have the power to change. When driving, please dispose of your cigarette butts in your ashtray. When walking, put your extinguished butts in your pocket or in a small bag and empty your pockets and ashtrays into a garbage receptacle.

As a member of the Hamden Clean & Green Commission, I urge you to make a difference. Remember, every butt counts!

Diane Hoffman
Wilmot Road

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August 7, 2008

Sanders on Right Track, But Will Anyone Listen?

Congratulations to Mark Sanders for forming a group of townspeople to push for charter reform. It’s long overdue.

Sorry to say I don’t think that our politicians in town will take this group too seriously with Mr. Sanders as a key member of this group. I think some of our politicians in town will be saying how many groups and causes is this for Mr. Sanders now? And one of those town politicians will say, “Mr. Sanders is at it again with his inflated ego.”

A civil rights activist told me back in the '60s when I was a young man: “A slow burning fire can keep a politician’s foot warmer longer than a fast blazing fire that burns quickly.” Mr. Sanders may be burning himself out with our local politicians and the people he needs to support his causes.

The town charter does need to be looked at as it is outdated and keeps us locked into a system of government that is outdated for the size of the town we live in.

The mean question to ask after understanding that the town charter is outdated is why does the leadership of the Democratic Party want to keep the town charter the way it is? My answer to that question is they don’t want the citizens of Hamden to have a bigger voice in their local government. By doing this they still can control the town budget and spend our tax money any damn way they like and give out town contracts to anyone that they please to give one to. We just saw that giveaway of a town contract with the new police station. And we also saw that using the phrase “low bidder” concerning the police station contract was like using dirty words.

Thomas Alegi
Benham Street

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