Post Election: Countering Fear and Exclusion Begins Here
By John McNamara NEW BRITAIN – Campaign promises threatening “mass deportation”, use of the military and law enforcement to go after political opponents (“the enemy within”) and rollbacks of policies for the common good dominated Trump on the stump in the closing weeks of 2024’s campaign. And so the Trump victory on November 5th is […]
Claims For Flooding Damages Spiked in 2023
City Starts ‘Courtesy’ Response Service; Homeowner Flood Relief Is On Council Agenda By John McNamara More New Britain property owners are seeking compensation from the city for property damage caused by storm water flooding and sewage overflows, according to caseloads recorded by the city’s Corporation Counsel in recent years. The Corporation Counsel “handles claims and […]
Alderwoman Sanchez Condemns “Hate Rhetoric” At NYC Trump Rally
Council Democrats Deride GOP Campaign Of ‘Fear and Division’ NEW BRITAIN – City Alderwoman and Assistant Majority Leader Iris Noemi Sanchez (D-3) expressed deep indignation over offensive comments made at Donald Trump’s rally in Madison Square Garden on Sunday nine days before the November 5th Election. A speaker insulted Puerto Rico, calling it a “floating […]
Council Democrats Call For Neighborhood Flood Relief Assistance
NEW BRITAIN – Common Council Democrats are proposing a neighborhood flood relief initiative to “provide immediate and direct relief to homeowners whose properties are damaged by storm water and sewage when extreme weather leads to flooding and damages.” A resolution, introduced by Common Council President Francisco Santiago (D-5), Assistant Majority Leader Iris Sanchez (D-3) and […]
A Tale of Two Democratic Conventions
Finding A Common Thread of Racial and Social Justice in 1988 and 2024 By John McNamara The 2024 Democratic National Convention (DNC) that nominated Kamala Harris for President last week brought many comparisons to conventions past. Not many delegates, however, were looking back. Delays in getting to the convention on chartered busses and through TSA-type […]
It’s a Unanimous CT Roll Call For Harris In Virtual Pre-Convention Vote
Voting early and online nomination stems from Republican obstruction over ballot access in Ohio “So I’ve decided the best way forward is to pass the torch to a new generation. That’s the best way to unite our nation. I know there is a time and a place for long years of experience in public life, […]
CCAG Conducts Climate Change Survey In New Britain
Residents Share Views At Main Street Market On Renewable Energy Vs. Fossil Fuels Interns from Connecticut Citizen Action Group are taking in the views of Greater New Britain residents this summer on “how climate change and energy companies are impacting their lives.” CCAG is conducting on the street surveys asking “Are you concerned about climate […]
City Will Match State Bonding With $4.2 Million For Allen Street Flooding
Council To Review Recommendations On Late Audit Reports July 22 An infrastructure improvement plan to address longstanding stormwater and sewer main problems in the neighborhood between Allen Street and Roxbury Road near CCSU is taking shape in a cooperative effort by state legislators and the Stewart Administration. In recent months Common Council-approved engineering work has […]
Council Leader Supports DeFronzo for State Representative
To The Editor: David DeFronzo, the endorsed Democrat running for 26th State Representative in the August 13th Primary, will be an effective leader for the city and the district if he is elected to the Legislature this year. Mr. DeFronzo is listening and understands the needs of the community. He will bring energy and know […]
HRA Celebrates 60 Years Of Community Action
By John McNamara The Human Resources Agency of New Britain (HRA) marked its anniversary at a “60 Years of Success” awards dinner held at Farmington Gardens on Thursday June 13th honoring individuals and partner organizations for their contributions to an organization born in the 1960s at the start of “the War on Poverty” and President […]
Mayor’s Mill Rate Increase Will Hike Taxes An Average Of $204 On Single Family Homes
Republicans Falsely Claim A $44 Increase After Double Digit Increases This Year; State Stabilization Funds Add $10 Million To City Revenue For Fiscal Year 2025 By John McNamara The dust is settling on the making of the 2024-2025 municipal budget for the Stewart Administration and the closely-divided Common Council of eight Democrats and seven Republicans. […]
Democrats Seek Transparency On Contracts And Tax Agreements
Common Council Budget Review Begins For the 2024-2025 Fiscal Year This report is the second in a series to keep the community informed about Council business and to encourage public participation in city government from the perspective of the Democratic Majority Caucus. The details of municipal purchasing, tax and and leasing agreements will be reported […]
New Britain Honors Memory Of Rev. King 56 years after assassination
Remembering April 4, 1968 It’s not the national holiday of his birth but 56 years later honoring the memory of MLK occurs almost everywhere in April at parks, in schools and at community events on the day he died fighting for the dignity of sanitation workers in Memphis. And for many of us of a […]
New Fed Grant Helps Friendship Center Enhance Shelter On Arch Street
A $1 million federal grant to New Britain’s Friendship Center (FSC) on Arch Street will support expansion of the facility, including the installation of private restrooms and other capital and maintenance improvements. U.S. Rep. Jahana Hayes (D-5) and FSC Executive Director Caitlin Rose announced the new funding on April 3rd which stems from approval of […]
Federal Earmarks Bring New Funds For Housing, Emergency Shelter And Sewer System
by John McNamara New Britain is the beneficiary of specially appropriated federal funds to address needs for the unhoused, affordable housing development and a deteriorating storm water and sewer system under the recently adopted Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2024. Funded with $2,134,752 are three projects for two nonprofit agencies and municipal government submitted by U.S. […]
Bill For “Precise” Wording On City Charter Referendums Gets Hearing
New Britain Lawmakers, League of Women Voters Back Fair Ballot Questions By John McNamara Legislation to ensure specific wording on local referendum questions has been proposed for a second year at the Connecticut General Assembly’s Government Administration and Elections Committee (GAE). The GAE Committee will consider House Bill 5494 that would establish “standards” for city […]
California Congresswoman and New Britain Native Anna Eshoo To Retire At End of Term
1960 NBHS Graduate Grew Up In City’s Armenian and Assyrian Communities U.S. Representative Anna Eshoo (CA-16) a member of Congress representing California’s “Silicon Valley” and a close friend of House Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi (CA-11), is retiring at the end of this term after serving more than 30 years in the House of Representatives. Rep. Eshoo, first […]
Watershed: New Britain’s 1989 Mayoral Campaign
The Municipal Campaign That Changed New Britain Politics For A Generation Introduction to Part 3 In 1989, Donald DeFronzo became New Britain’s 34th Mayor ending the late William (Billy Mac) McNamara’s six terms as the city’s top elected official, a modern-day record not matched until last November when Mayor Erin Stewart won a sixth, two-year […]
Watershed: New Britain’s 1989 Mayoral Campaign (Part 2)
The Municipal Election That Changed New Britain Politics For A Generation Introduction In 1989, Donald DeFronzo became New Britain’s 34th Mayor ending the late William (Billy Mac) McNamara’s six terms as the city’s top elected official, a modern-day record not matched until last November when Mayor Erin Stewart won a sixth, two-year term. “During the […]
Watershed: New Britain’s 1989 Mayoral Campaign (Part I)
The Municipal Election That Changed New Britain Politics For A Generation Introduction: In 1989, Donald DeFronzo became New Britain’s 34th Mayor ending the late William (Billy Mac) McNamara’s six terms as the city’s top elected official, a modern-day record not matched until last November when Mayor Erin Stewart won a sixth, two-year term. “During the […]