Just how much trouble is Sen. Chris Dodd in as he runs for re-election next year?

You’ve seen the surprising opinion polls showing record unfavorability, and other poll finding that any Republican - even those virtually unknown across the state - would beat him easily if the election were held today.

Well, at the well-attended annual meeting of the Northwest Connecticut Chamber of Commerce last Thursday, outgoing President Joe Greco’s comments about various dignitaries, including Gov. M. Jodi Rell, being unable to make it was followed by a crack about Dodd being available but the group asking him to stay away.

It was met by laughter and a very loud round of applause from the several hundred, typically reserved, local businesspeople, in the room.

Gov. M. Jodi Rell signed a bill last week that formalizes what was already decided by the Connecticut Supreme Court - that gays and lesbians have the right to marry in this state.

Over intense opposition from some religious groups, the bill passed the Senate 28-7 and passed the House 100-44.

A number of local lawmakers were among those casting a dissenting vote.

“No” votes were cast by Sen. Kevin Witkos (R-Canton), Rep. William Hamzy (R-Plymouth), Rep. Craig Miner (R-Litchfield), Rep. John Piscopo (R-Thomaston) and Rep. John Rigby (R-Colebrook).

Voting “yes” were Sen. Andrew Roraback (R-Goshen), Rep. Annie Hornish (D-Granby), Rep. Michelle Cook (D-Torrington) and Rep. Roberta Willis (D-Salisbury).

The Harwinton Democratic Town Committee will put on a fundraiser today at the home of Frank Mollo, 153 Meadowview Drive, Harwinton, from 2 to 6 p.m.

Honored guests are Attorney General Richard Blumenthal, Secretary of the State Susan Bysiewicz and Comptroller Nancy Wyman. Meet new candidates, state officials, local officials and members of the Democratic Town Committee.

For more information, call (860) 485-9301.

U.S. Sen. Christopher Dodd, center, talks with former Torrington

mayoral candidate Tim Driscoll, left, and Jay Houser during a gathering

at Dr. Matthew Blondin’s office in Torrington Saturday.

Purchase a glossy print of this photo and more at www.registercitizen.com.

By ALEX TAYLOR

WEST CORNWALL — U.S. Sen. Christopher Dodd hasn’t visited West Cornwall since 2004, but he and U.S. Rep. Chris Murphy, D-5, will be stopping by the picturesque village Saturday for a public meeting organized by the Democratic Coalition of Northwest Connecticut.

The meeting is scheduled at the West Cornwall Consolidated school, 5 Cream Hill Road, between 3 p.m. and 5 p.m., according to coalition chairman Harriette Dorsen.Murphy, who was traveling from Washington to Connecticut on Friday, said the economy would be the topic of discussion.

Murphy said that is all he is hearing from voters.“The economy. The economy. The economy,” Murphy said. “A lot of people out there have lost their job and are looking for help to find a new one. Others out there are anxious about how long they’re going to be employed.”

That, and populist anger at the TARP bank bailout.“People are furious that a lot of these banks have taken the money and handed it out as bonuses and salaries to their executives,” Murphy said of TARP, which he voted for.

“I’m just as angry as they are. People are rightly skeptical of the first round of money which hasn’t gone to business owners. I don’t know why Bush administration gave that money out with any conditions.”

In recent weeks, Murphy has touted several programs from the federal stimulus package, including a tax cut he said averaged to $800 per family as well as several transportation and energy projects.Murphy also touted an $8,000 refundable tax credit for first-time home buyers that was part of the stimulus package.

“Not enough people out there know about this,” he said. “I really believe that if you restart the first-time home buyer’s market, you will unlock what is a very-broken real estate market and get people buying homes and spending money again.”

The program ends Dec. 31.A spokesman for Dodd said the senator is looking forward to visiting West Cornwall. The five-term senator and Senate Banking Committee chairman has come under criticism for his closeness to the financial industry and questioned over his two mortgages with Countrywide Financial Corp.

Dorsen said she expects an exchange between the senator and voters.“I think this is going to be a good chance for the senator to talk to voters and address any questions or criticism,” she said.Murphy said it is too early to predict the 2010 election.

“I’m not a political analyst. I think it’s a little too early to be handicapping a race that won’t happen for a year and a half,” he said, citing Dodd’s accomplishments as an advocate for the state.

“He clearly has some work to do between now and then, but the more occasions he has to talk to people in informal settings like the one we have Saturday, the better off his political prospects will be,” Murphy said.

State Sen. Andrew Roraback, R-30, said that while the stimulus has helped Connecticut, he worries about future deficits.

“Certainly from the state’s perspective, the stimulus is helping us balance our budget,” he said. “We’re going to get $2 billion in the next two years, which is certainly welcome news and comes at a time when we need it the most.”
He added: “There has to be a limit to deficit spending. I don’t want the cure for today’s illness to burden our country’s future.”

It’s been said that every single member of the U.S. Senate fancies himself or herself to be capable of and possibly in line to be president of the United States.

The informal guessing game surrounding who might run for mayor of Torrington this fall is turning out to be just as expansive.

Almost every member of the City Council – even Republicans, should incumbent Mayor Ryan Bingham for some reason decide not to seek a third term – has been mentioned as a possible candidate, as has School Board Chairman Paul Cavagnero.

Others have suggested that the ideal candidate to challenge Bingham would be an outsider to local politics with business management experience.

When Stamford Mayor Dan Malloy, an all-but-announced candidate for governor in 2010, visited The Register Citizen two weeks ago, he was asked if he thought the name of one of his local supporters, Litchfield Democratic activist Audrey Blondin, would be on the statewide ballot with him.

Blondin briefly ran for secretary of the state four years ago until incumbent Democrat Susan Bysiewicz decided to abandon a gubernatorial run and seek re-election. With Bysiewicz a lot more likely to run for governor this time – against Malloy in the Democratic primary – Blondin is again weighing a run for secretary of the state.

Malloy’s response? He hopes not. He wants Blondin’s full attention given to drumming up support for his gubernatorial run in Litchfield County.

WINSTED — Feeling confused about the state’s budget proposal? All three of them?

State Rep. John Rigby, R-63, has scheduled a public meeting to discuss his ideas for the state’s budget at the Gilbert School on Thursday, April 23, at 7 p.m.Rigby says the meeting was prompted, in part, by his opposition to the budget recently proposed by Democrats in the State Legislature.

“I’ve been hearing a lot of concerns from voters about the Democrat’s budget, which includes $3.3 billion in taxes,” he said. “Raising taxes in a time of economic crisis is like adding gasoline to the fire. Some families would pay $1,500 and $2,000 in new state and property taxes. That’s too much.”

Last week Rigby joined House and Senate Republicans, who unveiled their “alternative” budget to the Democrat’s proposal, itself an “alternative” to the budget proposed by Gov. M. Jodi Rell. Rigby says the Republican budget will consolidate government positions.

“Early reitrement could lead to $285,000,000 in savings over two years,” he said. “We also could consolidate 23 state agencies into six state agencies.” Rigby also cited concessions from state workers for salary, healthcare and pension benefits for savings of $662 million.One cost-cutting measure Rigby was not in favor of, however, is the proposed closing of the Winsted DMV under the Democrat’s budget.

“Michell and I have heard the outcry in hundreds of e-mails,” Rigby said, referring to fellow Representative Michelle Cook, R-65. Rigby said the Republicans budget would “streamline” the DMV and the Department of Transportation for cost-savings.

Rigby will return to Hartford on Wednesday. He says he expects Democrats will want to incoporate ideas from the Republican’s proposed budget. He also predicted the state legislature will eventually pass a “no tax increase budget.”

In response, state Rep. Roberta Willis, D-64, said that balancing the budget with a zero increase in taxes would be easier said than done. “Unlike the federal government we have to have a balanced budget,” she said. “We can’t cost cut our way out of this. We can’t balance this budget without tax increases.”

Despite his wife just having a baby, state Sen. Andrew Roraback has never missed a vote.

The Hartford Courant once called him the “Lou Gehrig of the legislature,” owing to his 100 percent attendance record.

On the last Monday in March, at 7:46 p.m., Roraback’s wife gave birth to a son. Roraback got lucky, since there was no voting the following few days he needed to attend to. Of course, nothing is certain for the future, now that he’s a family man.

U.S. Senator Chris Dodd, D-CT, a returned Peace Corps volunteer and a longtime advocate for national service, and Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro, CT-3, will join President Barack Obama for the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act signing ceremony today.

The event will take place at 4 p.m. at The SEED School of Washington, D.C., an innovative public school that caters to underserved students who may face challenges in school and at home.

The Serve America Act includes large parts of Dodd and DeLauro’s “Service for All Ages ” initiative, which is a group of four bills that will expand and strengthen opportunities for Americans of all ages to serve their communities, according to a statement from Dodd's office.

By RONALD DeROSA

TORRINGTON — What began as an opportunity to discuss stimulus money for Social Security benefactors sidetracks to concerns about the economy and gay marriage, when U.S. Congressman Chris Murphy, D-5, paid a visit to the Sullivan Senior Center Friday.

Murphy dropped by the center along with state Rep. Michelle Cook, D-65, just before lunch at 11:30 to discuss a stimulus provision in which those receiving Social Security will receive a one-time $250 payment. Reports from the federal government state that the checks are scheduled to be sent out in May.

Murphy noted that, while the money is not enormous, it help offset certain costs while providing extra money for those on fixed incomes or those on retirement.
"I wish it was more," the congressman said.

Speaking in front of a largely older crowd, Murphy then was received with several questions from the concerned residents. Several regarded the frustration towards the current economic situation while others — from one individual in particular — centered on the frustration with the current government.

Torrington resident Antoinette Hyde plainly voiced that she wished the government would "stop taking our money in the first place." While Murphy attempted to defend his reasoning for supporting stimulus spending, Hyde pointedly responded with remarks against "socialism," dismissing whether either the Republicans or the Democrats were more efficient in power.
"I think we get a lot of Democratic representation, it doesn’t matter anymore," Hyde said. "They’re all the same."

Cook, who stood alongside her fellow Democrat during his speech and the questions, also chimed in when one person inquired about the proposed SB 899. Cook noted that, while the bill is on the table, the vote will only allow for each state legislator to voice their opinion on it.
The state Supreme Court has made a ruling and Gov. M. Jodi Rell has said she will not oppose that ruling, Cook said.

Murphy and Cook remained at the center as the seniors had lunch, answer questions and having discussions with their constituents.

For more information about the one-time payment visit www.socialsecurity.gov/payment or call Murphy’s New Britain office at (860) 223-8412.

By RONALD DeROSA
HARWINTON — Town leaders through Litchfield county gathered at the Town Hall for a ribbon cutting ceremony Friday, to commemorate a new program of sharing heavy equipment.

A total of 10 towns in the area are set to benefit from the Litchfield Hills Public Works Equipment Cooperative, which is a sharing of major equipment for road maintenance. Two street sweepers and one basing cleaner were purchased through the program, which was made possible by a $700,000 grant the council received from the state’s Regional Performance Incentive Program.

Gov. M. Jodi Rell set the program up for the cooperative sharing of equipment as a method for reducing municipal costs. Bob Valentine, Goshen first selectman and council president, said that it is something that area leaders are familiar with.

"We’re not new to working together in the Northwest Corner," Valentine said. "We’ve done this quite a bit."

He noted the recent exchange between area towns of salt for winter road maintenance.
The street sweepers will be housed in both Harwinton and Hartland and the catch basin cleaner will remain in Torrington. Each municipalities’ personnel will maintain the equipment, he said.
The process by which the towns will use the equipment is each municipality will pay an hourly rate, Valentine said. That rate will take care of maintenance while at the same time, some money will be put away for future capital use, he said.

"At the end of their life, they will use that money to buy new ones," he said.
The council has also purchased an extended warranty on the equipment, although Valentine could not state how long it would last.

The catch basin cleaner cost $252,141 and the two street sweepers combined cost $400,157. A portion of the balance went towards legal review fees, while the remaining will go to a capital replacement fund to help pay for equipment replacement.

Guiding Eyes’ famous puppies visited Gov. M. Jodi Rell’s Hartford office to thank her for declaring Dec. 5, 2008, as Connecticut’s “Guiding Eyes for the Blind Day.” This honor was bestowed after the governor learned that 874 puppies had been loving raised in Connecticut by volunteer families who wanted to make a difference in a blind or visually impaired person’s life.

CLICK HERE for a story on how Sen. Chris Dodd's most recent financial report shows that only five people from Connecticut contributed a total of about $4,000 to his re-election campaign in the first quarter, compared to more than 400 people from out of state donating more than $600,000.

By DAVID HUTTER/Register Citizen Staff

Several municipal elected officials lobbied on behalf of small towns to continue to receive money from the state government at a news conference put on by a variety of bodies at the Legislative Office Building in Hartford on Wednesday.

The Connecticut Conference of Municipalities hosted a rally in cooperation with the Connecticut Coalition for Justice in Education Funding, the Connecticut Association of Boards of Education, the Connecticut Association of Public School Superintendents and the Connecticut Association of Urban Superintendents.

Barkhamsted First Selectman Don Stein, Harwinton First Selectman Frank Chiaramonte, Colebrook First Selectman Thomas McKeon and state Rep. John Rigby, R-63, attended the news conference with dozens of other municipal and state elected officials from Connecticut. They listened to a discussion on the Appropriations and Finance Committees budget proposal and its impact on towns and school districts.

Rigby represents Barkhamsted, Canaan, Colebrook, Hartland, Norfolk, North Canaan and Winchester. He is supporting a proposed bill that would allow towns to delay hiring a company to conduct a revaluation process by three years.

"While the towns are dealing with an economic recession, there is less availability of state money," Rigby said.

The Connecticut Conference of Municipalities conducted a survey about the way in which towns are being impacted by the economic recession. Towns are being forced to eliminate employees, not increase programs and reduce programs.

The Barkhamsted Board of Selectmen crafted a proposed budget for fiscal year 2009-2010 that keeps existing services and simultaneously avoids an increase in taxes. The Barkhamsted Board of Selectman crafted a zero percent increase budget of $1,723,049, which is $26 lower than the ongoing fiscal year’s budget.

"There is a very strong push (among municipal leaders) that the state needs to cut its spending habits," Barkhamsted First Selectman Don Stein, a Democrat, said. "We’ll be looking at a difficult economy for several years."

The Harwinton Board of Selectmen crafted a proposed budget for fiscal year 2009-2010 of $5,199,287, or an increase of 1.02 percent.