Democratic gubernatorial candidate Ned Lamont will be a guest of the Northwest Connecticut Chamber of Commerce at 5 p.m. Monday, March 1, as part of the Chamber's ongoing series of meetings with top candidates for statewide office in 2010.

It comes a few days after Torrington's Democratic City Committee voted to endorse Dan Malloy, one of Lamont's main rivals for the Democratic nomination to succeed retiring Gov. M. Jodi Rell.

The meeting will take place at the Chamber's offices at 333 Kennedy Drive in Torrington.

Today, Peter Lawson, Chairman of the Canaan Republican Town Committee, has endorsed Caligiuri’s candidacy. The Bernier Campaign also claims to have obtained the endorsement of Chairman Lawson.
However, when asked about the endorsement, a representative for Caligieri opponent Justin Bernier's office pointed out that the town's RTC as a whole voted to endorse Bernier several weeks ago.
"I am very impressed with the way Sam led the city of Waterbury out of a devastating situation. His priorities of bringing fiscal conservatism and government reform to Washington are very clear, and exactly what we need to start fixing Washington. His outstanding record of service as Acting Mayor of Waterbury and as a State Senator make him the strongest, most credible candidate in this race," said Lawson.
"Earning Chairman Lawson’s support is both humbling and key to building the district-wide support base needed to run a winning campaign. I look forward to working with him and the rest of the Canaan RTC to ensure a Republican victory this November," said Caligiuri.

State Senator Rob Kane (R-32) recently testified before the General Assembly’s Select Committee on Children in favor of his proposal to protect sexually exploited children by requiring the courts to assume that anyone under the age of 17 prosecuted for prostitution was coerced or enticed.

“The Safe Harbor For Exploited Children bill is intended to protect children and young teens alleged to have engaged in prostitution from further harm. Some experts estimate that about 100,000 children, many as young as 11, are exploited through prostitution every year in the United States. So while we may sit here today and think that such a crime cannot happen here, we are wrong. It can, and does, happen. And it happens far more often than we would like to admit to ourselves,” said Senator Kane, adding that his proposal is based on legislation adopted by the state of New York two years ago.

Those who have expressed support for Senator Kane’s proposed legislation, Senate Bill 153, include the Permanent Commission on the Status of Women, Connecticut Juvenile Justice Alliance, End Child Prostitution And Trafficking USA, and the state Division of Public Defender Services.

Senator Kane told members of the Select Committee on Children that passing Senate Bill 153 would be an important step toward protecting sexually exploited children from further harm, but that the state needs to do more. He noted that there are differences between his original proposal and the legislation raised for consideration by the committee.

“This bill offers protection to a minor from criminal prosecution for actions that they had no choice but to commit. But my original proposal went well beyond the scope of this bill. It required the courts to direct the child into social service programs that could offer assistance in safe and secure housing, crisis intervention, counseling, and other community based services. It sought to ensure that there was a safety net in place so that these troubled children did not fall through the cracks of society. It is not enough to just let the minors go free, to return them to a situation that probably gave rise to their crimes and troubles in the first place. We need to do more. We need to give them a chance to rebuild their lives,” said Senator Kane.

Senate Bill 153 is pending further legislative action by the Select Committee on Children before advancing in the legislative process. Senator Kane urged those interested in the bill to contact him at his legislative office at 1-800-842-1421 or via e-mail to Rob.Kane@cga.ct.gov.

TORRINGTON - U.S. Senate candidate Rob Simmons will be holding a meet and greet on Saturday.

The former Connecticut congressman will be at thethe Torrington Elks Lodge, 70 Litchfiled St. in Torrington, from 10 a.m. to noon.

Due to the forecast of a potentially big snowstorm, a meet-and-greet night with Mark Greenberg, a Republican candidate for the 5th District congressional seat currently held by Rep. Chris Murphy, that was scheduled for Tuesday night at Cuisine With Jill Nicholson in Torrington has been postponed to a date not yet announced.

TORRINGTON - Probate Judge Michael F. Magistrali, the incumbent judge for the Torrington/Goshen Probate District, announced his candidacy Sunday for the newly formed probate district serving Hartland, Barkhamsted, New Hartford, Colebrook, Winchester, Torrington and Goshen.

He also announced endorsements by former state Rep. Brian Mattiello, former Torrington City Clerk Fred Bruni from Torrington, Sen. Andrew Roraback, Rep. John Rigby, Barkhamsted Town Clerk Maria Mullady, New Hartford Probate Clerk Suzanne Pombar, Winchester Republican Town Committee Chairman Richard Lavieri and Winchester Selectman Karen Beadle.

Magistrali said his existing district is consistently rated high by the office of the Probate Court Administrator in terms of efficiency and service to users of the court. “With the help of wonderful staff, I am proud of the way the Probate Court I currently preside over has performed and been there for countless individuals at a time of need,” Magistrali said.

The new probate district is the result of a major reorganization of the Probate system that reduces the number of courts statewide from 117 to 54. The consolidation of courts takes effect in January 2011. The new Torrington Area Probate District will be located in Torrington in the newly renovated City Hall.

Judge Magistrali has served as the Probate Judge in Torrington since January 1999. During that time, he has also served on several committees of the Connecticut Probate Assembly, including the Probate Practice Book Revision Committee, the Probate Reorganization Committee, and the Probate Ethics Committee.

Judge Magistrali also maintains a private law practice in Torrington, Michael F. Magistrali & Associates, LLC. He was previously partner in the firm of Rosenstein & Magistrali in Winsted, an Assistant Attorney General for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and an Assistant Corporation Counsel for the City of Boston, Massachusetts.

Judge Magistrali is a graduate of Torrington High School, Boston College, and Boston College Law School. He lives in Torrington with his wife, Robin, and their four daughters, Amelia, Alison, Maura and Felice.

The Republican nominating convention for the Torrington Probate District will be held on May 7 at 7 p.m. in the P. Francis Hicks room in Winchester Town Hall located at 38 Main Street, Winsted. The election for probate judge will take place in November along with the other statewide and federal races.

State Representative Roberta Willis (D-64^th District) is co-sponsoring a bill that would tax the bonuses at only companies that received taxpayer funds through the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP).

The bill (HB 5175), “An Act Imposing A Tax On Bonuses Received By Employees Of Businesses That Received Funds Under The Troubled Asset Relief Program” has been filed and goes next to the legislature’s Finance, Revenue and Bonding Committee.”

Under the bill, the tax imposed on an individual employed by a business that received TARP funds, would be at a rate of 90% on such a bonus that is over $250,000 for a couple filing jointly or $100,000 for an individual.

For example, if an employee received a $5 million bonus as a result of TARP money, the first $100,000 for individuals and the first $250,000 for joint filers would be exempt.

The employee’s regular salary would not be affected by this bonus tax, only TARP bonus money. There are several other legislators who have also signed onto the bill.

“The purpose of this bill is to try to require those who created our economic meltdown to contribute to the recovery,” Rep. Willis said. “Hard working taxpayers saved Wall Street and it’s time for taxpayers to get their money back.”

“This is not about revenge or getting even. It’s about fairness and economic justice,” Rep. Willis said. “Everywhere I go, talking with constituents, they have expressed their outrage over the Wall Street bailout and reports of lavish bonuses being paid out.”

“This legislation sends the message that we hear the outcry from our constituents and hopefully the bill will pass the legislature and will be signed into law by the governor,” Rep. Willis said.

Representative Willis represents Cornwall, Goshen, Salisbury, Sharon and a portion of Torrington. She is House Chair of the Higher Education and Employment Advancement Committee. She also serves on the Appropriations and Environment Committees.

The worst-kept secret (in that basically they issued a press release about it without saying it) is now official.

Torrington Mayor Ryan Bingham has endorsed state Sen. Sam Caligiuri for the Republican nomination to challenge 5th District Congressman Chris Murphy.

Waterbury State Sen. Sam Caligiuri has scheduled a press conference tomorrow to make a "major announcement."

It will be held at Borgeson Universal in Torrington, and it is being held "with Torrington Mayor Ryan Bingham."

Hmmm, we wonder what the announcement could be about?

Sounds like Bingham will join a growing list of party establishment figures endorsing Caligiuri's bid to challenge Democratic incumbent Rep. Chris Murphy.

A meet and greet with Mark Greenberg, a Republican candidate for the 5th District congressional seat currently held by Rep. Chris Murphy, will be held from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 23, at Cuisine with Jill Nicolson, 184 South Main St., Torrington.

Complimentary hors d'oeuvres (by Jill, of course) and beverages will be served.

Northwest Connecticut residents are seeing and hearing more about Greenberg than some of the other candidates in the race perhaps due to Greenberg's deep ties to the area.

He opened The Market and Goshen Hardware in Goshen and Hemlock Kennels.

RSVP to Ken Nowell at 860-482-8068 or email Juliana Simone at jsimone@greenberg2010.com.

It won't be long before we start to see announcements about the re-election plans of local legislators, and everyone expects some spirited challenges to emerge in almost every local district in Northwest Connecticut.

The national political climate and victories such as Scott Brown claiming Ted Kennedy's old U.S. Senate seat in liberal Massachusetts have emboldened Republicans from national races right down to the state House.

In a year when even Rep. Roberta Willis (D-Salisbury) faces a Republican challenger who has announced and gotten organized early, expect no one to take re-election for granted. Willis ran unopposed two years ago and trounced the competition four years ago.

That could mean the Connecticut Republican Party putting some significant resources into a challenge to freshman state Rep. Annie Hornish (D-Granby). She upset a longtime conservative Republican incumbent by the narrowest of margins in 2008, and she is one of the House's most liberal members.

Similarly, Rep. Michelle Cook (D-Torrington) is wrapping up her first term after unseating Republican Anne Ruwet in a House district that has been very close every election cycle going back almost a decade.

Cook's views may be out of step with some in the district, but has helped solidify her position with hard work. She is the local legislator you're most likely to see at every public forum, reception and involved in every neighborhood issue in her district.

Democrats' top local target could be freshman state Rep. John Rigby (R-Colebrook), who might not have been elected to the Legislature at all if it weren't for an explosive sex abuse controversy involving former Democratic Rep. George Wilber that broke a few weeks before the election in 2008.

We might see a rematch between Rigby and Norfolk attorney William Riiska, who did pretty well with a write-in campaign two years ago despite not being listed on the ballot.

Sam Caligiuri’s record of implementing creative solutions to legislative challenges continues to win him support for his Congressional campaign. Today, Former Connecticut Insurance Commissioner George Reider of Farmington endorsed his candidacy.

“Sam has the understanding and commitment to reform health care in a manner that preserves the best of our current system while at the same time expands care and more affordable coverage to millions of Americans. He knows that this can be done in a way that does not require government takeover of another industry. Sam has the right ideas for striking this balance, which will be critical as our country tackles this challenge,” said Reider.

“I am humbled that Commissioner Reider believes my ideas make me the candidate he supports in this race. It is a privilege to be able to tap into his years of experience and expertise as we look for solutions to the important issue of health care reform. There are numerous jobs here in Connecticut, and in the Farmington Valley especially, that hinge on thoughtful reform of health care. I look forward to working with Commissioner Reider on solutions that achieve the reform we need without jeopardizing those jobs,” said Caligiuri.

Reider has served in the public sector as an elected official at the local, state, and national levels. In addition to having served as the Connecticut Insurance Commissioner, Reider was also President of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners. Reider is also a former Chair of the Farmington Town Council and a current member of the Farmington Republican Town Committee.

WATERBURY – Sam Caligiuri continues to show the swell of grassroots support for his candidacy with today’s announcement that he has earned endorsements from two more Republican Town Committee Chairpersons:

“After hearing from all the candidates, there is no doubt in my mind that Sam is by far the strongest and that he will serve the whole fifth district with integrity. Sam has the record of being a budget hawk and of presenting solutions, not just rhetoric. This record gives Sam real credibility and puts him head and shoulders above his competition,” said Anna McGuire, Chair of the North Canaan Republican Town Committee.

“I am thrilled to add Chairmen Carver and McGuire to my list of supporters. This election season is very promising for Republicans, but winning candidates will need this kind of on-the-ground, grassroots support from Town Committee leadership every step of the way. The work they do will be critical to a winning campaign,” said Caligiuri.