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Welcome to New London: Lawyer up

 February 10, 2012

Mayor Finizio's Executive Order 004, issued with some fanfare Dec. 6, starts out with some happy language about New London being a diverse place, with people of a lot of different ethnic and religious and racial backgrounds.

Pssst. Wanna buy a building on Bank Street for $150,000?

 February 8, 2012

It's true that I know very little about how much buildings in downtown New London are worth.

New London needs to change course to integrate its fire department

 February 5, 2012

I had the opportunity last week to speak to a black firefighter who grew up in New London and is now the volunteer chief of a fire department in Groton.

He tried to get hired as a firefighter a few years ago in New London but...

Linda McMahon and Susan Bysiewicz won't release their tax returns

 February 3, 2012

OK, Linda McMahon.

Mitt Romney did it.

Now it's your turn to release your tax returns.

$7,600 in property taxes, to look at a Dumpster

 February 1, 2012

I know New London city officials are busy putting out fires these days, and with a purported budget crisis and allegations of racial profiling keeping everyone busy, it would be hard to focus on a single bad zoning decision.

Black leaders avoid talk about firing black firefighter recruit

 January 27, 2012

Yoo Hoo.

Calling Councilor Wade Hyslop.

Where are you?

Seaport shuffles real estate deck; Kitchen Little dealt a losing hand

 January 25, 2012

Careful watchers of "for sale" signs along Route 27, or Greenmanville Avenue, the main road in and out of Mystic, may have noticed some activity lately around Mystic Seaport.

It turns out the Seaport in recent months has been buying and...

Electric Boat in Pfizer's shoes

 January 22, 2012

If there is a silver lining to Pfizer's shrinking footprint in southeastern Connecticut, it's the way Electric Boat has been filling it right up.

Nowhere, of course, is the transition more apparent than at EB's new buildings in New London,...

Could a new downtown bookshop be on New London's horizon?

 January 20, 2012

I first ran across a reference to plans for a downtown New London bookstore on Twitter, with some posts by CeeGeesBookshop.

Fired black firefighter describes being led away

 January 18, 2012

I have to admit I had a hollow feeling when I read about the speech Mayor Finizio gave at a weekend ceremony held in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King.

The mayor talked about his own experience in civil rights, as a gay man, and said over the...

When gambling is a click away

 January 15, 2012

I've written my fair share of compulsive gambling stories over the years, about people who commit suicide because of gambling debts or steal tens of thousands of dollars from employers so they can spend endless hours losing the money at poker...

Black firefighter recruit was one of the first people Mayor Finizio fired

 January 13, 2012

Here is one of the most embarrassing statistics about New London you will find anywhere:

The city hasn't hired a black firefighter since 1978, when it was ordered to by the federal government, or lose its funding eligibility. And there is...

Ackley vs. Buscetto: The saga will go on

 January 11, 2012

To put in perspective Police Chief Ackley's complaints against former City Councilor Michael Buscetto, I went back and listened to the discussion of her allegations during last September's Democratic primary debate.

"It is a very serious...

Chief Ackley has complained about harassment before

 January 8, 2012

Margaret Ackley files a complaint with the city, saying she is being harassed and is a victim of gender discrimination.

Ackley also says in her complaint that she has repeatedly complained about the way she was being treated and that no...

Did New London voters make a mistake in electing Finizio?

 January 6, 2012

I got an email this week from one of Mayor Finizio's critics, complaining about things like the money he spent on his new office furniture and grousing that he hasn't been out meeting with the right constituents.

Go ahead. Sell some of Riverside Park anyway.

 January 4, 2012

There were some lessons to be learned in the recent referendum to sell a part of Riverside Park to the Coast Guard for expansion of the Coast Guard Academy in New London.

One of them is that city voters turned out to be pretty evenly...

You can see some of 2012 in 2011

 January 1, 2012

So, here we are, in 2012 already.

For better or worse, 2011, of course, helped set up 2012. And around these parts of Connecticut, I would say the setup for 2012 was largely for the better, a sowing of good things to come.

Look at the...

They shoot seals, don't they?

 November 30, 2011

"Now tell me that didn't bring a smile to everyone's face."

Whither the NLDC?

 November 27, 2011

Mayor-elect Daryl Finizio did not make many campaign promises as clear and simple as the one to abolish the New London Development Corp.

That one was also, I believe, based on hearing Finizio's own pre-election assessment of voter...

Some things to be thankful for

 November 23, 2011

It's that wonderful time of year again, when we can stop and reflect on all the things we have to be thankful for.

Experts are apparently getting closer to finding the scientific evidence for how gratitude can make us feel better and become...

A casino in Palmer, Mass. would also be good for train service

 November 20, 2011

We should all be rooting for the Mohegan Sun to win one of the three Massachusetts casino licenses that appear to be soon in the offing.

Isn't it better that the Mohegans win the license for a western Massachusetts casino, for the project...

Who gets a reserved parking space in Mystic?

 November 18, 2011

I see the need for the governor to have an assigned car and driver, not just for security purposes, but because he's also expected to keep up with a hectic schedule that takes him around the state at all hours.

I also see the reason state...

Ignoring the voters of New London?

 November 16, 2011

I was struck on Election Day by what a gracious loser Rob Pero turned out to be.

In his concession speech, Pero congratulated the new New London mayor on his victory, pledged his help and urged his supporters to get behind the new...

Connecticut's car dealers say things look rosier

 November 13, 2011

Winter weather came early this year in Connecticut, with a strange fall snowstorm. And Hurricane Irene took the oomph out of fall colors.

But the Connecticut International Auto Show opened on schedule this weekend at the Connecticut...

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