Killingworth Democrats - A Great Team for a Great Town
Competent Leadership, Conservative Fiscal Policy, Community Building. That is what Cathy Iino, Lou Annino, Jr., and the rest of the Democratic team are all about. Since being elected First Selectwoman in 2009, Cathy Iino has taken on a range of initiatives to strengthen our community, while lowering the town budget at the same time. Here are some examples:
Cathy created an Energy Task Force to make this a greener town;
Cathy spearheaded a Community Conversation about Education, which brought together some 70 participants for a constructive discussion about education in our community;
Cathy got things moving with Parmelee Farm by seeking and obtaining grants, supporting efforts to obtain a historic designation, and supporting the volunteers who have contributed hundreds of hours at the farm;
Cathy launched the first town website; and
Cathy worked tirelessly to bring help, information, and restoration of electric service to our townspeople after Storm Irene.
Lou has spent the better half of his life serving our community as a volunteer and an elected official. As a long time member of our Planning & Zoning Commission, he has a record of balancing the growth needs of Killingworth along with maintaining its rural character. His professional experience managing facilities operations at Yale University, including responsibility for budgeting, staffing, strategic planning, infrastructure planning and maintenance, and emergency management make him uniquely qualified for the position of Selectman.
When Cathy Iino was elected in 2009, it was on a platform of strengthening and building our community, protecting our precious local resources and making our town government more efficient. She has stayed true to that commitment. We need to continue that work now by supporting the Iino and Annino team, the team with the integrity and commitment to keep Killingworth on the positive path we have been on over the last two years.
You can read about the whole Democratic team at our web site at www.dems.info/killingworth.
Richard Pleines
9:49 pm on Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Cathy Iino did not seek and obtain grants for Parmelee Farm. The Municipal Land Use Committee, who prior to the formation of the Parmelee Farm Steering Committee, had the charge of overseeing the Parmelee Farm, did. The $150,000 Steep Grant was initiated by Hilary Kumnick Vice Chair, and worked on by Hilary, Michelle Becker, and myself Richard Pleines Chair. It was submitted under my name as chair and Kathy Iinos for the town as First Selectman. Smaller previous grants for the house and barn were also initiated and submitted by the Municipal Land Use Committee.
Richard Pleines for First Selectman, Unaffiliated
www.killingworth first.com
Cathy Iino
9:37 am on Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Political campaigns end up using shorthand for complicated ideas and situations. I would never claim that any accomplishment in the last two years is mine alone; I think I have bored people with my expressions of gratitude for the contributions of others. I certainly appreciate all that Mr. Pleines, Hilary Kumnick, and Michelle Becker have done. But everyone involved will tell you that I have taken the lead in organizing, writing, and submitting the many grant proposals for Parmelee, including the STEAP grant and the historic preservation grants. In fact, my professional background as a writer and editor has allowed me to take on grant writing that the town would otherwise have had to contract out.
Bill Romero
8:15 pm on Thursday, October 27, 2011
Ms. Iino, Shame on you for attempting to take credit for one of the Parmelee Committee's major achievements.
I attended the BOS meeting when the STEAP grant was first presented to the BOS. Mr. Kumnick, who was said to have put together most of the grant was not there. Mr. Cabral, in an attempt to sharpen the proposal, asked for clarification of several responses on the grant. Due to Mr. Kumnick not being in attendance, the grant was sent back at a later date. You offered "no input" at this meeting.
I have come to expect blown out of proportion stories from others during this Campaign, however I am shocked to hear one this big from you.
The Town of Killingworth needs $20million plus to cover its expenses (RSD #17 budget share and Town expenses). The Town was hit with a tax increase.
You communicate that your background as a "writer and editor" as an asset to the Town. Previously you claimed the Town got $200,000 in grant money for your efforts. You are a very expensive grant writer at a salary of $61,000 plus benefits...
You are the 1st Selectman, the Town leader. Take responsibility for taxes going up and you did little to prevent that from happening.
Killingworth needs leadership who understands finances are a key part of preserving the Community. I am a fiscal conservative. I will look for new sources of revenue for Killingworth. I will fight to prevent further tax increases.
Vote for Bill Romero - Republican for 1st Selectman
...
Michelle Becker
6:29 pm on Wednesday, November 2, 2011
It seems that, for the public record, some clarification is in order.The Municipal Land Use Committee took the lead on most of the grants that have been awarded to the town for the Parmelee Farm. In my reply, below, to Mr. Pleines, I point out a number of grants that Cathy did write and obtain for the town. (There may be more that I am unaware of). Regarding the STEAP grant, however, this is roughly how it worked. I wrote the narrative components of the grant. Hilary Kumnick handled the budgetary aspects. Richard Pleines met with contractors and consultants to obtain the cost estimates needed to create the budget.
The three of us met several times in Special Meetings, often very late into the night to ensure that the application was thorough and complete. Other duties shared by the three of us included obtaining, recording and calculating the number of volunteer hours spent, researching government allowances for the types of volunteer work performed (in order to arrive at a dollar value), and reviewing previously awarded grants to other communities. I do recollect that Cathy saw the application in draft form and did offer some editorial suggestions.
Richard Pleines
2:38 pm on Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Cathy, the Connecticut Trust For Historic Preservation (HPTAG) grant in the amount of $7,614.00 for a conditions survey on the Parmelee house was for the period October 15 2008 - October 15 2009.
The Connecticut Trust for Historic Preservation Barn Grant for $5,726.59 was for the period June 2 2008 - May 31 2009.
The Middlesex County Community Foundation Grant in the amount of $3.000.00 for a Conditions Survey and Feasibility Study for the Parmelee House was the first grant submitted for the Parmelee Farm.
These historic preservation grants were all submitted by the Municipal Land Use Committee with no input from you. You never attend any Municipal Land Use Committee meetings as Selectman to give imput on these grants. All three of these grants were submitted before you took office as First Selectman in November 2009.
The Application for the Steap Grant was developed and worked on by Hilary Kumnick, Michele Becker and me at several special meetings. I do not recall you being in attendance as First Selectman at any of these meetings. I believe the first time you saw the completed grant was at a Board of Selectman's Meeting on March 8, 2010 when Hilary, Michele and I presented it to the Board of Selectman for their approval and your signature.
On March 19, 2010 Hilary, Michele and I sent a letter and back up information to grant reviewers on behalf of the Municipal Land Use Committee.
Michelle Becker
6:09 pm on Wednesday, November 2, 2011
To the best of my recollection, the above is true. Cathy Iino ought to be credited with helping to obtain support letters, from the various stakeholder groups, which were submitted with the STEAP grant application. I might add, for clarification, that Cathy did obtain a small grant for signage at the Parmelee Farm as well as another CT Trust matching grant, with the help of Joseph Hutchins, for the purpose of hiring a consultant to prepare a master plan for the site. I believe she also obtained a grant for planting trees.
Dave Adametz
12:31 pm on Thursday, October 27, 2011
Mr. Anderson, perhaps you can explain something to me:
Selectwoman Iino gave the people of Killingworth a property tax increase because of "rising education costs", when not a month earlier, Mr. McMahon of the Board of Finance stated in a town meeting that a tax increase wasn't necessary even with rising education costs. On the one hand Ms. Iino is stating how Killingworth's financial stability is the envy of all our neighbors, while on the other hand Mr. Annino of the Board of Finance laments how the town can hardly afford a $4000 primary. Now, Mr. Pleines is pointing out Ms. Iino had nothing to do with the Parmalee farm project as she claims. Essentially, either Ms. Iino isn't being honest with us, or, all these other people aren't being honest with us.
Now, her administration is grudgingly revealing there are a number of astronomically expensive projects she will be spearheading after the election (I.E. a new $2.5 million town hall, for which a $125,000 architectural bid has already been contracted), and it's a little too convenient she's also raising our taxes to increase the town's revenue at the same time. You'll forgive me when I say the reasons for the property tax increase are suspect.
Perhaps you or Ms. Iino can clarify these contradictions. The first step in bringing financial responsibility back to our town is by making government transparent, and it's clear from Ms Iino's own voting record that we cannot expect this from her administration.
Michael Hayes
4:01 pm on Saturday, October 29, 2011
Dick,
Your comment has been deleted. Critical discussion is welcome, but name calling without properly identifying yourself is not. Thanks
Bill Romero
7:25 am on Thursday, November 3, 2011
Do we really need more trees??? A rhetorical question, the answer is obvious... A better question is "Why did Ms. Iino waste time and tax payer money (her time is our tax dollars at work) on this?