LETTER TO THE EDITOR

I was born and grew up in New Britain. I was raised in a single parent household with three other siblings. My Mom was a hard-working lady who never asked for help, but provided for us the best she could. She worked long hours, but we were feed and clothed and knew that we were loved. Part of the experience of living in New Britain was growing up in Mt. Pleasant Housing Project. Growing up in the 1950’s had a profound impact on me. I thought that New Britain was like a New York City. My Mom would take me and my sister downtown once a month and we would spend the whole day going through all of the stores that lined Main Street. Our end of the day treat was dinner at The Charfar Chinese Restaurant at the far end of Main Street. Once we finished, in went the bus tokens and the ride home.
The night sky would glow with the output of blast furnaces producing steel for New Britain’s many factories. The entire downtown had multi-storied buildings and the most magnificent Theater, The Strand. I was awestruck at its beauty and taken in by the hustle and bustle of a vibrant downtown New Britain.
As I grew up, I traveled about but I always came home to New Britain. In 1979, I performed in Hair at The Hole in The Wall Theater, and now it is being revived on
Broadway. Eventually I purchased a house in the Belvedere section of New Britain, where I have lived for the past 27 years. I have invested my time and energy to make it a better neighborhood, becoming a member of the Belvedere Property Owners Association for many years and the Town and Gown to help address the impact of CCSU on our neighborhood.
Currently, I work for Northeast Utilities as a Senior Engineer. I serve on New Britain’s City Plan Commission and was a Chairman of New Britain’s ZBA. I had also served as an Alderman from 1997 -2001. I was a past Council president at First Lutheran Church.
The reason I bring up New Britain’s past is the fact that we have the future ahead of us. Our Mayor, Tim Stewart, has been an advocate for the rebirth of New Britain for many years. In this he is sincere. However, he needs non-partisan individuals on the Common Council to work with him to fulfill that goal. We can no longer tolerate a Council that berates and discourages developers from coming into town. Remember, a thriving New Britain benefits everyone – Democrat, Republican and Independent.