It was not shocking news for many of the city’s residents to learn of the possible demise of New Britain’s newspaper. It was very noticeable in its approach since many of their news stands stood idle adjacent to the Herald offices. The readership dwindled due to a lack of news coverage.
Additionally, its reporting style of news coverage changed drastically since the departure of Editor, Patrick Thibodeau. The noticeable change in style seemed to irritate its loyal readers. Reporter after reporter came and left. One would assume that there was a revolving door for the reporters or was it just a low pay schedule with little future advancement in pay that made them move on? Consistency was lost and in time, so were the readers.
I recall Mr. Thibodeau sitting in the front row of the City’s Council chambers and would be insulted or abused by the Aldermen regarding his past news reports but Pat would just sit there showing no emotions and his following day’s report would not even mention the vicious personal attacks, but would only report the newsworthy issues for his loyal readers.
There were many good reporters that followed Pat such as Elisa Hutcoe [Krockmalnyckyj] who subsequently joined Pat as his co editor of a Washington enterprise called the “Computerworld” which is based out of Boston, Massachusetts.
There were many more notable writers in addition to the two aforementioned like Ms. P Riordan, Ms. Herran Kerry, and now Ms. Lisa Backus is holding the fort along with Rick Guinness and Scott Whipple.
I am sure that Mr. William Millerick, a former Editor of the paper, is holding back his emotions over this great loss for our city.
I personally feel what the Late Mrs. Brown, former publisher would say if she were here to say it, along side the late Mr. Vance.
I cannot finish this dialog without mentioning the faithful all around assistant to everyone in the newsroom, Ms. Carroll Miller, who dealt with the public such as me with charm and impeccable grace.
I wish to convey to all who were associated with the Herald a heartfelt thank you for your dedication to your readers and you will all be sorely missed by all the residents you so faithfully served.
Any comments from current or past readers are welcome on this blog and you may make your comments anonymous or you may sign your name to your comments, but feel free to join in on wishing the men and women behind the scenes at the Herald a fond farewell.
28 comments:
Frank,
Your words are too kind. I have many, many fond memories of working in the city.
And, let it be known, that some of my best stories came from tips you passed along to me. So you don't know how exciting it is to see your blog. You know this city cold; I think your blog is going to be very, very popular.
My best,
Pat Thibodeau
Mr. Smith,
Apparently Mr. Thibodeau taught you well! Keep up the good work. It is obvious that you have a large readership.
Although his tenure at the Herald was relatively short and his age was young..perhaps in his early to mid twenties, Bill Larkin was also an asset to the Herald. It's a shame that he suddenly left for parts unknown, the Herald would have been better off if he were to have stayed.
To The Herald Subscriber:
I do miss Mr. Larkin’s way of reporting the news for the short tenure he lasted at the Herald.
In my original posting of the "the pending demise of the New Britain Herald" the list of staff and contributors is so long, that if you were left out it was unintentional.
I wish to thank all those who were responsible for keeping the Herald running all these years. Thanks again to the many reporters, photographers, circulation people, printing and composing people, all the other countless staff, and even the advertisers that made it all possible!
There were so many good people involved that we just can't name you all, but hopefully our readers will post mention of their friends and family here.
My elderly parents are the only people I know who still get The
Herald, and they only read the obituaries.
Good article about one of our good state representatives...
O’Brien renews fight against tax inequities;
Friday, November 14, 2008
By JAMES CRAVEN
Herald staff
NEW BRITAIN — The state’s poorest pay more of their income for property taxes than the wealthiest.
With legislators scheduled to come back to work in January, state Rep. Tim O’Brien is already planning how he can fix that, bringing tax relief to the people of Connecticut.
O’Brien represents the 24th District in New Britain and Newington. First elected in 2002, he was re-elected easily this year for a fourth term as an advocate of property tax reform.
“The way our property taxes are handled now is a bad system that should be changed,” O’Brien said Thursday.
Along with other House Democrats, O’Brien worked last year on a bill that he believed would cut income taxes for 90 percent of the taxpayers in the state, double the property tax credit for a potential savings of $8 million for New Britain taxpayers and increase the property tax credit against the income tax to $1,000 from $500.
“The plan would have brought about $10 million in tax relief to our local taxpayers,” O’Brien said.
The bill, which passed in the state House and Senate, was vetoed by Gov. M. Jodi Rell.
State Sen. Donald Williams, president pro tempore, supported the bill and was disappointed by Rell’s veto.
“The governor’s veto is unfortunate and a missed opportunity for working families in this state,” Williams said at the time. “They lose. And that’s sad.”
Although the burden of the property tax system is unfair to many middle-class taxpayers, O’Brien said, he believes it can be fixed if certain problems are looked at and addressed. Among them, sprawl, competing generations and tax inequality are the biggest problems facing taxpayers.
O’Brien said the current property tax system encourages a pattern of development that undermines the quality of life in Connecticut and stresses the infrastructure of many communities. With 169 cities and towns competing for the property tax revenue that follows development, small towns change from rural communities to suburbs. The end result is that more affluent residents move, leaving behind seniors and lower-income residents in inner-ring areas.
When the lower-income residents — often younger people with children — then look to increase spending for schools, they are confronted by older residents on fixed incomes who fight tax increases.
“An example is the problems in Plainville this year, where there were multiple attempts to pass a budget,” O’Brien said.
Finally, O’Brien asserts that the inequality of the property tax system produces two closely related issues. As a group, the middle class and lower class bear a disproportionate burden from property taxes, which are usually higher than state income taxes.
In a 2003 study conducted by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, when all Connecticut taxes are totaled, the state and local tax rate on the top 1 percent of Connecticut families — with average incomes of $2.4 million — is 6.4 percent. On middle-class families, defined as those earning between $37,000 and $60,000, the average tax rate is 10.4 percent. But on those earning less than $21,000, the tax rate is 10.3 percent.
And while those with the highest and middle-class incomes can itemize deductions and reduce their effective tax rate to 4.4 percent and 9.5 percent, those earning the least cannot. They end up paying at a rate nearly two and a half times that of the very wealthy.
“It’s hardly fair for the top 20 percent of the population to pay substantially less than someone making less than $21,000,” O’Brien said. “There’s something wrong when you’re paying more for property taxes than you are for your state income taxes.”
To bring about change, he advocates a plan that, according to information on his Web site, would work like the following example:
A family with a property tax bill of $5,000 who paid $3,000 in state income taxes would get a $1,500 credit. The credit is factored by subtracting the income tax ($3,000) from the property tax ($5,000), then multiplying the remaining $2,000 by 0.75, resulting in a property tax bill of $3,500.
While the initial rendition of the bill last year called for an upper-income statewide municipal tax of 3.95 percent on the wealthiest 1 percent of the population, O’Brien said he was willing to be flexible on the numbers.
“I want to work with all members of the Legislature to come up with a plan that’s acceptable to everyone,” he said. “I’m not interested in the authorship, just the end result of bringing tax relief to people.”
Although the state faces an estimated state deficit of more than $300 billion, O’Brien said he is optimistic about the future of property tax reform.
“I intend to work with both sides of the aisle on this and see if we can come up with a consensus that we can bring to the governor,” O’Brien said.
Several Republican legislators were called for their comments or ideas on property tax reform, but none responded.
James Craven can be reached at jcraven@newbritainherald.com or by calling (860) 225-4601, ext. 231.
Mayor Stewart:
We all understand as to why on July 27th you asked for security cameras in the Sgt. Szczesny parking garage and then turned around and told Mr. Dennis Pelligrino they are too many priorities ahead of this project.
That was because you didn’t want the cameras to expose “Deep Throat”, while in the garage, to the general public.
You just wanted to keep it a secret from all of us.
The Third Deep Throat...
Tim O'Brien (born June 13, 1968) is a CT State Representative. He is a member of the Connecticut House of Representatives and represents the Twenty-Fourth Assembly District, which includes parts of New Britain and Newington.
O'Brien was first elected to the Connecticut House of Representatives in 2002, having previously served as a member of the Common Council of the City of New Britain.
As a state legislator, O'Brien has been a strong advocate for reform to Connecticut's property tax system, an effort to change the fact that middle class and poorer taxpayers, particularly those in Connecticut's cities, pay a higher percentage of their incomes in property taxes than wealthy persons in Connecticut. O'Brien also advocates for extending health care benefits to all of the residents of the state, increasing funding to public schools, expanding Connecticut's prescription drug coverage and protecting workers' rights.
In the 2005-2006 term of the legislature,[1] O'Brien was the Vice-Chair of the Government Administration and Elections Committee, and was a member of the Finance Revenue and Bonding Committee and the Education Committee. In the 2007-2008 term,[2] he left the Government Administration and Elections Committee and was named to the Public Health Committee and Judiciary Committee.
As Vice-Chair of the Government Administration and Elections Committee, O'Brien worked actively for approval of Connecticut's sweeping 2005 campaign finance reform legislation. The campaign finance reform law provides for public financing of candidates for statewide and state legislative offices who agree not to accept large amounts of private campaign contributions and agree to limit their overall campaign expenditures.
O'Brien also worked for the approval of state legislation designed to ensure voter-verified hard-copy records of votes for any direct-recording electronic voting machines to be used in Connecticut.
As a member of the New Britain City Council (Common Council) O'Brien worked for the change in the way New Britain City Council members were elected from an "at-large" system, to one that ensures that every neighborhood elects Council members by and from their own neighborhood districts.
He also worked for the approval of a local law (ordinance) to provide minimum wages for the workers of companies doing business with or receiving subsidies from the city (living wage ordinance) and anti-slumlord ordinances.
O'Brien is married to Negro Woman Ms. Rhona Cohen O'Brien, and has a step-son named Eoin.
No details of the Common Council 11/12/08 meeting about Jamie Giantonio were published in The Paper by Herald Staff Reporter Rick Guinness...little also about Jamie was reported by Hartford Courant.
Was Rick Guinness barred from the meeting by the trio of Trueworthy (Truly-Wothless) and Sherwood, so Guinness wouldn't/couldn't report about the singing canary Leslie Jacobs?
Frank, that must be a real surprise for these guys who accused you of having Rick Guiness ghost write for you, to find out it was the editor of the paper.
No details of the Common Council 11/12/08 meeting about Jamie Giantonio were published in The Paper by Herald Staff Reporter Rick Guinness...little also about Jamie was reported by Hartford Courant.
Was Rick Guinness barred from the meeting by the trio of Trueworthy (Truly-Wothless) and Sherwood, so Guinness wouldn't/couldn't report about the singing canary Leslie Jacobs comments?
On 11/10/08 Jacobs related to Reporter Guinness: “Two months ago I got a phone call asking if I would be interested [in filling Kraczkowsky’s position],” Jacobs said. “I loved being on the board of education,” adding that it was Democrat Phil Sherwood who called her.
“Phil Sherwood asked if I would be interested. I don’t attend Town Committee meetings because of the way they treated me when I was on the board of Ed. Phil knew I had been interested in being on the board again.”
I'm hearing rumors that the New Britain Herald and affiliates have figured out a way to stay open...at least for now by outsourcing their newspaper distribution and eliminating home delivery altogether. Just a rumor of course.
If true, you'd have to think eliminating home delivery will drive their daily readership down even further.
Wow Phil, you are the best. Maybe you can consult The Herald on their
business. If anyone can turn things around for the positive it's you Phil. Young and vibrant, a fresh approach to the city of New Britain. Don't let all these nasty negative blogs get you down. You just keep your chin up and keep
up the good work. Politics are tough but you will come out on top.
I just know it. The decisions you made this week were difficult but you did the right thing.
Why would the Herald stop home deliveries altogether? Most weeks, there's at least one day they don't deliver to our home. We call the Herald about it, but it keeps happening.
The following is from either (a) Phil Sherwood himself
(b) Michelle Trueworthy
(c)Beelzebub:
anonymous said...
Wow Phil, you are the best. Maybe you can consult The Herald on their
business. If anyone can turn things around for the positive it's you Phil. Young and vibrant, a fresh approach to the city of New Britain. Don't let all these nasty negative blogs get you down. You just keep your chin up and keep
up the good work. Politics are tough but you will come out on top.
I just know it. The decisions you made this week were difficult but you did the right thing.
November 15, 2008 6:09 PM
I remember back in the 1960's Herald photographer Roger Gaudio was at many functions throughout the city...he was the best!! I think many stories were written around his photos, rather than the other way around. Didn't he receive many awards for his work?
To The New Britain voter that brought back old memories with the following:
Remember back in the 1960's Herald photographer Roger Gaudio was at many functions throughout the city...he was the best!! I think many stories were written around his photos, rather than the other way around. Didn't he receive many awards for his work?
Roger was a good friend but as the old saying goes “out of sight out of mind.”
I have to apologize for not having remembered to mention Mr. Gaudio when naming many of the personalities. He had a good sense of humor and was liked by everyone who had the pleasure of meeting him.
To Gimme A Break,
I am none of the above. I just really appreciate all that the democratic council is doing for our city. They are stepping up and
giving their full service to the community.
All these "Debbie Downers" on Franks Blog.
Isn't it interesting that Phil Sherwood is speaking on behalf of the New Britain Herald, especially when it is Frank Smith that has the backing of an editor. I wonder who at the Herald Sherwood is in cahoots with, and that falls in line with the comments that Sherwood controls the press in New Britain.
The word on the street is that the Video production of the council meeting shot on Nov.12th by Plainville Nutmeg TV crew and scheduled for public broadcasting at 6:30 P.M. Wednesday Nov.19th has been condensed to an hour viewing time. Alderman Trueworthy engineered the action with the aid of Alderman Phil Sherwood Deputy Director Connecticut Citizen Action Group (CCAG) Hartford, CT assisted by Spazeboy an Online Organizer with CCAG.
Mayor Stewart:
I was delighted to hear of your plans to veto the council’s recent appointment of Leslie Jacobs to the Board of Education and I commend you for your plan to do the right thing for the children of this city.
The Republican Party worked hard to find a suitable appointee for this vacancy and they found what they believed was the right person in Jamie Giantonio. Mr. Giantonio has a background in teaching and is the parent of two young children, so he has a vested interest in the well being of our educational system.
Filling of this vacancy, being a Republican seat on the Board, should be left up to the leadership of the Republican Party, free from interference of Democratic Aldermen who appear to have other interests besides the welfare of the children in mind.
The public and more specifically, the parents, agree. I have heard from a number of parents who are simply outraged over this entire process. A long line of public members, mostly parents, spoke against this appointment at the council meeting last Wednesday, but the council simply chose to ignore them. I urge you to listen to the people of this city and do what is right for our children.
VETO THE APPOINTMENT OF LESLIE JACOBS!
Jamie Giantonio said...
Frank-
I appreciate all the support. It is refreshing to see that someone I have never even met or talked to, can see through the political BS and recongize that I was the logical candidate for this appointment.
I just want to clear up one thing, not sure how this started. I am a parent of a child in the school system, and I do have another on the way, but I do not have a teaching degree, nor was I ever a teacher. That does not change anything. I am still very committed to making sure our schools are the best they can be. I also understand the need to be fiscally responsible- there needs to be some balance there. I have been involved with the schools in NB. I was very involved in the St. Francis community prior to it's closing, I served on the PJP2school board for a period, and my wife and I are active in the Lincoln PTO.
I was very disappointed in the outcome of the council meeting last Wednesday. I found it interesting that the council referred to the show of support for the golf course when voting against that, but other than the Republican Council members mentioning the people who showed up for me, you would have never known anyone did.
I was even more disappointed after the meeting when I spoke to three members of the council,and was informed of a few things (which they will deny as they told me they would):
1. I did not get the appointment because I did not have enough friends on the board.
2. I never had a chance. Some members of the board committed to Ms. Jacobs before my recommendation from the RTC and never even considered me.
Also very interesting to see that the Herald was not there, nor have they mentioned it at all. When I spoke to mr Guinness on Monday, i expected to see him Wednesday, or at least hear from him. Now talk of the meeting being trimmed for TV? I wonder what will get trimmed?
Very interesting stuff going on in NB. Good to see since the papers aren't covering it, there are blogs like this to at least keep people informed.
Thanks again
Jamie Giantonio
November 17, 2008 12:00 PM
Mayor vetoes school board appointment
Saturday, November 22, 2008 10:57 PM EST
By RICK GUINNESS
Herald Press staff
NEW BRITAIN — Mayor Timothy Stewart has vetoed the school board’s appointment of Leslie Jacobs to fill a Republican vacancy left by Marilyn Kraczkowsky.
The Democratically controlled common Council at its regular meeting Wednesday had picked Jacobs by a vote of 13-2, even though the Republican Town Committee had nominated Jamie Giantonio, whom Stewart refers to in his statement as “a young professional who stepped up to take time away from his career and family to serve on the Board of Education.”
The way the mayor sees it, Giantonio “certainly deserved a better explanation than the poor excuse from Alderman Phil Sherwood — that he picked the person who called him on the phone rather than Mr. Giantonio, who only sent him a letter. This absurdity would be laughable if it were not being carried out at the expense of the education of the city’s children,” the statement said.
“Miss Jacobs did nothing to hide the arrogant, flippant attitude that earned her a reputation as an ineffective member during her earlier time on the board,” Stewart said. “I cannot stand by and let this appointment go through without giving the council the opportunity to rethink this action and put aside partisanship in favor of doing what is right for this community’s children.”
But the mayor goes beyond what most Democrats are able to accomplish with their buzz-word-laced press releases. By invoking “the children” not once but twice, the reader is prepared to accept his harangue of Jacobs, a former Republican school-board member the Democrats pulled out of retirement.
Just by showing up, she was able to bump Giantonio, the Republican’s choice for replacing Kraczkowsky.
Kraczkowsky is a tough act to follow, having been one of the few voices on the school board to stand up to superintendent of schools Doris Kurtz.
In his statement, Stewart invoked the “Founding Fathers” and the “U.S. Constitution,” and said if the framers were “somehow magically transported to 2008 New Britain, they would recoil at how far we have strayed from their vision and how petty, bitter and partisan our local government has become.”
Stewart said state statutes “specifically delineate minority [party] representation on school boards in an attempt to achieve that balance of power as envisioned by the Constitution.”
Aside from Pat Coyle, Paul Carver and Jim Sanders, there is no conservative contingent on the school board.
Giantonio would have been more moderate a Republican than Jacobs.
In a press release to counter the mayor’s statement, Democratic Alderman Phil Sherwood this weekend said the mayor’s veto made his disdain for Jacobs and others in the Republican Party (he didn’t say who) clear.
“Leslie is a Republican in the Tony Tercyak tradition,” Peter Tercyak said, referring to his father, D-26th District state representative, in Sherwood’s statement.
“When it comes down to it, both were qualified candidates, but Leslie had served on the committee,” Sherwood said, adding the most difficult part of being on the council is making appointments.
Sherwood noted the charter says the Council chooses the person to be appointed.
“But the party bosses for many years were the ones who filled the vacancy,” Sherwood said. “If we are breaking with that, it’s a good thing.”
The Republicans are divided, he added, saying that the Democrats didn’t want to get involved in Republican infighting and drama — “but in the end we had to pick one.”
To override the mayor’s veto, the council would have to produce 10 votes.
“None of us were surprised by the mayor’s veto,” Sherwood said Saturday. “I am supporting Leslie because she is the only person who asked me for my support and personally called me on the phone.”
URL: http://www.newbritainherald.com/articles/2008/11/22/news/doc4928d14684824761511429.prt
© 2008 newbritainherald.com, a Journal Register Property
Phil Sherwood is so full of it...he knows not that of what he speaks, parrotting what Democratic party bosses fill his head with.
11/23/08
The late, former Connecticut State Representative, Anthony (“Tony”) Tercyak (R 26), was a respected and revered public servant and a former public school educator. He was a gentle, well-mannered person. I don’t know or wish to know of anyone who had a contrary opinion of Tony.
Leslie Jacobs, the person nominated by New Britain Common Council Democrats to fill the New Britain Board of Ed. vacancy created by the resignation of BOE member Marilyn Kraczkowsky, is, in my opinion, the exact antithesis of Anthony Tercyak.
NB Council Democrats, led by Mike Trueworthy and Phil Sherwood, overrode the nomination of Jamie Giantonio, the person who had been endorsed unanimously by the New Britain Republican Town Committee to fill the BOE vacancy. This was a childish power play, a tool of NB Council Democrats that has become characteristic and expected of every vote they take on anything that has the potential of dissing Republicans.
To imply that Leslie Jacobs is, “ … a Republican in the Tony Tercyak tradition” is a revolting implication. It is also denigrating, despicable and disgusting to the memory of Tony Tercyak. But this is what people in NB have come to expect from Alderman Phil Sherwood, the person who made that statement at the 11/12/08 Council meeting - contrary to what was reported in today’s Herald.
As one speaker – name being withheld here - stated in public participation, it’s time for Democrats on the Council to stop this foolishness. The lady specifically addressed her remarks to Mike Trueworthy.
Lou Salvio, Republican Alderman, NB
New Britain Common Council
A polite reminder to Bugsy who claims who needs the New Britain Herald.
Mr. Bugsy there three other newspaper associated with the Herald and an approximate 21 weeklies.
Can you imagine the adverse affect that all these employees losing their jobs will have on our economy. The displaced employees without a job who are not able to spend to keep our businesses they used to deal with, in Conn. who will in turn will not be able to keep afloat financially.
The adverse harm with all these loses is devastating for our area.
I appreciate your recommending my blog buy I only cover a small area of what all these identities are able to cover.
Please support a suitable buyer for all theses identities Mr. Torn.
.
frank smith
State Representative Tim O’Brien should be commended for his spearheading the legislative efforts to save the New Britain Herald and The Bristol Press together with his legislative colleagues.
The Press Staff Steve Collins and Adam Benson have reported today that the state commissioner of the state Department of Economic and Community Development Ms. Joan McDonald stated there could be serious discussions under way for the two dailies.
Continuing by noting we are going to aggressively outreach to see if there are other potential buyers.
Both New Britain and Bristol fervently need a source of local news and unfortunately another paper published nearby has neglected the reporting of New Britain’s local news effectively.
Tim’s legislative colleagues deserve the recognition of their efforts with this matteras well.
Friday, January 16, 2009
Deal to buy paper may be signed Monday
The word around the paper is that the deal to sell The Bristol Press, New Britain Herald and three weeklies to Mike Schroeder and his silent partner should be finalized on Monday.
Let's hope the Journal Register Co., the current owner, doesn't find a way to muck it up.
*******
Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
Posted by Steve Collins at 1/16/2009 11:56:00 AM
Labels: Bristol Press, JRC, New Britain Herald, newspapers
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