"A Blue Xmas Tale" published in The Ridgefield Press Dec 23, 2010

Attention Kmart Shoppers. We have a Blue Light Special on Worker's Compensation Insurance.

We also have a clue about those tacky blue lights in front of Carnall Insurance that litter our beautiful Main Street every holiday season. I think it involves MIRMA.

Whatza MIRMA? Well, boys & girls, MIRMA is an insurance pool that Ridgefield joined in 2006 because it was $200,000 cheaper than Carnall Insurance. Except MIRMA went bust and Ridgefield has been nicked for about $1 million as our share of MIRMA's troubles which means we're taking an $800,000 bath.

A little history is in order.

In 2004 MIRMA was $2.2 million in the red. In 2005 the state Insurance Commission suggested shutting it down. Yet in 2006, with MIRMA's losses mounting, Ridgefield moved the town worker's compensation insurance to MIRMA. Why?

That's question 2.

Question 1 is who did due diligence on MIRMA & recommended it?

By 2010, 3 years after Ridgefield left MIRMA, its debt was up to to $10 million.
Sixty communities joined MIRMA. Nevertheless, according to some lawyer's calculations, Ridgefield's share of that debt is the aforementioned $1,000,000.

But if you divide $10,000,000 by sixty you get $166,666. And yet we're told we have to pony up $1,000,000. Huh? What happened to the $166,666?

This situation stinks as far as I'm concerned. I don't think we should move ahead with additional payments (we've already handed over $174,000) until all taxpayer questions have been answered in an open forum.

Don't you think a $1,000,000 is a good reason to call a town meeting? I do.

Finally, is it possible that Carnall put up the blue lights to indicate their displeasure when we left them? If so, how cheesy can an insurance company get?

And that, boys and girls, is the tale of the Blue Light Special. Ho, Ho, Ho.

Politics > Filling a vacancy on the Board of Selectmen

My opening statement delivered to Ridgefield's Board of Selectmen, December 1, 2010.

A reporter asked me what in my experience makes me a good candidate for Board of Selectmen? It was a good question. I'm going to endeavor to answer it.

I have enjoyed living in a small town for the last 29 yrs, Pound Ridge for 17 years, Ridgefield for 12 years.

In Ridgefield I have been excited by, frustrated by & have admiration for, our form of government, i.e. the town meeting, the direct connection between the citizen & the governing bodies.

As for my Ridgefield experience,

I served on the Charter Commission before this one which made several substantive changes in the way Ridgefield currently functions, an accomplishment I'm proud of.

I am familiar with many town issues because I have attended most Board of Selectman mtgs for the past 3-4 yrs, Board of Finance less so, Board of Education, Police Commission & P&Z only sporatically. Montly I rcv & review the finance reports. I understand some of it. When I don't, Kevin Redmond can atest to the fact that I call him for an explanation.

Over the years I have been a frequent contributor to the Ridgefield Press on issues that concern me. No one has ever challenged the facts of my articles or letters to the editor. In fact I have been asked to write editorial pieces -- especially around budget time -- and I have done so.

I am a frequent contributor to discussions about town issues on the Ridgefield Forum which is supported by the Ridgefield Press.

As the members of the board know from reading my resume, my professional life was spent in television -- both news and entertainment and you may be wondering how my background has relevance to my candidacy.

I'd like to say that while past experience at a particular post can be very useful, it is also just as true -- in my opinion -- that a fresh look at an old problem can be just as rewarding and I think I would bring a fresh perspective to this board.

In the case of my television career -- as both a producer and director -- both management positions, I had to work with diverse groups of people.

1. Being a director/producer teaches one the necessity of working in concert.
2. Television also teaches creative approaches to problem solving.
3. While directing Live Television forces one to make decisions
4. Directing Live Television also requires thorough preparation so, hopefully, one can make appropriate decisions.

I have never been afraid to ask 'why' or to say 'I don't understand' or 'will you explain that to me?" or to research or to investigate independently.

My news experiences, working with luminaries like Walter Cronkite, Mike Wallace, Don Hewitt & others taught me to deal in facts, rather than dwell on wishful thinking.

In various positions at the networks, as with startups, working on prime time specials & for independent projects, I've had to formulate & was responsible for, million dollar budgets & working within those budgets.

I served on the national board of the Directors Guild of America, & in that capacity, took part in negotiating a number of labor contracts.

I think it's very important for you to understand that I'm pretty much a W-Y-S-I-W-Y-G person, what you see is what you get.

I have no hidden agenda. I don't have kids in school, I don't aspire to higher political office, I don't belong to a political party.

My Ridgefield acquaintences are varied: home owner, senior, young parent, shop keeper, service worker, upper class, middle class, working class. Some individuals in that circle are more liberal or more conservative than I am. Yet I thoroughly enjoy open discussions with all of them.

Although I understand partisan politics I don't believe in partisan governance, i.e. for me, as I'm sure it is for all of you, governance should be based on what is beneficial to all constituents, a balance for the entire community.

So why am I sitting at this table just now?

1. You should know this was not a snap decision on my part.

2. For many, many months I have been considering the possiblity of running for a BoS seat in 2011

3. Many people encouraged me to come out from behind my computer to do so but I never felt comfortable about doing it from a Democratic or Republican party platform.

4. The application of CT Statute 922 has now permitted me the luxury of not having to make that political decision & has allowed me, as an un-affiliated candiate, to volunteer my time to this board.

I like to think of this opportunity to serve as the kind of citizen candidate the founding father's envisioned, rather than as a member of the political class.

Given the opportunity, I can only hope that I could be half as wise as some of them turned out to be.

Thank you for this opportunity to address you & -- of course -- I will be happy to answer any of your questions or any questions that the audience might have for me. 

I was not the selected candidate for the open position. There will be more on this little saga in future posts.