"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.