Waterford Times

Reclaiming the Field: WHS girls' soccer goes high-profile under Coach Brule

Interactive Desk — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 16:13:02 GMT

While patrolling the Lancer sidelines during girls’ soccer games with his perfectly coiffed hair, trim physique, cleanly-shaven chiseled face, Oakley sunglasses, and Adidas designer sweatsuit, Waterford High’s Rob Brule looks like he stepped out of a Hollywood casting call audition.

Brule has looks, passion, and personality—few coaches can match his in-game quips and outspoken newspaper quotes. In many ways, he looks like a polished used car salesman making big bucks turning reclamation projects into gold.

But while he embodies a signature style, Brule’s soccer career as a player, coach, and camp director signifies substance. Since taking over as head coach of the Lancer girls’ soccer program in 1994, Brule has established the program as not only one of the best in Eastern Connecticut, but the state, posting a 131-23-6 record since 2000.

Waterford recently finished the 2008 season with a 9-5-4 record, advancing to the Class L state tournament second round. Though the Lancers saw their nine-year ECC Divisional title streak end, nine wins would have seemed unheard of for Waterford girls soccer during Brule’s early years.

Brule earned All-State recognition twice in the mid ’80s as a WHS midfielder under coach Michael Jackson, now head women’s coach at the University of New Hampshire. He later earned a Division I scholarship at the University of Maine and became an Olympic Developmental Player.

He officially became head coach in 1994 after serving a couple of seasons at junior varsity. The varsity coach was pregnant, gave birth, and could not continue her commitment. Nobody gave that change much thought because Waterford girls’ soccer was one of those sports that reeked of apathy. The Lancers were 0-16 in 1991 and 1-15 in 1992. Most of Waterford’s best female athletes focused on softball and girls’ basketball then.

From 0-16 in 1991 to 16-0 in 2004.

Though Brule was not alone in the reclamation project, like restoring a clunker to a Cadillac, he was the focal point of a change in girls’ soccer philosophy in town.

“At the time I had no idea that I would still be coaching girls’ soccer at WHS 16 years later,” Brule said. “Nor would anyone have believed we would have gone from 0-16 to 16-0 in such a short amount of time. I knew Waterford produced some of the best female athletes in the area. I knew I had to go out and convince these athletes to play soccer. To do that I made it cool to play soccer here. We took pre-season trips to Maine and played teams from other states, and ran the program like a college program, which in turn, made it the most attractive option for the talented athletes that were looking to stay physically fit and be part of a special movement in girls’ soccer.”

A commitment from the Waterford Soccer Club helped ignite the rebuilding project. Gregg Swanson, club president and present WHS boys’ soccer coach, and John Dipollina, vice president, helped Brule plant seeds for getting more girls involved in soccer.

“There were only 25 girls playing soccer in the town at that time, there was a co-ed middle school team, not a boys’ and a girls’ soccer team,” Brule said. “We allocated funds and volunteer time to create a girls’ travel program and all-girl recreational teams. Since then, the club has grown to nearly 600, with nearly 300 female players in the town.”

Brule also teamed with Warren Swanson, the former national champion Mitchell College coach considered the guru of local soccer, and former Waterford superintendent, Dennis Curren, to convince the Board of Education to start an all-girls’ soccer team at Clark Lane. Brule’s first few years showed improvement (4-8-3 in 1994, 5-8-3 in 1995) if not winning records. Brule just did not want to field a winning team in the ECC, but a representative team to contend with Fairfield County and upstate soccer powers.

And his formation of the Connecticut Coast Soccer Camp, the first all-girl summer camp, helped him realize those lofty goals.

“The camp was just an idea I had when I first started coaching, because I found girls in town did not have any real forum to improve,” Brule said. “All the local camps were co-ed or boys’ camps. I remember convincing the Waterford Soccer Club to sponsor the camp, in hopes of getting more girls involved in soccer in town and providing the better female players in Waterford a comprehensive training program that would help them improve technically and tactically. Well, we had 22 girls the first summer, then 30, the next summer 50. It wasn’t until 1998 we reached 75 campers, all from Waterford. In 1999, the soccer club had the foresight to open registration to all towns and with that decision, it has become the largest all-girl soccer camp in southern Connecticut.”

Brule possesses a rare ability to motivate large groups, whether they are players or sponsors.

“Rob has terrific promotional ability in addition to being very competitive,” Warren Swanson said. “He marketed the camp and attracted big-time names like Olympian Kristine Lilly to regularly appear as guest speakers. Rob brings an excitement to everything he touches.”

Swanson raised two sons, Gregg and Gary, who became Division I players and remain close to Brule to this day.

“Rob was a pioneer directing the all-girl soccer camp,” Gregg Swanson said. “He’s very motivated and is constantly looking for ways to promote the sport and help players improve. While doing this, he never loses perspective and keeps things fun.”

Making Waterford competitive was not enough. Soon, with the help of a beefed up feeder system, the Lancers developed some All-State players in Libby Gregg (’98-’01), Jo Welsh (’99-’02), Alyssa Castronova (’99-’01), and Whitney Dipollina (’99-’02). The once laughable Lancers posted records of 16-2 in 2000, 15-2-1 in 2001, and 17-2-1 in 2002, reaching the Class M semifinals that year.

“I never got discouraged about the program not living up to my standards because I truly believe we are still a relatively young program on the state level.” Brule said. “I always compare our program to the best teams in the state not with other teams here. No offense to all the other teams in our area because every team in our league has improved and is getting stronger, however, the level of competition in the FCIAC, SWC, and NCCC is the standard I compare us to and look to as our benchmark. When we begin beating teams of that caliber in the state tournament consistently, that is when I feel we have arrived on the state level.”

If the aforementioned All-Staters put Waterford on the state girls’ soccer radar, the arrival of Katie Schoepfer was the crown jewel of Brule’s operation. Schoepfer (’02-’05) scored 40 goals as a senior to end her career with a state record 157 goals. The midfielder made All-New New England four years, was the state’s player of the year as a senior, and earned All-America honors. She is currently an All-America player at nationally-ranked Penn State.

“Katie was a once-in-a-lifetime player who comes around far too infrequently,” Brule said. “The great thing about Katie is that she is a National Team player, high school and college All-American, and still finds the time to call and visit and keep in touch with me and the girls. She has never forgotten where she came from, never forgotten the work she needed to put in to be successful, and always appreciated the fact that as a high school coach, I let Katie be Katie. I wanted her to have fun, enjoy her high school years, and be proud to have been part of a program that takes care of its players both on and off the field.”

Speaking of Schoepfer, Brule adapts his coaching style to suit his most talented player.

“My philosophy has always been, ‘Treat a player as she is, she will remain as she is, treat a player as if she were what she could be and should be, she will become what she could be and should be,’ he said. “I have always shaped training sessions around my best players, not my marginal players, and I don’t mean that disrespectfully. It really helped build the program to where it is today and helped produce 10 collegiate players [5 Division I scholarship players].”

If hard work, curfews—players are not allowed to attend Friday night football games if they have a Saturday morning game—and commitment to academics—Brule expects players to achieve As and high Bs—are program staples, so is a light-hearted touch.

“Rob has the ability to get along with kids and be kid-friendly because he acts playful like a kid,” John Dipollina said. “He’s a great communicator and has a gift of gab, speaking well of himself and others. He can carry a tone for quite a while and make it fun. When he addresses the team, the players are not like, ‘Oh my god, I’ve got to listen to this again.’”

Allison Rolls was goalie in 1994 and one of Brule’s first All-State players. She never considered soccer her clear-cut favorite sport—she also played basketball and softball—but she accepted a Division I scholarship to Central Connecticut State University to play goalkeeper. Now married, Allison Rolls Delaney is the successful girls’ varsity coach at Montville High.

“You always wanted to play hard for Rob,” Delaney said. “Though we worked hard, we had fun. We were able to get better without it feeling like work, because he was so funny with his comments. If not for him, I wouldn’t have played soccer in college. He’s been a role model for me, being coached by him, coaching beside him, and coaching against him.”

Brule says he’s just passing along what he was taught.

“I use humor when at all possible and give 100 percent of my time and commitment to every training session or game,” Brule said. “Coach Jackson, my high school coach, was the most influential person in my childhood and I feel he instilled a passion in me to become a two-time All-State and Division I college player. I just hope my players leave WHS feeling the same way about me as I did for my high school coach.”

Aside from Delaney, former players Shawn Cooley, Mallory Silva, and Erin Patterson, a WHS assistant, also coach at his camp.

“I care about everyone in the program as people first and players second,” he said, “hoping the memories that they have of being part of Waterford girls’ soccer will last a lifetime.”

By Larry Kelley
Special to the Times

Lessons Learned in the Military: Kente Center marks Veterans Day with special panel discussion

Interactive Desk — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 16:07:45 GMT

Rev. Wade Hyslop was adamant this year. He did not want Veterans Day to be just another carefree day off from work or school.

“Kids should not be spending today at the mall,” he said.

So in a vacation-day-flanking maneuver, Hyslop and the Kente Cultural Center held a panel discussion at OIC last week about the role of black veterans in the military.

And, as it turns out, you don’t need to go too far to get some history.

Kente invited six local veterans whose lives span an era from World War II to the end of the Vietnam War, to tell their stories.

Of course, it’s not just military history—narratives of where they were stationed, where they sailed, or where they fought. The six vets—Roy Sebastian, Betty Davis, Fran Anderson, Frank Jarvis, Richard Vessells, and Ernest Danford—encountered racism and prejudice, learned lessons about themselves, taught plenty more to others, and offered hope to people in the audience that the good in people will, eventually, prevail.

Music From All Walks of Life

“There’s something about being on a submarine,” said Frank Jarvis, a Navy vet, now a detective in the New London Police Department. “You have to get along.”

Jarvis moved to New London from St. Maarten, and graduated from New London High in 1972 with average grades.

He did feel college was right for him, but had a friend who worked aboard submarines. After his parents signed a waiver, Jarvis was off to San Diego for basic training.

“You can imagine, not knowing anyone and being 3,000 miles from home,” he said.

Aboard a sub patrolling the Pacific during the latter stages of the Vietnam War, he met a fellow sailor who was from the Ozarks.

“I was the first black person he ever talked to,” Jarvis said. “That made me stop and think.”

It turned out at the Arkansan and Jarvis, who became friends, shared a common passion: music.

“I liked Isaac Hayes,” Jarvis said, “and he loved Charley Pride. We heard music from all walks of life.”

Box Cars

Roy Sebastian was working at Electric Boat in 1944 when his draft number was called, and soon he was off to Fort Devens in Massachusetts.

“I was a homeboy, you know,” said Sebastian, an Eastern Pequot. “I was there for two months.”

Sebastian served in the Army when units were segregated. Integrated units began in 1948, by virtue of President Harry Truman’s executive order, though the armed forces were not totally desegregated until 1954.

Word came that Sebastian’s unit was to be sent to Alabama to complete training at Fort McLennan.

“We rode all the way to Washington, D.C., in Pullman cars,” he said. “Once we were there, we had to get out, and they put us in box cars.”

Though, while stationed in Alabama, Sebastian frequented the PX, where he became entranced by the “pretty girl that worked behind the counter.”

The pretty girl became his wife, who Sebastian calls “his Southern belle.”

From Springfield, Mass.

Betty Davis’ parents wanted her to go on to higher education. She graduated from a two-year school in Worcester where she became president of the student council, though she still had an itch to see more of the country.

She eventually joined the Navy and became a medical corpsman, determined to make her mark.

“I thought no one could stop me,” Davis. “I was from Springfield.”

Davis added, “The military gives you the confidence to walk in any company.”

The First Thing I Asked

Fran Anderson decided on the Navy because she liked the uniform better than the Air Force dress.

She grew up in Louisville in the waning, but still potent, Jim Crow era.

“I was scared of white people,” she said. “I remember reading about Emmett Till.”

Once in the Navy and stationed on Treasure Island, a small island in San Francisco Bay, Anderson soon discovered that the beauty parlor on the base would not cut black women’s hair.

“Well, I raised a stink about that,” she said.

Eventually she was sent to Sub Base New London in Groton.

“The first thing I asked, was ‘Do you have anyone to cut our hair?’” Anderson said. “They went, ‘Sure, we have Al.’”

Anderson eventually stayed in the area and worked at The Day for more than 20 years.

Uncle Sam Will Train You

Richard Vessells joined the Marines in the early 1970s and jokingly admitted he “had fun blowing stuff up.”

“But I don’t want to talk about the bad stuff,” he said.

Vessells said he didn’t experience too many problems with race during his tour.

“You are all green in the bunker,” he said.

Vessells said he would recommend the military to any young people thinking about it as a career.

“Uncle Sam will train you to be the best you can be,” he said.

They Wanted To Free Me

Submariner Ernest Danford came to New London after he was drafted into the Navy in 1944.

He said the black sailors had to train at State Pier and learned what every part of sub was for, in case something went wrong.

Eventually, Danford was sent to California, and then the Pacific theater, serving on Papua New Guinea and in Australia.

Danford recounted a transcontinental train ride across Australia which had several stops along the way. At one stop, several Aborigines spied him on the train and tried to get him off.

“They wanted to free me,” he said. “They thought I was captured.”

By Stephen Chupaska
Times Staff Writer

A Visit From the Music Man: World-renowned composer visits Clark Lane and WHS

Interactive Desk — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 22:09:30 GMT

Last week students in the Waterford High School orchestra met the person whose composition they’ve been wrestling with for the past few weeks.

Elliot Del Borgo, the composer responsible for the music heard at the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, paid a visit to the school to listen to students play his “Sintonia a la Danza,” a symphonic piece commissioned by the Waterford Orchestra Booster Club.

“This is once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the kids,” said Joan Winters, a music teacher at the high school.

The piece, mainly for strings, is divided into three movements: “Cakewalk,” “Sarabande,” and “Gigue.”

Del Borgo, 70, whose more than 500 credits include an orchestral piece based on Dylan Thomas’ “Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night,” taught for 30 years in the Philadelphia public schools and at The Crane School of Music in Potsdam, N.Y.

“It’s exciting for me to meet the students,” he said.

Del Borgo said he tries to make his compositions accessible to high school players, but also does not shy away from some complexities.

“I believe it will help them grow as players,” he noted.

The Waterford Orchestra’s next public performance will be on Nov. 19 at the high school.

—Stephen Chupaska

Stillman Ready for a Challenging Session: Waterford goes blue

Interactive Desk — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 22:05:33 GMT

Like many others around the state and nation, Andrea Stillman has been taking stock of the historic nature of last week’s election of Barack Obama to the presidency.

“I really could not believe it,” she said. “Seeing those numbers tallied, it was overwhelming. There was an overall euphoria, and a feeling that this was long overdue.”

The tide of people voting the Democratic ticket only buoyed Stillman’s already sound reelection bid to the 20th State Senate seat she has occupied since 2004.

Stillman defeated her fellow Waterford resident, Republican attorney Tom Simones, 28,704 to 13,084, while Libertarian candidate Marc Guttman received 733 votes.

Simones, who was making his first stab at public office, made a final push for votes, buying advertising on cable television and even putting his face on signs that sprouted up around the district.

But Stillman, who also served in the State House before she earned a Senate seat, attributed her victory to the voters’ concern over economic woes that have gripped the region and the country.

“There are so many families out that are worrying,” she said. “People are quite concerned about what the future is going to be like.”

Stillman also said voters are worried about rising health care costs, and the price of prescription drugs.

Stillman will return to a General Assembly that saw gains in the Democratic majority in both the upper and lower house.

The Democrats gained one seat in the Senate, for a 24-12 margin over the GOP.

In the House the Democrats increased their seats by five, and will have 112 members when the new session convenes in January.

The Democrats maintained their dominance in the local House and Senate seats, as Christopher Coutu, from the 47th district in Norwich, was the only Republican to dislodge an incumbent.

Democrat Betsy Ritter, who represents Waterford in the 38th State House district, ran unopposed.

Stillman said the massive interest in the presidential election trickled down to her race and she expects the same energy will be evident when legislature opens for business.

“People wanted a change,” she said. “We have difficult problems to address.”

Stillman also hopes the enthusiasm of this election will sustain an interest in politics.

“It seemed like more people were involved,” she said. “We’ve had apathy for too long.”

The Blue Wave

Stillman’s victory in the 20th was part of what commentators called “a tsunami,” that saw Connecticut, once one of the ancestral homes of the Republican party, affirm, nationally, the Democratic Party.

Many local Democrats filed in to The Radisson hotel in New London to join in the victory party thrown by U.S. Representative Joe Courtney.

Word came shortly after 9 p.m. to those in the Radisson ballroom that Courtney won reelection in a romp over Republican Sean Sullivan, the former sub base commander.

Courtney swept the district, even defeating Sullivan in his hometown of Ledyard.

The win, while expected, was nevertheless sweet for Courtney’s supporters, who two years ago had to sweat out a re-count against Rob Simmons, in what was the closest Congressional race in the country.

After Courtney gave his concession speech, the campaign’s communications director Brian Farber informed the crowd that 4th District Rep. Christopher Shays, the lone New England Republican in the House, conceded to challenger Jim Himes.

So complete was the defeat of the GOP in New England, that Republican presidential nominee Sen. John McCain won only one county in the region, Piscataquis County in Maine.

Geographically, the closest House Republican to New London County is Peter King, who represents a district on Long Island.

By Stephen Chupaska
Senior Staff Writer

Waterford Junior Footballers Regain Winning Touch: Youth squad looks for second title in three years

Interactive Desk — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 22:03:38 GMT

The Waterford Micro A Football team won the 2006 Southern New England Youth Football Conference championship—the first league title for the Lancers’ youth program in many, many years.

Last year, the nucleus of coach Mark Riemann’s champions split up, some playing for the Junior Lancers (under 125 pounds, 12- and 13-year-olds) and some remaining on Micro A (under 100 pounds). Both teams fared well. The Juniors reached the playoff semifinals, losing to eventual league champion East Lyme, 12-8, while the Micros lost in the finals.

While both teams enjoyed success last year, they discovered life is a whole lot better when they’re together. The teams reunited this season on the Junior level, and the more seasoned version of the 2006 Micro champs picked up where they left off two years ago, earning the No. 2 seed in the SNYFC playoffs with an 8-1 regular season record.

“Almost the whole corps is back,” said Riemann, who is the Juniors’ head coach. “It’s nice to get back together. The players feed off each other. We’ve played together for a while so we know what each other is doing.”

Waterford opens Junior playoff play Nov. 8 at home at 6 p.m. against the winner of the Military Community Dolphins vs. Killingly. If all the favorites prevail, Waterford could lock up with New London (9-0) in the championship Nov. 16 at Norwich Free Academy.

Waterford’s 8-1 record did not come without adversity. The Lancers lost their opener to Windham, 26-20.

“I could give you a lot of reasons why,” Riemann said. “It was very hot, it was a day after weigh-ins, four dropped passes in the endzone, we played on a high school field. Regardless, that loss was just a hiccup, but it was actually good for us. It snapped us out of a fog and re-energized us.”

But Waterford was not completely home free. Quarterback Ty Riemann broke his thumb in week two after hitting it on another helmet after a pass attempt. He missed three games and was replaced by Billy Wendland.

“I was hoping to win one of three, because I expected to win the last four to get us into the playoffs,” Riemann said. “But the boys stepped up and Billy was as cool as a cucumber. We won all three.”

Riemann, one of the league leaders with 10 touchdown passes, returned and got Waterford rolling to wins over Plainfield (48-6), Westerly (45-6), Woodstock-Putnam-Thompson (55-7) and Norwich (51-0).

“We average 196 yards a game rushing and over 100 passing,” Riemann said. “We’re very balanced, using a wishbone offense and a flex with four wide outs. Teams can’t stack the box [defensive line] on us and can’t key on one back. We have four or five runners who get five or six carries a game.”

Dave Zaldivar and Shawn O’Loughlin are running backs, and Jeff Gran and Donnie Craig log time at fullback. Pat Lee and Ryan Brouwer are Riemann’s top targets at end. C.J. Hersom, Spencer Sgandurra, Joe Gustafson, and Chris Venditti head the line play.

“It’s a tight-knit group and we have a lot of fun,” Riemann said. “One day, we practiced at the beach. The kids thought it was fun, but they were actually getting a great workout on the sand. The other day, I asked an Arena Football League player, who is working at G’s Fitness, to lead the team in drills. They had a blast but they were working hard.”

Jeff Gran, Dave Zaldivar, and Duane Pierson, Riemann’s friend who coached the Groton-Mystic Falcons teams to three division championships, are among Riemann’s assistants. The group isn’t sure if they’ll continue to coach, considering some of the players will be Waterford High freshmen next season.

“If this is the last year, it’s been a mission accomplished,” Riemann said. “Six years ago, a group of parents started with the goal to improve the quality of the program and institute a mandatory-play rule. We’ve done that, been successful, and had a lot of fun.”

By Larry Kelley
Special to the Times

Connecticut’s Star Power

Stephen Chupaska — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 16:34:58 GMT

Here’s a pitch: A local kid spends his high school days dreaming of working in the entertainment industry.
Eventually, he packs up, lights out for Los Angeles, works hard, founds his own production company. He gets to work in places all over the world, including, well, a studio 30 miles from where he grew up. He comes back home and ends up learning a valuable lesson about the strength of the human heart. Cue song by Dashboard Confessional, roll credits.
A little too Garden State, perhaps? Well, gross simplifications and poetic license aside, that’s Matt Brady’s story.
Brady, 31, is a Madison native, who really did dream of moving to Los Angeles, and yes, eventually founded his own production company.
“You know, it’s really exciting to be in this industry,” he said. “It’s also really exciting for me to be home in Connecticut, working.”
Brady, now the head of MRB Productions, spent two days last week at Sonalysts Studios in Waterford working on a new ad for the NFL Network, one of his company’s sports-affiliated clients.
In addition to the NFL Network, Brady has worked with Monday Night Football and the National Basketball Association.
You might remember the “MNF” spot where Nicollette Sheridan dropped her towel in front of wide receiver Terrell Owens—that was Brady’s production.
From the beginning, Brady also wanted to work behind the scenes, rather than in front of the camera.
“Everyone sees your work,” he said. “Plus you never know where you’re going to be; two weeks ago we were shooting in Mexico City.”
Brady traces his interest in entertainment to a party he attended while working for a catering company in Connecticut. He struck up a conversation with a guest who was a casting director.
“She told me to move to Los Angeles and get it out of my system,” Brady said.
He moved to California in 1996 and eventually worked on Entertainment Tonight, and was actor Randy Quaid’s personal assistant.
Brady’s new ad for the NFL Network features the Pilobolus Dance Theater group, the ensemble from Washington Depot whose silhouette shapes—essentially shadow puppets on a grand scale—were part of last year’s Academy Awards presentation. It’s scheduled to air on the network’s Nov.6 broadcast of the Cleveland Browns-Denver Broncos game.
Brady said that commercial production has undergone several changes in the decade since he started.
“There was no Internet,” he noted.
Plus, as technology improves, production costs have gone down.
“What was once a $300,000-a-day shoot,” he said, “can be as little as $150,000 a day.”
But as the production costs have gone down, Brady’s clients expect more out of the ads.
Also, Brady said a new element in commercials is user generated content, where companies ask everyday people to send in ads, via the Internet.
Despite the volatility in the industry, Brady said it’s “an exciting time to be doing this.”
Brady also sees the potential for his native state in the entertainment industry.
“Costs, like hotel rooms and catering,” he said, “are much cheaper here.”
Plus, Brady said, the proximity to New York makes getting specialized equipment easier.
But, for Brady, there is more to shooting in Connecticut than low costs.
“I get to see my family,” he said. “Plus I get to go to Friendly’s. We don’t have those on the West Coast.”

In Diff’rent Ways: O’Neill’s life and work continue to inspire artists

Interactive Desk — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 17:44:03 GMT

For those of us who drive, cycle, or stroll by Monte Cristo Cottage, it’s an inconspicuous house set back off the road, where, as the chorus goes, Eugene O’Neill spent his summers.

Yes, we know—statue on the New London waterfront, the unlovely street plowing through downtown, how Gene spent his nights besotted at the Dutch Tavern, and the theater center that bears his name in Waterford—chapter and verse.

We treat the cottage as so many Bostonians treat Old North Church, walking briskly by it, on the way to gorge on one, if not two, pasta confabulations at the trattorias.

But that’s not how Dolores Zorreguieta sees Monte Cristo, or Eugene O’Neill. Dolores Zorreguieta has lived with Eugene O’Neill in her mind for years.

Earlier this month she got to see where the playwright lived with her own eyes.

“It was very moving,” she said, of her first visit to O’Neill family’s summer home.

Zorreguieta, a Buenos Aries-born artist who now calls San Jose, Calif., home, was in the area two weekends ago as part of the annual Eugene O’Neill conference, held at the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center.

Zorreguieta is finishing a multimedia piece called, for now, “Eugene’s Mother,” inspired by A Long Day’s Journey Into Night, O’Neill’s most famous play, and the one that will forever tether him to New London.

Never mind the irony that O’Neill, who toiled as a newspaper reporter at The Day’s then-competition The New London Telegraph, detested the city and couldn’t wait to leave.

But biography is immutable, and the area is richer for it.

The conference, then, is a chance for the center to invite scholars, actors, writers, and the public to learn more about New London’s most famous malcontent.

“We have a good mix this year,” said Sophia Chapadjiev, the center’s education outreach director and organizer of the conference. “There were locals as well as students from Mitchell College and Connecticut College.”

The conference is also an opportunity for O’Neill scholars and aficionados to share insights on the only American to win the Nobel Prize for Drama.

The O’Neill also offered tours of Monte Cristo Cottage, where Eugene spent summers with his family, and the modest, if not thrifty, house on Pequot Avenue is a treasure trove for students of A Long Day’s Journey Into Night.

And the play’s setting is nearly a note-for-note rendition of the cottage, with the fog rolling in off the water, the foghorns, and morphine-addicted Mary Tyrone descending the staircase.

Karl Eigsti, a Tony-nominated set designer, said his first visit to the cottage was in the days when it was still privately owned.

“I remember it was very dark,” he said.

Eigsti was there with members of a production crew, and the then-owner was leading them on a tour of the house.

“We had to tip-toe around,” he said. “Someone was sleeping upstairs, and we couldn’t go upstairs.”

Eigsti said it added to the atmosphere of the visit.

Although Monte Cristo Cottage provided set designers with the most naturalistic form of inspiration for staging the play, Eigsti said, these days productions of Long Day’s Journey are more abstract.

“It’s much more stark,” he said.

Part of the reason is that films liberated plays from having to realistically represent the world, much in the manner photography released painters from a similar responsibility.

But Eigsti said O’Neill, who is often lobbed with the realists, would have liked the abstract manner in which the play is often presented.

“O’Neill was rebelling against the type of Broadway drama made famous by his father,” he said.

James O’Neill, who is buried in New London, was famous for playing the title role in The Count of Monte Cristo, a late 19th-century escapist adaptation of Dumas’ novel.

For Zorreguieta, A Long Day’s Journey Into Night is simpatico with her self-described “morbid work.”

“Eugene O’Neill vomited the play into the world,” she said. “I want to use his vomit to talk about his play.”

Zorreguieta said the fact that the autobiographical Long Day’s Journey was produced after O’Neill’s death in 1953 gives her pause as an artist.

“How do we represent people who are living?” she asked. “There is a negotiation.”

Zorreguieta’s multimedia installation, “Eugene’s Mother,” is a real-time representation of the play, complete with a video of a sun going down behind a sea, with audio of foghorns.

“I wanted to represent the liquid nature of the play, both of the sea and of alcohol,” she said.

Three of the play’s characters are alcoholics, and one is addicted to the quicksilver-looking morphine.

Zorreguieta, who received a grant from the state of New York for the installation, said it is nearly complete, and will see its debut most likely at a gallery in New York City.

Zorreguieta spent the weekend as a guest in a house next to the Monte Cristo Cottage.

“I could look out my window at it,” she said. “It was very exciting and inspiring.”

And, though what took place in O’Neill’s mind when it was transported back to the cottage on Pequot Avenue wasn’t exactly happy memories of summer in New England, it housed a great work of art.

The conference at the O’Neill is proof it may continue to inspire.

Waterford Notebook: Senior Services Success, and Voting Vitals

Interactive Desk — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 17:42:44 GMT

The Senior Services Department is calling its new initiative to have Waterford’s seniors inspect their smoke detectors a success.

“It has been a great partnership between town departments,” Sally Ritchie, director of senior services, said.

Last week, members of the Jordan Village and Goshen fire companies inspected more than 70 homes for broken smoke detectors, and replaced the batteries in many others.

Bob Swansen, a firefighter at Jordan Village, said the inspections not only get the staff out into the community, but allow firefighters an opportunity to get a sense of house layouts.

“We might be on a call and remember how a house is laid out,” he said. “So, these inspections are helpful to us as well.”

Peggy Lyndenthal, who has lived with her husband, Murray, in their house for 12 years, praised the firefighters’ work.

“They are providing a wonderful service,” she said.

For more information on the program, contact Sally Ritchie at 442-0553.

Voting Information for Nov. 4

Polls in Waterford’s four voting districts will be open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Contact Town Hall at 860-442-0553 to find out your voting district.

District One: Waterford Town Hall, 15 Rope Ferry Road

District Two: Quaker Hill School, 285 Bloomingdale

District Three: Oswegatchie School, 470 Boston Post Road

District Four: Southwest School, 51 Daniels Ave.

On the Ballot

President:

Barack Obama and Joe Biden, Democratic

John McCain and Sarah Palin, Republican

Congressional:

Joe Courtney, Democratic

Sean Sullivan, Republican

G. Scott Deshefy, Green

20th State Senate:

Andrea Stillman, Democratic

Thomas Simones, Republican

38th State House:

Betsy Ritter, Democratic

Ballot Questions

State: “Shall there be a Constitutional Convention to amend or revise the Constitution of the State?”

“Shall the constitution of the state be amended to permit any person who will have attained the age of 18 years on or before the day of a regular election to vote in the primary for such regular election?”

Election: Connecticut

Stephen Chupaska — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 19:38:43 GMT

At once urban and suburban, the 20th State Senate district covers a lot of ground. It sprawls from Old Saybrook and East Lyme in the west, north to Salem and Montville, and southeast to Waterford and New London.
Incumbent Democrat Andrea Stillman, the co-owner of J.Solomon, Inc., a stationary store that has been in New London for 106 years, has held the seat for four years and is seeking a third term.
A native of New York, Stillman is a former state representative who now lives in Waterford. She has risen to Deputy Majority Leader in the Senate, chairs the Public Safety and Security Committee, and serves on the Finance, Revenue and Bonding, Public Heath, and Regulations Review committees.
Republican challenger Attorney Thomas Simones works and lives in Waterford, not far from where he was born at Lawrence & Memorial Hospital in New London.
A graduate of New London High School and Connecticut College, Simones is a partner in the firm of Simones and O’Brien, specializing in workers compensation, personal injury claims, and Social Security disability.
Simones is member of the bar in Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Federal Courts.
This is his first campaign for public office.

Andrea Stillman
Party: Democratic
Occupation: Small Business Owner
Age: 60
Factoid: Has a degree in Speech from California State University, Northridge, in Los Angeles.

Thomas Simones
Party: Republican
Occupation: Attorney
Age: 44
Factoid: In 1985 was an intern for then New London City Councilor Jay B. Levin.

What is the most important issue that you will address should you be elected?

Stillman: Obviously it’s the economy. What’s happening in this country and around the world certainly affects Connecticut. It is what we are being told by folks, not just when I go door to door, but also the experts.
What can we do to secure the state as we struggle over the next few years to adjust to the economic changes? The first thing we can do is create jobs. Jobs help create a stable economy. We also have to make sure we spend our tax dollars wisely, and do all we can to ensure a safety net for folks in need of government help. The economy is going to have to be the focus and all those issues revolving around the budget.
The budget is a document that lays out our plan for the next two years, to make sure that the Connecticut economy is stable.

Simones: It’s a tie between jobs and energy—both are fixable. In 1996, we deregulated the energy companies. It’s simply re-enacting that legislation that regulated the monopoly. We need to be fair to people. We can’t allow companies to practice predatory practices. I’m talking to you from a cell phone. They are an example of competition that works. [In the past] if I were to call Europe, it would be $4 or $5 a minute. Now, they advertise 15 cents a minute. That’s true competition.
When they broke up the Baby Bells, it didn’t do much for competition. It was more expensive intrastate than interstate.
The bottom line is we need to re-regulate it. They were regulated before, the laws are still there with black lines through them. Get the black lines out and make them law again.
On jobs, we’ve got to work on Pfizer. It’s easier to deal with companies that are taxed instead of ones that are not. The casinos are independent nations; the Congress is empowered to deal with them. It would be incumbent upon me as senator to talk to the folks at Pfizer and say, “How much of a corporate tax do we need to roll back to keep people employed?”
My goal would be to make Connecticut one of the top five destinations for corporations; we’re at the bottom five. The issues I’ve talked to corporate people about are the fact that medical costs are going up 33 percent every two years. It’s a huge impediment to them.
We’re not practically corporate-friendly, and we have a lot to offer. We need to create good paying jobs.

Did you support the Connecticut Supreme Court decision state that same-sex marriage must be allowed under state law?

Stillman: I was not surprised by the ruling in the respect that in Massachusetts and California, their judicial process had come to the same decision. I think that the issue that [the Massachusetts and California courts] rose about equality is probably one that factored in to their decision. Certainly, we’ll have to address it in the upcoming session after the decision goes to the appellate court, then the legislature will act, unless there is a constitutional convention. What we do next has to do with that ballot question.

Simones: I support civil unions between same-sex people. They should have all the same rights under the law. The word “marriage” should be set aside for a heterosexual couple. I was shocked by the decision. I think it falls to the legislature. I’m not belittling the subject. I think people get upset that this institution that has gone on for thousands of years is now being legislated upon by courts. It’s the legislature’s job to change the law. [I favor] a simple designation of civil unions for same-sex people and marriage for people of a heterosexual background.

Two Hours in Jordan Village

Stephen Chupaska — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 18:36:19 GMT

It’s shortly after 1 p.m. at When Pigs Fly café.
The lunch rush is winding down, with just a few customers in to receive last bites.
Yet, the cooks in the open kitchen are furiously getting a large order together.
A few minutes later, a group of about 15 comes bounding in and occupies two tables.
Sandwiches start to materialize from the kitchen, and the wait-staff brings them over three or four at a time.
To an outside observer, it might seem a little strange, but this is just another Wednesday afternoon in Jordan Village.
The group of 15 are teachers at the Friendship School, a quarter of a mile away, who come in nearly every Wednesday for lunch.
“It’s our regular thing to do,” teacher Kevin Stevens said. “We usually walk down.”
And there’s the key word, as a teacher might say, “walk.”
Jordan Village, the tiny strip of shop fronts along a busy stretch of Rope Ferry Road, book-ended by a firehouse and a Baptist church, is truly the only walkable part of Waterford.
Sure, you can walk around your neighborhood or park your car at the mall or the big-box stores, but Jordan Village is a little different.
“It’s the only thing that Waterford has that is like a downtown,” Waterford High School senior Michael Stroneski said.
Stroneski stopped by The Barber Shop at Jordan Village for a buzz cut.
“You want the two or the three?” Scott Schelehofer, one of the three barbers at the barbershop asked, referring to the size of the clippers.
The Barber Shop is the longest established business in Jordan Village. Though it wasn’t always known as The Barber Shop, it’s been a barbershop since the 1930s.
Owner Michelle Ramos said the shop has been known as Jim’s and as Paul’s.
“But I don’t think anyone named Paul owned it when it was Paul’s,” she said.
Ramos, who bought the barbershop 11 years ago, is a lifelong resident of Jordan Village.
“It’s the old center of town,” she said. “There used to be an IGA and a candy shop here. We used to ride our bikes down here to get candy.”
Ramos said that since the row of buildings was renovated in the past year, more people come by and check it out.
“Jordan Village draws your eye,” she said.
One can also get a haircut next door at Le Papillion, but it’s more of a beauty salon than a barber shop.
The owner, Susan Roberge, is another Jordan Village native.
“I would walk down from North Road,” she said.
Roberge opened Le Papillion in 2005 and nearly called it “Mariposa” before learning that the word is slang for a woman in the world’s oldest profession. So, she settled on the salon’s francophone name, an homage to her husband’s Quebecois roots.
Roberge said that her space was also the temporary library in the 1960s and was once a post office.
“I remember Harriet’s Kitchen used to be in Jordan Village,” she said. “We would come down for ice cream.”
The anchor of the neighborhood is Jordan Village Firehouse, which dates back to 1920; the original, in a fit of irony, burned down.
A few of the members were outside running some tests on the ladder truck, but the chief wasn’t around.
“Hey Joe,” one of the firefighters called to a 14-year-old kid who just walked up. “Where’s your dad?”
Joe replied he was home and took out a cell phone.
Would he be long, your correspondent wondered.
“Nope,” Joe said. “We live across the street.”
About three minutes later Chief Mike Smith pulled up in a black pickup.
“This is a really close, tight-knit neighborhood,” he said.
Smith said the fire company makes a point to support the nearby businesses.
“We try to get haircuts, or stop in for lunch,” he said. “We go over to Jordan Village Pizza. Yeah, tell those guys we sent you.”
Over at Jordan Village Pizza, Bill Perkins makes pizzas and grinders in what used to be a florist.
He’s been in business for 10 years, and likes his location.
“It’s a small-town, family-oriented place,” he said. “I really like the atmosphere.”
Perkins shares his parking lot with Heads Above the Rest, the other salon in Jordan Village.
Kathy Chaney, the owner, has been in the location for 15 years and calls Jordan Village her home away from home.
“It’s a nice quaint part of town,” she said. “We all look out for one another and send each other business.”
Chaney said, in fact, a new business just opened, a dog groomer.
She rustled a card from behind her desk.
And in the sort of timing that seems staged, Kelly Piscitello drove by with a dog in her back seat.
Kelly’s Angels opened in July behind Jordan Village Pizza. The receptionist is Gracie, a handsome cocker spaniel-poodle mix.
“Yes, I like it here,” Piscitello said. “It’s quaint and in the center of town.”
Then a customer drove up, with a golden retriever.
“If you’ll excuse me,” she said, “I’ve got to get back to work.”
After all, Jordan Village may have a past, but the people who work there are in the present.

Above, Beyond, and Into the Deep

Interactive Desk — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 15:49:20 GMT

Denise Swiatek Named Educator of the Year by Mystic Aquarium & Institute for Exploration

By Susan Cornell
Special to the Times

Denise Swiatek, a teacher with the Science and Technology Magnet High School in New London, has been named Educator of the Year by Mystic Aquarium & Institute for Exploration. Swiatek was honored during the aquarium’s annual Educators Open House on Oct. 2.
The Educator of the Year is selected from a group of teachers nominated by the aquarium’s education department, explained Kelly Matis, vice president of education and public conservation programs at Mystic Aquarium & Institute for Exploration.
“Nominees are educators who have gone above and beyond working with their students and the aquarium’s education staff, assisting with and participating in various programming at the aquarium,” she said. “We’re the ones working directly with these teachers. We’ve always been unanimous. “Denise has had an incredible involvement with the aquarium. She has been instrumental in the Researcher for the Day program and really in the forefront of our minds—between participating in the teacher focus groups to participating in the professional development workshops,” Matis continued. “She’s really great at sitting down with us and going over what she thinks should possibly change for the program, what she thinks is excellent about the program, and bringing materials she is aware of.”
Swiatek has supported the Mystic Aquarium’s educational programs since the early 1980s when she brought her own children there on a regular basis. Her work with the aquarium as an educator began two years ago when she became involved in the Researcher for the Day programs. Swiatek piloted the program first as a teacher and then took her students to the classes, which has allowed her to provide the instructors with additional feedback.
Swiatek attended the cloning of a beluga whale gene program as well as the hematology program. As a teacher, she provided input into the content of the programs and has attended educator workshops associated with them.
A great educator, says Swiatek, is creative, flexible, and understanding.
“A great educator puts their students’ interests and needs first,” she stated. Working with high school students excites Swiatek most about teaching.
“Each class offers different challenges. Some of the challenges are engaging the students in lessons, making it meaningful, and providing them with the experience and background they need for the future. This is accomplished through scientific inquiry and experiential learning. The students are active participants in their learning experiences here at the Science and Technology Magnet High School of Southeastern Connecticut,” she said.
Swiatek was awarded a monogrammed lab coat, an engraved statue, and autographed book by Dr. Robert Ballard, the deep-sea explorer famous for his discovery of the R.M.S. Titanic and president of the Institute for Exploration.
She plans to attend a course on necropsy this spring with her AP Biology students and looks forward to new programs as they evolve.
Swiatek has taught in the New London public school system for 11 years. She taught at New London High School for eight years before moving to the Science and Technology Magnet High School, where she designed the environmental science program and teaches cell and molecular biology and AP biology. She resides in Quaker Hill with her husband, John, and has three grown children, Benjamin, Lauren, and Jennifer.

Election 2008: Waterford's Voting Profile.

Stephen Chupaska — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 02:34:36 GMT

Forgive the slang, but this ain’t Ohio.
We don’t need Sunday morning insights and analysis from talking heads and politicos to tell us that Connecticut is not exactly a battleground state.
According to a Sept. 28 poll from Real Clear Politics, Barack Obama has a 16 percent lead over John McCain in Connecticut.
So, unless something completely unexpected happens, the Nutmeg State will cast its seven electoral votes for Obama, and we’ll be colored blue on the election night map.
The last time the Republicans won Connecticut was in 1988, so if the state appears to be in the Dems’ column, what about the region?
Perhaps no bordering towns in southeastern Connecticut are as drastically different as Waterford and New London. The former is an ex-farming community with suburban malls and cookie-cutter housing developments. The latter is a small New England town that fancies itself a city and has all the challenges of an urban setting, complete with a small tax base and little to no room for expansion. So, it’s not surprising that Waterford and New London don’t exactly vote the same way all the time.
Although both of the towns have voted for the Democratic candidate in every presidential election since 1992, Waterford tends to be more of a bellwether for how the state, and sometimes the nation, leans. New London, on the other hand, has not voted for a Republican for president, the Senate, or the House in at least two generations.
“Waterford votes like a typical New England suburb,” John Sheehan, a member of the Waterford Board of Finance and a regular blogger on Connecticut Local Politics, said. “New London votes like a city.”
Jane Glover, a former New London city councilor and director of the Kente Cultural Center, said the towns have something of a symbiotic relationship, as many families have moved back and forth between the two towns.
New London is the hub of Democratic politics in the region, as the party has held near dynastic control of the city since the end of World War II.
“Just look at the ethnic makeup of the city,” Glover said. “Earlier it was the Irish and the Italians who voted for Democrats, then later the black vote.”
Glover also said New London has a working-class identity, but then again, Sheehan claims the same for Waterford, sort of.
“It’s a blue-collar town, with pockets of high-end residents,” he said. “Most of the people that live here work in the place where most of the region works—the casinos, Millstone.”
But Waterford tends to be more independent minded than its neighbor to the east.
“Waterford is mostly unaffiliated voters,” Sheehan said. “They don’t always go by party.”
True to form, locally, Waterford has a Republican first selectman, Dan Steward, while the Democrats hold one-vote majorities on the Board of Finance and the Board of Education. The Representative Town Meeting, however, has a Democratic majority, 14-8. Out of the 14 electable seats in New London, the GOP controls only three of them.
New London’s leading GOP figure, Councilor Rob Pero, is hardly surprised at Democratic dominance in the city.
“Add to that the colleges, who tend to vote for the Democrats,” he said.
Pero, however, does not rule out GOP victories in New London in the future, though he said it would take an issue voters would rally around.
“Look at what happened after the [Fort Trumbull decision],” he said. “The Democrats were 20 votes away from losing their majority on the City Council.”
Unlike New London, Sheehan said Waterford has a reputation for ticket splitting, or voting for a president of one party, while voting for a senator or representative in another.
Glover thinks New London is becoming more of a haven for independent voters.
“If you look at the number of young, creative people moving here, they don’t usually join political parties,” she said.
Waterford and New London had their greatest separation in which candidate they backed in the 1980s.
In the 1984 election, Ronald Reagan won every electoral vote in the country except Walter Mondale’s home state of Minnesota and the District of Columbia.
Waterford voters went with Reagan by nearly 1,300 votes, while they voted to send liberal Democrat Sam Gejdenson back to Congress for a third term over the GOP’s Roberta Koontz. And it seems the Waterford Democrats that year, were not exactly sold on Mondale, as Colorado Sen. Gary Hart won the town in the primary.
In 1984, New Londoners were not sold on the Reagan Revolution, as Mondale won by close to 500 votes and Gejdenson lapped Koontz 6,334 to 3,517.
Four years later, the two towns also differed on the presidential ballot, as George H.W. Bush eked by in Waterford by 400 votes, while Michael Dukakis trounced his GOP rival by 2,000 votes in New London.
The year 1988 was also a seminal one in Connecticut politics, as the state’s liberal Republican Sen. Lowell Weicker was denied a fourth term by Joe Lieberman.
Waterford, however, went with the status quo, while New London voted enthusiastically for Lieberman by more than 600 votes.
And both of the towns endorsed Gejdenson by wide margins.
New London has been lockstep with the Democratic candidates, while Waterford went for Edward Munster in 1992, while voting for Bill Clinton for president.
In 1996, Waterford fell to Gejdenson by six votes, setting the stage for Rob Simmons’ capture of the town in 2000. Simmons, in fact, never lost Waterford in his four election bids, though his margin of victory in 2006 was just 84 votes.
This year, Sheehan and Glover think Obama will take each of their towns. Sheehan sees Waterford falling in line with most of New England, save New Hampshire.
Glover sees Obama winning New London, especially since the addition of vice presidential candidate Joe Biden.
“That’s helped Obama,” she said.
In 26 days, we’ll know for sure.

Waterford Votes: 1980-2004

Stephen Chupaska — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 02:33:19 GMT

The Local Vote Since 1980
Winners shown in bold.
1980
Connecticut President
Ronald Reagan
Jimmy Carter

Waterford President
Jimmy Carter, D - 3,210
Ronald Reagan, R - 4,436
John Anderson, I - 1,337
Senate
Christopher Dodd, D – 5,650
James Buckley, R - 3,186

2nd Congressional District
Sam Gejdenson, D - 4,606
Tony Gugliemo, R - 4,090
New London
Results not available.

1984
Connecticut President
Ronald Reagan
Walter Mondale

Waterford President
Walter Mondale, D - 3,488
Ronald Reagan, R - 4,759

2nd Congressional District
Sam Gejdenson, D - 4,748
Roberta Koontz, R - 4,357

New London President
Walter Mondale, D - 5,380
Ronald Reagan, R - 4,813

2nd Congressional District
Sam Gejdenson, D - 6,334
Roberta Koontz, R - 3,517

1988
Connecticut President
George H.W. Bush
Michael Dukakis

Waterford President
Michael Dukakis, D - 4,465
George H.W. Bush, R - 4,874

Senate
Joe Lieberman, D - 4,204
Lowell Weicker, R - 4,838

2nd Congressional District
Sam Gejdenson, D - 5,198
Glenn Carberry, R - 3,743

New London President

Michael Dukakis, D - 5,539
George H.W. Bush, R - 3,577

Senate
Joe Lieberman, D - 4,534
Lowell Weicker, R - 3,969

2nd Congressional District
Sam Gejdenson, D - 5,198
Glenn Carberry, R - 2,266

1992
Connecticut President
George H.W. Bush
Bill Clinton
H.Ross Perot

Waterford President
George H.W. Bush, R - 2,784
Bill Clinton, D - 4,484
H.Ross Perot, Ref. - 2,630

Senate
*Christopher Dodd, D - 5,881
Brook Johnson, R - 3,741

2nd Congressional District
*Sam Gejdenson, D - 4,607
Edward Munster, R - 5,184

*Also endorsed by A Connecticut Party

New London President
George H.W. Bush, R - 2,368
Bill Clinton, D - 5,520
H.Ross Perot, Ref. - 1,796

Senate
*Christopher Dodd, D - 6,314
Brook Johnson, R - 2,385

2nd Congressional District
*Sam Gejdenson, D - 5,238
Edward Munster, R - 3,442

*Also endorsed by A Connecticut Party

1996
Connecticut President
Bill Clinton
Robert Dole
H Ross Perot

Waterford President
Bill Clinton, D - 4,802
Robert Dole, R - 3,068
H.Ross Perot, Ref. - 1,096

2nd Congressional District
*Sam Gejdenson, D - 4,290
Edward Munster, R - 4,282
*Also endorsed by A Connecticut Party

New London President
Robert Dole, R - 1,726
Bill Clinton, D - 5,177
H.Ross Perot, Ref. - 542

2nd Congressional District
*Sam Gejdenson, D - 4,598
Edward Munster, R - 2,298
*Also endorsed by A Connecticut Party

2000
Connecticut President
George W. Bush
Al Gore

Waterford President
George W Bush, R - 3,577
Al Gore, D - 5,426
Ralph Nader, G - 560

Senate
Joe Lieberman, D - 5,630
Phillip Giordano, R - 2,994

2nd Congressional District
Rob Simmons, R - 4,969
Sam Gejdenson, D - 4,094

New London
President
George W. Bush, R - 1,738
Al Gore, D - 4,924
Ralph Nader, G - 496

Senate
Joe Lieberman, D - 4,793
Phillip Giordano, R - 1,546

2nd Congressional District
Rob Simmons, R - 2,599
Sam Gejdenson, D 4,267

2004
Connecticut President
George Bush
John Kerry

Waterford President
George W. Bush, R - 4,406
John Kerry, D - 5,803

Senate
Christopher Dodd, D - 6,749
Jack Orchulli, R - 2,808

2nd Congressional District
Rob Simmons, R - 5,698
Jim Sullivan, D - 4,084

New London President

George W. Bush, R - 2,381
John Kerry, D - 5,984

Senate
Christopher Dodd, D - 5,698
Jack Orchulli, R - 1,381

2nd Congressional District
Rob Simmons, R - 3,210
Jim Sullivan, D - 4,220

Citizen Lancer

Stephen Chupaska — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 20:28:41 GMT

Editor’s Note: As a way of kicking off the Times’ coverage of the November elections, we talked to students in New London and Waterford high school civics classes about the role of the citizenry in a democracy.

May we share some early advice to future graduation speakers at New London and Waterford high schools?
You were probably planning on offering a farrago of platitudes about how high school graduates are the future of the nation, and we want them to become productive citizens.
Here’s the thing: They don’t need to be told that. They already know, and we maybe shouldn’t weep so much for the future of the republic.
Both New London and Waterford high schools offer classes in American government and civics, but the courses teach much more than how a bill becomes a law and the separation of powers.
They are more often forums where students learn about their relationship to the government and their community—in essence, citizenship.
But for high school students in the neighboring towns, citizenship is not a monolithic concept; it manifests itself in different ways and different contexts.
This being an election year, for the most part both WHS and NLHS students had concerns about similar issues: Iraq, the economy, education, and the environment.
In speaking to the civics students in New London and Waterford, the conversations revealed one slight difference: The New Londoners seemed more focused on domestic issues than their counterparts in Waterford.
Kinde Queenan, a NLHS senior, said more than once that the government “should focus more on our country.”
“We’ve got to worry about affordable energy, education,” she said. “We’ve got lots of important things to do here.”
The Waterford students also ticked off similar domestic issues they hope to see the government grapple with, but they were more quick to mention Iraq and the United Nations.
Although both the NLHS and WHS students were passionate about the election, citizenship, to them, was something more universal.
For Queenan, a good citizen has all the qualities of a good friend.
“It’s someone who does the right thing,” she said. “It’s someone who will watch your back.”
Anusha Perulalla, a WHS junior, thinks good citizenship means always trying to make “your community a better place.”
Mike Gross, her classmate, said good citizens try to do “whatever they can in their own area.”
Connor Nee, a NLHS senior, said that it is important to pay attention to “what’s going on around you,” but also “what’s going on in the world.”
Both schools have a community service requirement that students must complete before they graduate.
“We promote what we call ‘active citizenship,’” WHS civics teacher Brett Arnold said. “It’s about giving back to the community as much as it is following the issues.”
Perhaps because of the civics classes and the historic nature of the presidential race, students in both schools are engaged with the November election. Although the majority of them are not eligible to vote, students at both schools are following it mostly on television and, not surprisingly, on the Internet.
Gross said he gets a dose of news when he signs onto his e-mail accounts, eliciting nods from around the classroom.
But many of the students, while they are engaged with the McCain-Obama race, take a jaundiced view of the coverage of the campaign in the media.
“It’s been really catty and nasty,” said Rachel Miller, a NLHS student.
Miller said she has been unimpressed with some of the commentary on Republican vice-presidential nominee Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska.
“She gives a speech, trying to make eloquent points,” Miller said, “and the media is concerned if she picked her nose.”
Queenan said the coverage is too focused on “all the drama” that surrounds the race instead of on the issues.
“It’s really negative,” she said.
But many of the students can rattle off and offer opinions on several of the key issues facing the country, including those that have not been hot topics.
Miller addressed poverty, expressing shock that there are some parts of the country, like near her grandmother’s home in New Mexico, where there is no running water.
“[The candidates] have to pay attention to that,” she said.
Solly Ross, a WHS student, hoped the government could better fund scientific research.
Gross was concerned about the current state of the economy and the government bailout of several investment banks.
“Seven hundred billion?” he said. “They need to get their act together.”
Joe Steady, a WHS student, said the next president has to focus on energy policies.
Kasey Mortimer, also a WHS student, mentioned Social Security and the need for “cleaner cars that do not suck up gas.”
Still, most of the students in the civics classes at both schools are under 18, and many of them are looking forward to 2012, the first presidential election in which they will be able to cast a vote.
“If you don’t vote,” Queenan said, “you can’t complain.”

Courtney Votes Against Second Rescue Package

Interactive Desk — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 17:53:56 GMT

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Joe Courtney voted against the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 Oct. 3 in the House of Representatives. The measure passed the House by a 263-171 vote.

The Congressman believes the bill, while improved from the House version he voted against on Monday, still did not address the underlying factors that have triggered the current financial crisis.

Congressman Courtney released the following statement:

“When I was elected to Congress, I pledged to act in the best interest of my constituents and the nation, and I cast my vote with the families of eastern Connecticut first and foremost in my mind.”

“While the legislation was improved over the first version considered by the House, I could not in good conscience support this package that demands more than $800 billion in taxpayer funds while the fundamental problems of the housing market damaging our economy remain unaddressed. I voted no because I do not believe this proposal will sufficiently address our economic crisis and because the package was not fair enough for the middle class.

“Let me stress that my vote against this package was not a signal that I am complacent about the state of our economy and the anxiety my constituents are feeling. As someone who represents one of the hardest hit sections of Connecticut, our economic challenges have been apparent to me for the last 20 months I have been in office. Home foreclosures have been accelerating in my district at the highest rate in the state, and the toxic loans sold by large lenders have spread like a virus through our economy.

“Over the past week, I have heard from constituents who vehemently oppose the bailout package, retirees worried about their 401Ks, and small business owners concerned about the freeze in our credit markets. I take this economic crisis very seriously. However, especially in a time of crisis, the people of Connecticut deserve a real solution to the grave problems in our economy.

“Failing to address the increasing pace of mortgage defaults and the slide in real estate values diminishes the chance of success for the rescue package and reduces the prospects of taxpayers recovering a reasonable amount of their nearly $800 billion dollar line of credit.”

“Moreover, the proposal still falls short on the test of fairness. The proposal fails to limit outrageous compensation and bonuses paid to Wall Street CEOs and executives who caused this crisis. It also neglects enacting tough oversight of how the Bush Administration would use taxpayer funds.

“The package was improved after Senate action this week. Raising the cap on FDIC insurance and attaching R&D and energy tax credits were a step in the right direction. By slowing down this process earlier this week, we were able to improve a bill that at least was able to gain majority support in the House, even if it ultimately fell short of something I could support.”

“While I stand on the other side of my colleagues who voted for the legislation, I stand with them and all Americans in hoping the proposal works. If it does not, I stand ready to work with members of both political parties to forge a financial rescue plan that gets it right.”