Officially naming Stewart the cause of discrimination in the police department, tax increases and debt

There are some truths that need to be told and remembered, about the discrimination that festered in the police department under Tim Stewart's mismanagement and about the enormity of the financial impact of the New Britain Police Station construction project that came from his mismanagement.

It is interesting, on the occasion of Erin Stewart placing the name of Tim Stewart in big letters in the lobby of the Police Station, that Tim Stewart would, again, repeat the falsehood that it was a $35 million project. It was not a $35 million project - it was many millions more. Not only did he tuck a great deal of spending on this project, off that budget, under construction bonding other than the acknowledged $35 million Police Station bonding authorization, but his administration committed the city to millions of dollars more than that $35 million bonding he still says was the project's cost.

Nor did Tim Stewart come up with the revenue to pay for all of that borrowing. While he talks about the Build America Bonds that temporarily covered part of the project's financing costs, he never really came up with a plan for the city to pay for the tens of millions of dollars he charged on the taxpayers' dime through this project.

While this is not the only example of the mismanagement by Tim Stewart that led to the deficits I inherited from him, it was one of the larger of his messes that I had to clean up. Tim Stewart is right about one thing, though. The financial disaster that he wrought through that project truly was one of his most significant legacies. But far from a good one.

But there is more than that. Even worse were the scandals in the police department, with lawsuits that stemmed from the sexism and bigotry under Tim Stewart's control. It was a terrible shame that Tim Stewart brought upon the city of New Britain because people were unfairly treated. It was wrong.

Addressing the scandals in the police department from the Stewart years, cleaning up the mess he left behind and setting the police department on a better path was yet another major clean-up job I had to perform in the wake of Mr. Stewart.

And that is a truly shameful legacy Tim Stewart left, specifically for the New Britain police department.

It is interesting that, after all of the mess he created, Tim and Erin Stewart would both have the nerve to think that the people of our city should owe him the honor of placing his name on the walls of the same building that houses the police department that was the center of such mismanagement by him. I agreed with people at the time who told me that they would be offended if he were so honored. And, on behalf of the people of the city, I stand by that.

Martin Luther King and the Economic and Social Bill of Rights

This weekend, our nation, state and communities celebrate and remember the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and his accomplishments. It is a time when I have always felt inspired by his work, as a leader, and by the movement that he embodies. No Martin Luther King Day passes without me feeling emboldened and empowered to carry forward work toward building a better future.

I believe that King is our nation's most important hero. Our nation has many great figures, well deserving of our honor, who strove and struggled to build our nation, by, of and for the people. Our nation is built on great ideals - democracy, justice, liberty and a decent life for all. But those ideals have all too often not been met in practice. For African-Americans, the experience was, instead, not just inequality, but the terror of violence and daily humiliation. The work of King, and the movement he led, was the struggle to breathe life into our country's great ideals. His work was nothing short of making our nation, conceived in greatness, the great nation it was meant to be. He, and so many others, took on the face of grotesque oppression and successfully pushed it back.

King, himself, probably would bristle at the idea of himself being held up in this way. He was an organizer - yes, a community organizer. In that, he knew that, while sometimes a person can symbolize and personify a movement, the real truth is always that the movement is about us all, everyday people. It is people - all the people - who create change for the better, and it is the people - all the people - whose lives are made better from that work. On Martin Luther King Day, we honor King, himself, as well as the many people who struggled and sacrificed in the Civil Rights Movement and the movements for justice and equality before and since.

But King, himself, was extraordinary. He believed so purely in creating a better world. He believed deeply in the goodness of humanity and in our potential to set aside our differences for our common good. He would sacrifice of himself, over and over again, and, when he thought he had no energy left to give, would still muster a little more energy to give away to people thirsting for inspiration and hope. 

Thankfully, we have, for the most part, put to rest the question of whether Martin Luther King should be honored as a national hero. Even those who, today, know that their own opinions differ from King's values must at least give lip service to the rightness and greatness of his work. Of course, one of the side effects of that acceptance is that political figures who do not agree with King's real values try to re-interpret his words to fit their own political agendas, such as saying that he would have opposed Affirmative Action, even when it is obvious that King would not have agreed with them. Other politicians try to appear to agree with King by lauding, post-fact, his leadership in winning reforms that are not controversial anymore, such such as doing away with overt "separate but equal" - even while those same politicians, to this day, perpetuate things, like voter suppression, that King would have told them are clearly wrongheaded. While it is easy to criticize defeated injustices, real courage is in challenging current injustices.

I think it is very important to point out, in this time of honoring the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King. Jr., that this kind of benign-sounding lip service to the memory of King is intended to prevent a more complete recounting of King's actual values and what he stood for from shining a not-so-flattering light on the agendas many politicians are currently pressing in the halls of government.

Part of the pure goodness of King as a leader was his compulsion to stand up for what was right, no matter what the cost to himself. That was true of his work for civil rights and, in the years leading up to his assassination, it was why he took positions against the Vietnam War, against exploitation of people in other countries and for economic justice for all Americans.

His assassination occurred during his work to organize the Poor People's Campaign, which was meant to follow up on the important work for civil rights - even more directly challenging the systems of injustice in the country by advocating for economic justice. He asked, "What does it profit a man to be able to eat at an integrated lunch counter if he doesn't earn enough money to buy a hamburger and a cup of coffee?" ¹  He spoke for economic justice as an essential part of the promise of our nation - "If a man doesn't have a job or an income, he has neither life nor liberty nor the possibility for the pursuit of happiness. He merely exists." ² And this was not only to advance communities of color, noting that white Americans also faced economic oppression and were likewise in need of reforms.

King challenged our nation to adopt reforms to make the free market work for everyone, African-American, Latino, white - everyone. Needless to say, in doing that, he was upsetting some very, very powerfulful monied interests in our country. "We have so energetically mastered production that we now must give attention to distribution," he wrote, and clearly laid out that this meant that, "We must create full employment or we must create incomes..." ³  

The Poor People's Campaign in 1968 was organized to demand adoption of an Economic and Social Bill of Rights to make the promise of our nation real for everyone. The Economic and Social Bill of Rights (in a draft written in February, 1968, before King's assassination ⁴) was to proclaim:

• "The Right of every employable citizen to a decent job." It is worth pointing out how this called for "good jobs", not just "dead end jobs," and was clear that it should be the responsibility of the country to ensure that this happened. The draft Economic and Social Bill of Rights proposed an ambitious federal job-creation program to make this a reality.
• "The right of every citizen to a minimum income." A guaranteed standard of living for people, "too young, too old or too handicapped to work."
• "The right of a decent house and the free choice of neighborhood." The draft Economic and Social Bill of Rights challenged that the more affluent were benefitted when, "Federally subsidized credit built suburbs and federally supported roads to access [them]," while other public spending displaced neighborhoods where whites and people of color of more modest means lived. It pointed out that, amidst a paucity of support for affordable housing, people of modest means were left to suffer in slum housing conditions. The proposed solution was the creation of many more units of decent, affordable housing.
• "The right to an adequate education." Noting gross inequities in educational attainment along racial lines and that "only out-and-out racists believe that this tragedy is a consequence of inherent deficiency on the part of the child...", the draft Economic and Social Bill of Rights proposed, "a massive effort to upgrade the education available to" both children of color and white children and to fund higher education so that all Americans could afford to attend.
• "The right to participate in the decision making process." The draft Economic and Social Bill of Rights placed importance on participatory democracy, "political action and voting protection."
• "The right to the full benefit of modern science in health care." Noting the inhuman differences in health and mortality based upon income, the draft Economic and Social Bill of Rights proposed extending Medicare to everyone in America.

This draft⁵ of the Economic and Social Bill of Rights was clear that greater economic equity should be considered as part of America's great ideals and Constitutional promise: "Without these rights, neither the black and white poor, and even some who are not poor, can really possess the inalienable rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. With these rights, the United States could, by the two hundredth anniversary of its Declaration of Independence, take giant steps toward redeeming the American dream."

The assassination of Martin Luther King took the great measure of the energy away from the Poor People's Campaign. It still went on as planned that summer, but it ended, having not achieved the goals for which King and so many others strove. As we well know, the objectives of the campaign, expressed in the Economic and Social Bill of Rights, for the most part, have yet to be achieved. Far from it, these are all, very much, front burner issues in our current politics. In the areas where there have been advances, those advances are now under powerful attack. In other areas, especially in the area of jobs, not having in place now what King advocated then makes middle class and poor people worse off now than they would have been. And when elected officials, such as President Barack Obama and our own Governor Dannel Malloy, press for changes that advance King's ideals, they must labor against difficult political headwinds.

Given what Martin Luther King advocated for when he was with us, it is clear that, were he alive today, he would be pressing hard for significant change. It is no wonder than many politicians of today will spend their Martin Luther King Day glossing over the full depth of what King believed in. If they acknowledged his real policy objectives, they would have to admit that they disagree with what King would have wanted them to do.

So let us make this Martin Luther King Day one of renewing our commitment to the movement and the great and important objectives for which King gave his life. Let us not allow people who oppose justice, equality and fairness for all to dissuade us from doing what is right through their various tactics of harsh mean-spiritedness and silver-tongued distraction. King taught us that people of ill intent would try to make it difficult for people who stand-up what is right.  He also taught us that, "The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy." ⁶

We can, in our nation, our state and our communities have a better, fairer, more just, more equitable future for ourselves and generations to come - one that we can all share. Now, more than ever, we must renew the work that our great national hero, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., championed.

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1 Joe Fassler, "'All Labor Has Dignity': Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Fight for Economic Justice", The Atlantic, February 22, 2011
2 Mark Engler, "Dr. Martin Luther King's Economics: Through Jobs, Freedom", The Nation, January 15, 2010
3 Mark Engler, "Dr. Martin Luther King's Economics: Through Jobs, Freedom", The Nation, January 15, 2010
4 "Economic and Social Bill of Rights", King Center online document repository
5 After King's assassination, the Committee of 100 created the version of the Economic and Social Bill of Rights that was advocated during the Campaign, which called for “a meaningful job at a living wage for every employable citizen.”, “a secure and adequate income for all who cannot find jobs or for whom employment is inappropriate”, “access to land as a means to income and livelihood”, “access to capital as a means of full participation in the economic life of America” and “the right of the people to 'play a truly significant role' in shaping government programs design and implementation”, Amy Nathan Wright,"Unfinished Business", (2007) pages 195–197
6 NPR Staff"King's Son And Friend Talk New Memorial, Media", NPR website

My budget work turned deficits into surpluses while maintaining services.

There was so much that happened in the two short years that I was Mayor. One of the larger was the city budget.

When I arrived as Mayor, I had to contend with tens of millions in budget deficits that I inherited. Despite this, I and the Council successful balanced two budgets (FY12, FY13) - turning deficits into surpluses, while maintaining the quality of public services and improving support for schools. And, after a lot of budget work this year, I succeeded in making about $10 million extra available to complete the current year budget (FY14) in balance - if the new administration manages well, as my administration did.

I always said that addressing the budget problems I inherited would be more than a two year project, and that every budget year for 4-5 years would require a lot of work, adjustments and innovative thinking. Easy and simple solutions were just not going to do it. That was true straight through my time as Mayor, but I addressed these challenges in a way that maintained the quality of services and moved the city forward. Since the new administration now faces at least two more years of addressing the budget problems I inherited, that same level of innovation, hard work and flexibility will be needed.

And, just as I did, I hope that the new administration will continue to do this while maintaining public services and moving the city forward. Our community would not be well served by announcements about budget challenges that are made as a pretext for cutting public services that were preserved under my administration. Those public services - education, parks, public safety, roads and infrastructure etc. - are important for our city's people, and I urge our city's people to advocate for them.

New Britain Senior Center is open as a cooling center due to the heat Saturday, July 6.

Message from Mayor Tim O'Brien:

Due to the forecast high temperature and humidity, resulting is a heat index potentially over 100 degrees, I have ordered that the New Britain Senior Center, at 55 Pearl Street, be open as a cooling center from 12 noon to 6pm tomorrow, Saturday, July 6th.

I urge all city residents to exercise caution because of the heat and to check with relatives and neighbors who might be vulnerable to the conditions to ensure that they are OK.

Here is additional information the City would like you to be aware of:

With summer upon us and temperatures over 90 degrees expected over the next few days, the New Britain Health Director is urging all those who work outdoors or in other hot environments to learn to recognize and protect themselves from heat stress. Exposure to extreme heat remains a leading preventable cause of suffering and death.  According to the Connecticut Department of Public Health, each year in the US, several hundred people are killed by heat related conditions, and thousands become ill.  People at risk for heat related illness are those who are unable to cool themselves adequately during extreme heat. 

During hot weather, especially when temperatures are extremely high, remember to keep cool and use common sense. The following tips are important:

• Drink Plenty of Fluids 
• Increase your fluid intake, regardless of your activity level. Don't wait until you're thirsty to drink. During heavy exercise in a hot environment, drink two to four glasses (16-32 ounces) of cool fluids each hour.
• Warning: If your doctor generally limits the amount of fluid you drink or has you on water pills, ask your doctor about additional fluid consumption in hot weather.
• Don't drink liquids that contain alcohol, or large amounts of sugar—these actually cause you to lose more body fluid. Also avoid very cold drinks, because they can cause stomach cramps.
• Replace Salt and Minerals 
• Heavy sweating removes salt and minerals from the body. These are necessary for your body and must be replaced. If you must exercise, drink two to four glasses of cool, non-alcoholic fluids each hour. A sports beverage can replace the salt and minerals you lose in sweat. However, if you are on a low-salt diet, talk with your doctor before drinking a sports beverage or taking salt tablets.
• Wear Appropriate Clothing and Sunscreen 
• Wear as little clothing as possible when you are at home. Choose lightweight, light-colored, loose-fitting clothing. Sunburn affects your body's ability to cool itself and causes a loss of body fluids. It also causes pain and damages the skin. If you must go outdoors, protect yourself from the sun by wearing a wide-brimmed hat (also keeps you cooler) along with sunglasses, and apply sunscreen of SPF 15 or higher (the most effective products say "broad spectrum" or "UVA/UVB protection" on their labels) 30 minutes prior to going out. Continue to reapply it according to the package directions.
• Pace Yourself 
• If you are not accustomed to working or exercising in a hot environment, start slowly and pick up the pace gradually. If exertion in the heat makes your heart pound and leaves you gasping for breath, STOP all activity. Get into a cool area or at least into the shade, and rest, especially if you become lightheaded, confused, weak, or faint.
• Stay Cool Indoors 
• Stay indoors and, if at all possible, stay in an air-conditioned place. If your home does not have air conditioning, go to the shopping mall or public library—even a few hours spent in air conditioning can help your body stay cooler when you go back into the heat. Call your local health department to see if there are any heat-relief shelters in your area. Electric fans may provide comfort, but when the temperature is in the high 90s, fans will not prevent heat-related illness. Take a cool shower or bath or move to an air-conditioned place.
• If you don't have air conditioning, spend some time in the New Britain Senior Center. The Senior Center is available to residents as a drop-in site to provide relief from the heat. This is a short term “drop in” cooling station. The Senior Center is regularly available Monday through Friday from 8:15am until 4:00am and is located on 55 Pearl Street.

Greek Festival in New Britain

Message from Mayor Tim O'Brien:

I would like to invite you and your family to the 2013 Greek Festival in New Britain, being held this Friday (today), Saturday and Sunday.

Come celebrate Greek culture, music, authentic food, dance and a Greek Market.

The Greek Festival is taking place at Saint George Greek Orthodox Church at 301 West Main Street on the corner of West Main and Grove Hill.

It is happening Friday until to midnight, Saturday from 11am-1am, and Sunday from Noon to 10pm. The Festival is open to the public and admission and parking are free.

I hope to see you this weekend.

Take care!

2013 Race in the Park

Message from Mayor Tim O’Brien:

Tomorrow, Saturday, May 11th, the day before Mother’s Day, is the Connecticut Breast Health Initiative’s 10th Anniversary Race in the Park.

New Britain is proud host to this important event in Walnut Hill Park because it is important to make a difference locally in the fight against breast cancer.

Ways you can donate and help can be found online at www.ctbhi.org, and in-person registration race day starts at 6:30am and continues until shortly before the races and walks begin.

The men's 5K begins at 8:00am, the kids' runs at 8:45am, the women's 5K at 9:15am and the walks at 10:15am. The Survivor Brunch is scheduled for 11:00am.

The 2013 Race in the Park will include a Sponsor’s Tent, Food Vendors, Breast Cancer Researcher’s Tent, Kid’s Expo, entertainment, and much more!

I invite you to be a part of this wonderful annual event in our city!

Thank you.

New Britain Community Gardens Multi-Cultural Fundraiser Dinner

The New Britain Community Gardens Multi-Cultural Fundraiser Dinner is coming up. The event will be at the Polish American Foundation at 27 Grove Hill at 6pm on Friday, April 26. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for kids. children ages 4-under are free. 

There will be delicious ethnic foods from various parts of the world, Mexican dancers, young guitar players, awesome silent auction prizes, and more.

Mayor Tim O’Brien Proposes $22.6 Million Investment in City Schools

Statement from Mayor Tim O’Brien:

When it comes to education in our city, we need to do more than just maintain the status quo. The need in our city for quality education - both the moral need and the economic one - is just too great. We must set our community on a course toward the investment that is needed to provide a quality education in our city schools.

The needs are great. In New Britain, the total number of people ages twenty-five and older with no high school diploma is 11,253. That is 15.4% of our city - almost one in six - who are without even the basic attainment of a high school diploma.

Education leaders have faced tough decisions throughout the City’s fifteen schools - choices between maintaining personnel or essential supplies such as text books. Investments in our schools infrastructure have been largely ignored in an effort to keep teachers in the classroom and preserve basic programs.

Prior to the current administration, flat-funding of the $118 million education budget several years in a row, forced cuts to dozens of teachers, aids, maintenance workers and guards in the schools – all while test scores plummeted. This announcement represents a significant change in course.

Investing in our children is investing in our future. Quality education is the path to a strong economy and vibrant neighborhoods. For future workers, it means having skills to do jobs that pay enough to lift families into the middle class. For our City, it means having a workforce that makes our community an attractive place to locate or expand a business and create jobs. For our property tax base and housing stock, it means the difference between having a community where families from diverse economic and cultural backgrounds wish to invest in, and raise their children in, versus a community where basic services and needs are not obtainable.

Years of flat funding at the local level have only exacerbated our challenges. That is why, last year with the support of the Common Council, I increased the city’s funding to the Board of Education’s budget by $500,000 - reversing a multi-year trend of flat funding.

This year I am proposing education funding of $141,200,000 - $22,639,443 higher than the current budget - and $2,512,660 higher than the Board of Education request.

The increase will come from both the General Fund budget and capital investments through bonding. We can’t afford not to make this investment – few investments pay off with the high rate of return for our community than investing in our children – the future of our city.

While we collectively have recognized that additional investments in education have been necessary, experiences of children outside of the schools are as important as in. That’s why I have been prioritizing community initiatives designed to improve the quality of life for our young people.

Additionally, I reiterate my promise to present a budget that does not raise property taxes.

Mayor Timothy O'Brien State of the City Address 2013

MAYOR TIMOTHY E. O’BRIEN

STATE OF THE CITY ADDRESS 2013

President Trueworthy, Leaders Bielinski and Pabon, members of the Common Council, and, most importantly, people of New Britain, I am pleased to report that our city is moving forward. Our city is stronger and in better position than it was one year ago, and the progress in that one year has been significant.

In a time of national economic uncertainty that still challenges so many of our residents, families, and businesses, we have remained focused, and committed to creating jobs, improving the quality of life in our-neighborhoods, supporting quality education and maintaining public services while not raising taxes.

And from day one we have made bold decisions to move forward on a path of progress, fighting the difficulties of a global recession and inherited budget deficits to build our economy, renew our Police Department, and address blight in our neighborhoods and build a better quality of life for every resident.

Our job now is to build on the progress of the last 16 months because, as we all know, there is more that needs to be done.

During the first year of this term, my administration has been focused on the things that need to be done to build a brighter future for our city:

1. Economic Development & Job Creation
2. Ensuring a good quality of life in our neighborhoods
3. Supporting quality education, and
4. Maintaining public services while not raising taxes.

I am happy to report, that in this relatively small period of time, we have made noticeable progress in all of these areas.

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We’ve moved New Britain forward by aggressively pursuing economic development opportunities. I cannot recall a time in recent memory when there has been nearly as much construction in our city than is occurring now.

My number one job as Mayor is job creation for the people of our city and building our city into a brighter and more prosperous future. Everything depends on our economic success, from the economic security of individual families to our ability to fund the public services that provide for a good quality of life, good paying jobs and a vibrant economy.

Since I became mayor I have been unyielding in my commitment to increasing development for our City. Looking back on sixteen months of progress I want to thank the many state leaders, like the Governor and his team, our state delegation in the legislature, business leaders, the Chamber of Commerce and so many others in our community for their shared commitment to continuous economic growth in New Britain.

Since the first day I took office I have fought day-in and day-out to retain jobs we already have and to create new ones.

The numbers speak for themselves.

In December Aerospace manufacturer Polamer Precision broke ground on a 150,000 square-foot state-of-the-art facility which will open in October 2013 and bring 72 good paying jobs to the city and promises to create 50 more by 2016. This is the first solid business development at Pinnacle Park, and it is exactly the kind of high-tech jobs of the future we need. I am proud of working with Polamer to make this development possible.

With city and state assistance, 25 new jobs will be created at Peter Paul Electronics Co. over the next five years. This is an example of how a long-time New Britain manufacturer can grow and create jobs and build on their New Britain tradition of success to continue to advance as a leader in the global market.

B&G Design will be moving 40 jobs to New Britain and plans on hiring 5 new employees.

Varsk Machine LLC added over 16,000 square feet to their operation and look to hire 6 new employees.

The COSTCO project is on track and is expected to result in 220 jobs and approximately $500,000 annually in tax revenue.

The construction of our police station is complete with the first commercial tenant chosen and second under negotiation.

The $100 million investment in neighborhood revitalization at Corbin Heights and Pinnacle Extension that I and former Senator DeFronzo Worked so hard to achieve is under construction, with a number of units already complete.

The Hospital of Central Connecticut broke ground on a $40 million, 70,000 square-foot state-of-the-art cancer center that will combine all cancer services into one convenient location and allow for future expansion of cancer care.

New Britain has seen an additional $20 million of private investment in the last sixteen months and we are not stopping. We will continue to move forward. We are assisting manufactures who have been the engine of economic growth for decades.

And I will soon be rolling out a manufacturing employment initiative that will enhance employment and training programs within our city. This will not only improve the employment prospects for individual workers, but more than that, it will send a message to manufacturers that New Britain is a city that takes our manufacturing economy seriously. It sends a message that New Britain is great place to grow and build new high-tech manufacturing.

This is our future and we are moving forward.

We are going to continue to build on the progress of the CTFastrak construction. Downtown and its immediate radius offer a substantial market within the proximity of this future rapid bus transit terminal for future investment. Within a half mile radius, you’ll find professional offices, restaurants, Walnut Hill Park, the New Britain Museum of American Art, New Britain's largest retail plaza, downtown merchants, La Quinta Inn, and a multi-storied municipal parking garage.

In 2013 our downtown will continue to see transformation, and we will, as promised, move forward on construction of our new downtown streetscape and “complete streets,” project. This project will not only beautify our downtown but will provide pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure, improve connectivity to the CTfastrak station and leverage private investment in our downtown.

But, New Britain’s economic resurgence will not be tied solely to large commercial development. Small business development is an essential part of our economic future and I want to reaffirm my commitment to helping New Britain businessmen and businesswomen prosper.

That is why we are renewing the city’s business loan program, to help small businesses to grow.

And we are moving forward with our Arch Street Planning Committee in creating a new plan to renew Arch Street and help build a vibrant commercial and cultural neighborhood our city’s Latino community can be proud of.

We are continuing to work with the leaders and businesses on our already vibrant Broad Street to continue to build on the success of our state’s center of Polish culture and commerce.

Building success for our city’s central commercial corridor must mean having an active and resourceful marketing strategy. New Britain has a wealth to offer residents and visitors, alike — from theaters and museums to restaurants and shops. But the wonderful things that are in and are happening in our city will not result in the vibrant future that it can if people do not know about them.

That is why I am working with community leaders to announce, in the coming weeks, a new marketing plan to parley our great assets into a successful downtown, and vibrant commercial center.

Part of this, you can already see in motion. We have already used the community notification system put in place under my administration to bring people together for cultural events and community activities. From the new downtown Halloween celebration, which we will be doing again, to festivals and other events, we have been and will continue to use this resource to bring the community together to activities that make our downtown and community a more vibrant place.

And my administration will continue our work to help community groups create festivals and community activities. Enjoyable activities help build our community and our local economy.

In the upcoming week, we expect to announce a new and exciting development for the Shaws site on West Main Street. In the upcoming weeks, we will be announcing additional new businesses here in New Britain.

In addition to job growth and economic development we’ve seen renewed energy for the arts, and We’re secured funds to back up our community’s enthusiasm. In the past year, New Britain’s arts and culture programs have attracted new funds and world class art in our downtown. The arts will continue to play an integral role in building a more vibrant downtown and community.

In just one year, we have accomplished so much. We are justifiably proud of what we have accomplished. For the future that our community needs and deserves, we need to accomplish so much more. That is why economic development is the most important part of my work as Mayor.

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You don’t have to have a child in public school, to understand that our children hold the keys to a brighter future for the entire community — an investment in them is an investment in all of us.

That is why, last year with the support of the Common Council I increased the city’s funding to the Board of Education’s budget — reversing a multi-year trend of flat funding.

And we must prepare our children to be successful in the jobs of the future, including the medical profession. That is why it is so important that we broke ground on the new 145,000 square-foot Medical Professions and Teacher Preparation Magnet School. This is our city’s first interdistrict magnet school in New Britain, and it complements the wonderful Health Academy program we already have at New Britain High School.

Quality education is at the core of a successful future economy for our city. For future workers, it means having skills to do the jobs that pay enough to lift families into the middle class. For our city, it means having a workforce that makes our community an attractive place to locate or expand a business and create jobs.

Quality education is a moral imperative - the moral question of whether the kids growing up in our city deserve the same shot in life as youngsters growing up in more affluent communities.

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And, while we increase the priority of education, we must also act on the reality that the quality of learning is as much affected by the experiences of children outside of the schools as in. That’s why I have heavily prioritized community initiatives designed to improve the quality of life in our young people.

I believe very strongly that all the people of our city deserve to be able to live in neighborhoods with a great quality of life. Ensuring that quality of life includes addressing the very real problems of abandoned, dilapidated and poorly maintained buildings — in other words, blight.

We all understand it takes more than strong ordinances to fight blight — it takes political will, enforcement, and it takes persistence. Of all the challenges we face as a city, addressing blighted buildings is the one in which we have the greatest authority to make a meaningful difference for the people of our community. But that does not always happen. In fact, in the history of our city, it usually has not — for the same reason it is usually hard to ask vested interests to change for the better.

But the time has come for our city to act for the betterment of all of the people of our city, and not accept the proposition that New Britain’s residents, especially people of humble means, must be made to live in substandard conditions and in neighborhoods made tougher to live in because of blighted buildings. The people of our city deserve better than to be treated that way, and it is our responsibility — the leaders of our city — to stand up for them.

I refuse to back down from this important Work. There is too much at stake.

Gone are the times of it being acceptable for blighted properties to sit vacant — neglected and in disrepair, casting our city’s neighborhoods into landscapes of urban decay. Gone are the times of inaction. Our residents have spoken.

Fighting blight is about improving the quality of life in our neighborhoods. It is about improving health and public safety and turning around years of neglect. I am determined in my efforts to build safer neighborhoods, reduce blight and with it crime.

Residents should feel free to call my office directly to report blight. We are here to work for you. We are here to make your community a better place.

Across our city, properties are being cleaned up and the ones that remain problem properties will continue to face our tough enforcement policies. Our anti-blight policies have already had a significant positive impact.

During the period of November 2010 through October 2011, the city filed no liens and collected no fines for severe blight. But, since I assumed in November 2011, $1.2 million in liens have been filed and $15,000 collected for severe blight. From 2010 to 2011, the city issued only 497 citations for general violations but the following year we filed 787 citations. Enforcement of New Britain’s anti-blight ordinances has been greatly increased and are making a difference.

The evidence of success can also been seen by looking at some of the most notoriously blighted buildings in New Britain. The Berkowitz Building, located in the heart of New Britain’s economic corridor, was left vacant for more than 15 years until thousands of dollars in fines, due to enforcement of the anti-blight ordinance, caused the Staten Island property owner to turn the building over to the City of New Britain for a small amount. Since we have taken ownership, we have received two exciting proposals from private development companies to turn the top floors of the building into apartments and the ground level into retail stores.

Another example of the positive impact of the ordinances is 25 Gilbert Street, a neglected house that will be demolished and converted to homes by Habitat for Humanity.

For some property owners, the strengthened anti-blight ordinance has been an incentive to renovate their existing properties to avoid hefty fines. That is why the old Burritt Bank, a prominent building on Main Street in downtown New Britain had repairs to its windows and other broken parts.

Blighted properties are a drain on city budgets. They draw away from the quality of life, as well as the economic opportunities, of those living around them and severely diminish the value of properties in the community. These neglected or abandoned properties are more than just eyesores — they are detrimental to the safety, health, welfare and economic growth of the community.

Blighted and abandoned buildings are assessed for taxes at a reduced amount because they are in disrepair. That means less funding for our local schools and other services. Abandoned buildings result in unfair higher taxes on people who actually live in New Britain. This is unfair and wrong — I will work tirelessly to end it.

With the success we have had in addressing the problems with blighted buildings in our community, we must also turn our attention to the proactive investments that we need to be making to ensure a good quality of life for the people of our city.

We must be investing in quality housing in our neighborhoods. That is why my administration has implemented a new forgivable housing loan program — the Grow New Britain Home Ownership Program — to invest in our neighborhoods, while helping people to afford the dignity of homeownership.

That is also why, in coming weeks, I will be proposing a new program to help strengthen neighborhoods and create jobs by investing in quality housing.

And we need to be acting to improve the quality of community life in neighborhoods. That is why my administration is rolling out a new Community Gardens program. Community members have been meeting and working together to set-up the first three community gardens in our city places where people in a neighborhood of all ages can come together, grow vegetables and plants and, in the process, grow a stronger community. There will be community gardens this summer on Chapman Street, Lawlor Street and West Main Street.

But we need to do more. We need to be investing in improvements that make our parks and public places quality places for people to enjoy together.

That is why, very soon, I will be proposing new investments in our public parks. One of the things I will be proposing will be field improvements at Chesley Park — where the Junior Hurricanes have made their home for their athletic programs for kids.

I will also be proposing investments to restore our city's war memorials that have been shamelessly vandalized. The brave people who gave their lives for our country should be honored and remembered. Our monuments should be honored memorials for them — not blank scars of malicious vandalism. Let's invest in making these improvements.

Of course, the public places that we use the most are our roads and sidewalks. We may not think about them unless they are in disrepair, but whether they are in good condition affects our neighborhood quality of life very directly. This basic infrastructure not only affects how our neighborhoods look to ourselves and visitors, but it also affects our city's economic prospects — telling prospective investors whether our community is a place in which they want to invest. We are wise to invest in our roads, sidewalks and infrastructure.

That is why I will shortly be proposing a new, expanded program for road and sidewalk improvements — to pave and improve miles of roads and many sidewalks that are in dire need of this important work.

And there are some specific projects that deserve our investment, especially for the economic reasons that I said. That is why I will be proposing new investments that will:

• Complete the Broad Street reconstruction.
• Ensure that the downtown streetscape project will be complete, and
• Improve the South Main Street corridor.

Of course, another important investment in a good quality of life in neighborhoods is having an active and professional police force.

Despite the financial challenges we faced when assuming office, we have already been able to move forward with the process of putting additional police officers on the streets.

But the Police Department I inherited faced tough challenges. The department was down more than 40 officers from the full strength of 165, and faced difficult challenges and bad news that harmed morale for a department filled with qualified and dedicated officers.

We now have new and strong leadership at the helm — and new officers on the way. I could not be more proud of our men and women in uniform and the leadership of Chief Wardwell. They have endured through some challenging circumstances, while simultaneously yielding impressive results.

What has been achieved is striking.

Crime is down, overall, this year — and down 4% since 2010. But for the more serious crime, it is even more impressive. Crimes against persons in the past two months are down 45% from the same period last year.  Our new Shooting Task Force, increased traffics stops, more efficient administrative procedures and community policing have made New Britain a safer place to live and do business.

We have not had a murder in nearly a year — down from 3 the previous year. This happened because of the good work of our Police Department and because of the importance we have placed on revitalizing the department and restoring morale.

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The significant financial challenges we had 16 months ago — the deficit, the unfunded costs of the new police station, redundancy and inefficiencies in what was then 22 city departments, have shaped many of the decisions we have had to make.

But the budget that I proposed and the Council approved maintained public services in our city without raising taxes. We achieved this through the most sweeping and significant reorganization of our city government in our city’s history. We consolidated 22 city departments — often with redundant and overlapping functions — into six departments.

Since the Council enacted the reorganization ordinance, much work has been done to make these departmental consolidations a reality in the actual operations of the city. Many efficiencies have already been realized and many more are still being achieved.

In the new Public Works Department, workers who used to repair vehicles and equipment in different city departments now work together and are doing a better job together. And the recent blizzard disaster our city went through showed the value of having workers who used to be part of four different city departments working together to serve the public.

Under the new Finance Department, the public has one place to go, rather than different places, to pay taxes and water bills. And financial management is done in one department, rather than being divided, as it used to be, among three different departments.

Among the ways that these consolidations have achieved savings for the taxpayers has been by allowing fewer workers to be able to maintain the services that a larger number of workers used to provide. The early retirement incentive that I instituted during my first year as Mayor, and the savings it achieved, was made possible because of this.

There is certainly more work ahead in bringing the departmental consolidation to fruition in all of the new departments, but we have already accomplished much.

Another problem my administration faced was that the Police Station project was millions of dollars underfunded. Unless we acted, the construction of our new state of the art police station would have come to a grinding halt. I proposed and the Council approved the funding that finished the construction of our new Police Station.

And right now our police station is the envy of surrounding towns — and we’re finally updating the city’s emergency radio system, a project decades overdue.

There’s much more work yet to be done. We can say, though, that because of our actions over the past 16 months, we are headed in a better direction.

We are new again in the process of creating next year’s budget. As I said last year, let me be clear about this coming year’s budget: We will not raise property taxes. Last year, We did not raise taxes, and this year, in the budget I propose, the amount of tax revenue will not be increased.

Often, elected officials look at just two approaches to balancing a budget — raising taxes and cutting services. We proved a third approach exists. My administration reduced the costs of government by millions of dollars a year through consolidations and increased efficiencies. The budget we approved last year actually decreased the amount of spending below the level of the budget I inherited. All the while we are focusing on the long term benefits of growing our economy and growing jobs.

In order to see meaningful and continued progress, We’ve had to change the ways things have traditionally been done. Much of the work wasn’t easy — change often isn’t as convenient as it is necessary. Collectively, and for our future, we have made tough and important choices to benefit all of New Britain.

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Our common efforts have already produced positive results, and I thank the Common Council for their efforts and their collaboration.

But there is so much more that needs to be done. The challenging times that we live in are exactly the moment when we need to be rolling up our sleeves to do the things to build a better tomorrow for ourselves and coming generations.

Too often, people choose difficult times as the moment to stick their heads in the sand, cower and hope for the tough times to pass. They look at tough budget challenges and say that we must do less to maintain and invest in their communities. But I believe that communities that adopt a head-in-the-sand policy during these times will find that their belief in doing less will only result in falling further behind.

We cannot allow that to be New Britain’s course.

That is why we have to have the courage to invest in a stronger economy that creates good paying jobs and makes for a more vibrant community. That means that we need to invest in our infrastructure and parks. And it means that we have to invest in our next generation by investing in education. It means that we need to have the courage to insist on a good quality of life in our neighborhoods and not allow our residents to be used and abused.

It means that we have to be creative, bold and forward thinking. It means that we have to try new ideas and innovate. It means that we have to challenge old assumptions and ways of thinking.

If we have the courage to be bold during troubled times, our community can prosper into the next generation and beyond.

Our city can be a world leader in high-tech manufacturing and other business, with the prosperity and prestige that comes with it.

All of our neighborhoods can be welcoming places to live and nurturing places to raise children — and our schools can be among the best in the state.

Our city can take its rightful place as an important center of community life, arts and culture.

All of these things are possible for our city, if we have the vision and exercise the will and hard work to make it happen. That is the course that I will continue leading this city toward. And, with your help and support — and the common effort of all of New Britain’s people — we can achieve it.

So, tonight, I say to you, the state of the City of New Britain is one of renewal and progress — of moving forward. While there is still much work ahead, now is the time that, together, we will make the future of New Britain brighter for everyone.

God Bless you, God Bless the City of New Britain!

Safety and service needs as the blizzard recovery continues

Message from Mayor Tim O'Brien:


This message is to inform you of specific concerns as well as services related to the snow storm.

First, with the current rainfall, there are precautions you may wish to take concerning the added weight to snow on roofs.  If possible, clear any large snowfall and make access to gutters.  If you have any known leakage, particularly to areas of your residence where there is electricity – such as between walls, shut off the area circuit breakers and notify the City’s dispatch number at 860-826-3000 to arrange for an inspection for any fire hazard.

Please also make certain that your home’s Carbon Monoxide and Smoke detectors are in working condition.  Be aware that carbon monoxide is an odorless, invisible gas that can buildup in your home.

Exposure to carbon monoxide can be deadly.  Please test the battery in you smoke and carbon monoxide detectors by pressing and holding down the button located on the cover of the devise.  Smoke detectors should be located on every floor of your home including the basement.

Be sure to visually inspect the outlet of your dryer and furnace vents that may be located near ground level to assure that they are not obstructed by snow.  Remember that snow may fall from the roof and cover the vents during the coming days, please be sure to re-inspect the area frequently.

Secondly, if you have a need that is not a 911 emergency that is storm related, such as transportation to medical care, prescription medication, or food, please call the City’s dispatch unit at 860-826-3000.  Community Services Department Staff are available to provide assistance and support until 5PM today and throughout the storm recovery period.  There are also trained nursing and mental health professionals if you have a serious but not life threatening condition.  As always, in any serious or life threatening condition please use the 911 system.

As Mayor, I want to be certain that you are safe and well during the recovery process of this unprecedented storm.  I also want to assure you that City personnel are available to assist you with any important need that you have.

Blizzard disaster recovery update for New Britain

Message from Mayor Tim O'Brien:


Dear New Britain Residents,

The Blizzard of 2013 we just experienced dropped 30+ inches in New Britain in less than one day.

To put this in perspective, that is more snow than fell during the Blizzard of 1978. Even the winter two years ago that produced so much snow did not dump this amount in such a short period of time. And, it’s important to note that cities such as Hartford, New Haven, Bridgeport and some surrounding towns are experiencing the same challenges associated with this disaster.

This is a natural disaster situation. Even though city crews have been working to clear snow, round the clock, even before the snow began to fall, please do not have the expectation of things returning to normal within normal snowstorm timeframes.

Such a significant amount of snow over a small period of time has prevented city plows from breaking through the snow and have been getting stuck.  We have had to use payloaders and construction equipment to remove snow before plows can gain access.  We have requested additional assistance from the state and National Guard to expedite the cleanup from this natural disaster.

The city has first focused on priority roadways such as main streets and arteries. City Public Works is working with city crews and private contractors to excavate the snow from streets to enable plows to access them. Plows cannot even get onto most streets until this is done.

While I hope to have most streets open for basic travel access today or tomorrow, conditions are proving even more difficult than expected. Depending on the difficulty of the snow excavation ahead, some streets may not be plowed until Tuesday. And please be aware that streets will not be fully cleared for perhaps a week or more.

Although you may not have seen a plow on your street, city crews have been working around the clock and will continue to do so until the snow is cleared. There is a massive amount of snow to move.

Of course, making sure that the city residents can be reached by medical, fire and police emergency responders is top priority, and the city Public Works crews are coordinating with emergency responders to get emergency response to all sections of the city.
Important information for residents:

• Call 911 for emergencies only
• Call 860-826-3000 if you are at risk and need assistance due to the storm
• Schools will be closed Monday
• Due to the mass of snow, garbage collection will not occur this week. Garbage collection will resume next week, and, for that week only, you may use your recycling bins for trash.
• The state has seen an increase in carbon monoxide poisoning incidents.  Please clear any snow from outside vents to prevent build up in your home.
• For safety when driving, please stop at all all intersections - even those without stop signs or stop lights - and please do not drive over 25 MPH on any road.
• The parking ban will remain in effect until further notice, as this is necessary for clearing snow and allowing emergency personnel to have access in cases of emergencies.

Thank you very much for your patience and for pulling together as a community during this extraordinary disaster.

Please stay safe.

Sincerely,

~Mayor Timothy O’Brien

Getting the streets plowed after the big storm.

Message from Mayor Tim O'Brien:

The historically large snowfall from the Blizzard of 2013 has made it very difficult for many cities and towns to clear snow from their roads.

In New Britain, city crews have been working around the clock, under difficult conditions, since during the storm, to clear the snow.

As of right now, it looks like city streets will be opened by snowplows sometime tomorrow (Sunday).

With the massive amount of snow, the clearing has been tough and slow-going. To get the city up and running, the city has been clearing the major roads first and working to the neighborhood streets.

The job is so large because of the historic snowfall that the city workers actually have to use payloaders in addition to plows to clear the large amount of snow.

And because there is so much snow to be removed, it is going to take time to completely clear the streets. It is a tough job, given how severe this storm was, and other cities and towns are experiencing similar challenges.

But city workers and I are working very hard to return things to normal.

I sincerely appreciate your understanding.

Working to dig out from the historic blizzard.

Message from Mayor Tim O'Brien:


The Blizzard of 2013 has produced a historic snowfall. Throughout our region, it has left streets and highways difficult, if not impossible, to drive.

City crews have been working very hard around the clock to clear the snow from our streets - a job that will take some time to finish.

Please, for your safety, I would urge you to stay home and off the roads.

I would also urge you to be careful in removing snow from your driveway and sidewalk. Please do not overdo it when shoveling. And please be very careful when operating snow-blowers.

Also keep in mind that the city parking ban will remain in effect throughout Saturday and maybe into Sunday.

By the way, something that you can do that can protect your home is to shovel snow from fire hydrants near your house.

City workers and I are continuing our round-the-clock work to ensure your safety and get our city dug out and through this historic storm event.

Thank you very much for your patience and for pulling together as a community.

Be safe and take care.

News from the City on the expected blizzard.

Message from Mayor Tim O'Brien:

A major winter storm is approaching Connecticut. This is a large storm that will impact New Britain with potential blizzard conditions for a period of 24 hours from mid-day tomorrow (Friday) to mid-day Saturday. New Britain is expecting heavy snow with winds of 20-30 MPH. One to 2 feet of snow is expected. Power outages are likely.

Here is some important information:

• Due to this storm, schools will be closed tomorrow (Friday)
• There will be a parking ban in effect beginning tomorrow at tomorrow (Friday) 6am. Towing of cars will occur to allow plows and emergency vehicle access to all streets.  

 Free parking will be available at the following locations during the parking ban:

• Osgood Park
• Stanley Golf Course
• Quonset hut parking lot at 655 Slater Rd.
• City parking lot on Main Street between NBPD and the CCSU ITBD building.
• City parking lot at Wildwood St. & Linden St. (next to Police substation)
• Washington Park (lot opposite Gold Street)
• Martha Hart Park
• City parking garage - (Bank St./Chestnut St.)
• City parking garage - (Columbus Blvd. at the corner of Washington St.)

Here are safety and other tips you should keep in mind:

• Have food, water, flashlights and a battery operated radio available.
• Charge all cell phones.
• Check on elderly and at risk neighbors and relatives.
• Stay informed, listen to storm information.
• Do not use candles for lighting, use flashlights.
• Do not use propane or charcoal grills indoors for any reason.
• Make sure generators are kept outside away from the house.
• To report fallen trees and wires, Call 860-826-3000,
• To report fire, police and medical emergencies, call 9-1-1.

Thank you very much for your cooperation and please be safe !

Free income tax preparation available for many city residents at HRA.

Message from Mayor Tim O'Brien:

I wanted to take a moment to let you know that the Human Resources Agency offers free tax return preparation services for city residents with incomes under $50,000 a year. Please feel free to let anyone you thing could use this help about this service. Here are the details:

Free Income Tax Preparation Available in the City

Free income tax preparation for low to moderate-income individuals and married couples, making at or under $50,000 a year, will be offered at various locations in New Britain from Monday to Saturday, through April 15^th. Tax returns are completed by appointment only and taxpayers must bring all necessary documentation to their appointment. Please call the Human Resources Agency at 860-612-3983, Monday through Friday between 8:30am and 4:30pm. The tax preparation service is a part of the VITA (Volunteer Income Tax Assistance) program of the IRS (Internal Revenue Service). The program is coordinated through the New Britain Asset Building Coalition; operated by the Human Resources Agency of New Britain (HRA), and funded in part by the IRS and United Way of New Britain and Berlin.

Free Tax Preparation Site Listings:

HRA North Oak Community Center                       Tues, Wed, Thurs. 3:00pm-8:00pm

35 Oak Street                                                         Saturdays 10:00am-3:00pm

HRA Energy Assistance                                          Thursdays 5:00pm-8:00pm

336 Arch Street                                                       Saturdays 10:00am-3:00pm

HRA Youth Services Center                                    Mondays 1:00pm-4:00pm

58 Scarlett Drive           

HRA Ben Franklin Early Childhood Center              Tuesdays 2:00pm-6:00pm

180 Clinton Street

Community Central (in partnership with CCSU)     Tuesdays 9:00am-1:00pm

117 West Main Street  

College Goal Sunday

There will be an exciting event happening this Sunday at New Britain High School from 1:30 - 4:30 p.m. to help local young people with the college financial aid process.

College Goal Sunday is designed to help high school seniors and their families fill out the forms that are required to apply for financial aid.

At College Goal Sunday, students and their families can get expert help filling out the federal financial aid application.  The American Savings Foundation is the sponsor of College Goal Sunday in New Britain.

For more information visit collegegoalsundayct.com or call 860.827.2572.

Snow parking ban for New Britain 5pm today (Dec 29th) to 6pm Dec 30th.

With the predicted snowfall coming, a parking ban will be in effect for New Britain starting at 5pm today (Saturday, December 29th). It will continue to be in effect until at least 6pm tomorrow (Sunday, December 30th).

So the city snow plows can clear the streets of snow, parking will not be allowed city streets while a parking ban is in effect. This is important because it is very difficult to completely clear the streets afterwards if people are parked on the streets during and immediately after a significant snowfall.

However, free parking will be available at the following locations during the ban:

  *   Osgood Park
  *   Stanley Golf Course
  *   Quonset hut parking lot at 655 Slater Road
  *   City parking lot at Wildwood St. & Linden St. (next to Police substation)
  *   Washington Park (lot opposite Gold Street)
  *   Martha Hart Park
  *   City parking garages (Bank St. /Chestnut St. & Columbus Blvd. at the corner of Washington St.)

There are no parking fees for parking in any of these places while a parking ban is in effect, though it does not look like this parking ban will still be in effect on Monday.

By the way, I am subject to the inconvenience of this, myself. Since I live in a downtown home with no off-street parking, I have moved my family's cars to the city parking garages downtown.

Also, free winter (treated) sand is available to New Britain residents at the following locations:

EASTWICK COURT (in Park area);
LINDEN STREET (Parking Lot at northwest corner of Wildwood St.);
MARTHA HART PARK (Parking lot off Corbin Ave.);
MCCLINTOCK ST. (Park area between Commonwealth Ave. and Eddy Glover Blvd.);
OSGOOD AVE. (Parking lot in Osgood Park);
ROCKY HILL AVE. (Northeast corner of Ellis St.);
STANLEY ST. (A. W. Stanley parking lot opposite Huber St.);
WASHINGTON PARK (Parking lot opposite Gold St.);
WILLOW BROOK PARK (Parking area near old tennis courts off South Main St.).

Thank you for your cooperation. And please, be safe during the inclement weather.

Merry Christmas from Mayor Tim O'Brien and family.

From my family to your's

have a very Merry Christmas!

May this season of light brighten your lives. I hope you enjoy happy times with family and loved ones, and that this season of hope brings the promise of a bright future for you and your family.

And may this time of joy bring New Britain, our state and our nation the hope for a better a tomorrow.

Merry Christmas!

~Mayor Tim O'Brien

New Britain vigil for the victims in Newtown, December 23rd at 6pm in Central Park

Message from Mayor Tim O'Brien:

Words cannot express how terrible the shootings in Newtown today are.

Our children are precious, and I know everyone, especially parents, are heartsick for the little ones whose lives were taken today, and deeply sad for their parents and families. For my own part, I could only think powerfully of how much my little daughter means to me when I heard the terrible news - and I know all parents felt the same way.

It is shocking, angering, tragic and terrible. I know that I speak for everyone in New Britain in expressing deep sadness for the victims - children, teachers and others - and heartfelt condolence and sympathy for their families, loved ones and friends - and for the people of the town of Newtown.

I am inviting the people of our city to come together as a community, on December 23rd at 6pm in Central Park in downtown New Britain, for a vigil to remember those whose lives were taken and show support for their families and loved ones - and the people Newtown. Other cities and towns in the state are organizing similar vigils on the evening of the 23rd, as well.

Please spread the word about this, and take care.

New Britain holiday tree lighting

From Mayor Tim O'Brien:

Please join me for New Britain's holiday tree lighting tomorrow (Tuesday, November 27th) from 4-7pm at Central Park in downtown New Britain! This is a great opportunity to come together as a community and enjoy a fun family night out in our city's downtown.

Here are some of the highlights:

• Hot cocoa will be provided throughout the event.
• At 4:30pm carriage rides that will begin.
• At 5pm the New Britain High School Madrigals will sing.
• At 6pm the Right Now Ministries Gospel Choir will welcome the arrival of Santa, and the tree lighting will follow.
• Santa will have presents for the first 500 kids.
• Throughout the event, Community Central, at 117 West Main Street will have arts and crafts for children.
• After the event ends at 7pm, the New Britain Public Library will have arts and crafts.
• All activities are free of charge.
• The event will be on, rain or snow.

So, let's enjoy each other's company and our city's downtown and brighten the season together!