NORWICH REPUBLICANS WANT CUTS
Again this year, the Norwich City Council Republicans are asking City Manager John Salomone to cut five percent from his proposed $46.69 million city government budget. They’re seeking reductions in each city department. Mayor Peter Nystrom said he met with Salomone Wednesday afternoon to discuss the request and learned that Salomone already had met with city Comptroller Josh Pothier. The City Council will hold a public hearing at 7:30 tonight on Salomone’s initial proposed $126.8 million combined city, school and capital improvements budget.
MONTVILLE OFF THE HOOK
Six towns, including Montville, will not be penalized for failing to hit the state Department of Education’s minimum budget requirement. In February, the towns were warned by Kathy Demsey, the education department’s chief financial officer, that if they cut too much spending they could face penalties for being out of compliance with the minimum budget requirement. Groton was also told it was not in compliance but resolved the issue on its own. A waiver bill now heads to Gov. Malloy’s desk after receiving staunch support in both General Assembly chambers. The Senate voted 34-1 in favor of waiving the penalties; the House vote was 141-2.
COUNCIL BACKS UP THREAT
The Ledyard Town Council isn’t backing down and will consider other emergency medical service options. At a Town Council meeting Wednesday night, councilors voted 7-1 in favor of authorizing the mayor to seek proposals for ambulance services, another move toward possibly ending the town’s more than 40-year relationship with the Ledyard Volunteer Emergency Squad. Ledyard officials expect anywhere from two to five organizations to respond to the request for proposals, including American Ambulance and American Medical Response.
ROAD CONSTRUCTION RAGE
Stonington Police have charged a North Stonington man with pointing a handgun at a state Department of Transportation employee last summer after the two exchanged words at the site of a DOT project on Route 49 in Pawcatuck. Acting on a warrant, police took Kyle Colechia of Pendleton Hill Road into custody at Electric Boat in Groton late Tuesday morning. He was charged with first-degree reckless endangerment, first-degree threatening and breach of peace. Colechia was released on a $10,000 bond.
SOTO SEEKING SECOND TERM
New London freshman state lawmaker Chris Soto has announced he will seek a second term representing the 39th House District. Soto posted on social media that he filed the appropriate paperwork with the state on Tuesday. A New London resident, Soto served five years of active duty after graduating from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy. He later earned a graduate degree in public affairs from Brown University.
POET PASSES
J.D. “Sandy” McClatchy, poet and author of ‘American Writers at Home,’ and a part-time Stonington Borough resident, died Tuesday evening in his Manhattan home after a battle with cancer. He was 72. McClatchy had written eight collections of poetry, the fifth of which, “Hazmat,” was a finalist for the 2003 Pulitzer Prize. His work often appeared in the New Yorker. McClatchy is remembered for his involvement in the Stonington art scene of the ’70s, ’80s and ’90s.
