Good Day for Sailing

Today's sunny skies, warm temperatures, and a nice breeze made for a perfect day for sailing Long Island Sound off of Compo Beach. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Larry Untermeyer for WestportNow.com

Saturday, July 31, 2004

8 p.m. - Levitt Pavilion - Ash Creek String Band

Long Lots School Parking Lot Expansion in High Gear

Work on the expansion of the Long Lots Elementary School parking lot is underway. The parking lot in front of the school is torn up, and the adjacent property purchased by the town for the project is being graded with two large excavators. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Julia Mally for WestportNow.com

Town Picks Up Martha Stewart's Rocks in Sweep of Turkey Hill Road South

As if Westport's Martha Stewart doesn't have enough problems, today she got one more – town employees picked up the rocks she and her neighbors had placed in front of their homes to discourage parking and to protect their roadside grassy areas.
Westport public works employees today removed rocks along Turkey Hill Road South, including some in front of Martha Stewart's house. Left photo was taken July 8, the one on the right today. Alan Beasley photo/WestportNow.com photo

"I got orders from my boss to pick them up and that's what I did," said Scott Sullivan, superintendent of the Highway Division in the Department of Public Works.

Sullivan, whose boss, Public Works Director Stephen Edwards is on vacation, said the town acted after publication of a letter July 21 in the Westport News complaining that the rocks along Turkey Hill Road South were a danger to cars, pedestrians, bicyclists, and snowplows.

A neighbor tipped off Stewart -- who was not at home at the time -- to what was happening and she called the town attorney's office to complain, according to a Town Hall source. Her stones had reportedly been imported from her property in Bedford, N.Y.

Sullivan said Stewart's gardener then came out and asked town employees to return the rocks to Stewart's property and they did.

"We unloaded them on the property as he asked," the town official said.

Stewart was seen driving into her driveway in mid-afternoon hours after the rocks had been removed.

Neighbors said several town dump trucks showed up on the quiet, tree-lined street this morning and began removing the rocks and boulders from both sides of the roadway – some of them "the size of a fireplace," according to one resident.

"It's a liability for the town," Sullivan said.

There was no exact estimate how many rocks were picked up or how many homes were involved, but the town official said they amounted to about three small truck loads.

"We put down some topsoil and carefully seeded where we removed the rocks," he said.

Sullivan said the town normally surveys all town roads in the fall looking for rocks and boulders along the side that might impede snowplows.

He acknowledged, however, that the mid-summer removal was unusual. But he said Turkey Hill South residents should not feel they are being singled out as all such problem rocks and boulders will be eventually removed from town roadways.

Candy Goldstein, who lives across the street from Stewart and who did not have any rocks in front of her house, said neighbors who gathered outside to watch the removal operation were not happy with the town's action.

"I hope the town carefully assesses the cost of doing this from a taxpayer's perspective," she said. "I think the whole thing is ridiculous."

Southport resident Alan M. Beasley, whose letter to the editor prompted the rock removal operation, was surprised to hear that his complaint resulted in town action today.

"Oh my goodness," he said when contacted by WestportNow. "I filed a similar complaint with the Town of Fairfield and never heard from them."

Beasley, 80, a retired industrial engineer, said he did not know the rocks in a photo he took along Turkey Hill Road South and included in his letter to the editor were outside Stewart's house.

"Uh-oh, I guess my life is in danger now," he quipped.

Farrell, Back from Democratic Convention, Says it was "Exhilarating"

Westport First Selectwoman Diane G. Farrell's voice is a little hoarse and she has yet to catch up on her sleep, but she said today that attending the Democratic national convention in Boston this week was an "exhilarating" experience.

"It was my first convention and it was very exhilarating," she said in an interview. "It's sort of a spectacle but it's important to our democracy. It was thrilling to participate."
Westport First Selectwoman Diane Farrell works the crowd in Boston this week.(CLICK TO ENLARGE) WestportNow.com photo

Farrell, who returned to Westport Thursday morning after spending two nights in Boston, said she was struck by the blend of big-name politicians and well-known personalities with ordinary people from all over the country.

"I walked into the Sheraton Hotel lobby and there was Jesse Jackson, Jerry Springer, and (former Texas Gov.) Ann Richards," she said. "Lots of people were freely mingling with them. It felt a bit surreal."

The Westport official, who faces an uphill battle in her bid to unseat veteran Republican Rep. Christopher Shays in Connecticut's 4th Congressional District, said she sat with the Connecticut delegation for the Tuesday and Wednesday evening sessions.

"(Connecticut Sen.) Joe Lieberman was with us and behind me was Sen. Patrick Leahy of Vermont while we were watching the John Edwards speech on Wednesday," she said. "We had a good time."

Wednesday morning Farrell was one of the featured speakers at the daily breakfast for the Connecticut delegation.

"It was an opportunity to spend some time with the Connecticut delegates and get to know them better and have them get to know me better," she said.

Farrell said that event and others in Boston helped her connect with people who have contributed to her campaign as well as meet others who promised to make donations.

"It was very rewarding in that sense," she said. "I made a lot of good contacts at a luncheon hosted by the Democratic Leadership Forum and at other places."

She said she also compared notes with other Democratic congressional candidates from around the country trying to unseat Republican incumbents.

Asked if she encountered any surprises during her visit, Farrell replied, "Maybe the biggest surprise was the speech by the Rev. Al Sharpton. He just decided to do his own thing."

As for the broadcast networks limiting their convention coverage to one hour in prime time on three nights, Farrell said while understandable, it was not especially laudable.

"The political junkies can watch on C-SPAN or CNN so they will get their fix," she said.

"These are totally scripted productions, so you don't have the spontaneity you might have. But Americans do need to pay attention."

Farrell said while the overwhelming security was intimidating at times, Boston still managed to show a friendly side.

She said while exiting the Fleet Center one night and trying to find a cab back to her hotel, a Boston policeman offered to help her flag down a ride.

"He even opened the door for me," she said. "I introduced myself as the mayor of Westport, Conn., and told him how much I appreciated what he and other first-responders were doing. I think he appreciated that."

Spray Play

More than 350 children at the Westport Public Library had a treat Thursday as members of Westport’s fire, police and EMS units turned out for a “local heros” program. Here Westport fire Lt. Ken Lombardi demonstrates how a fire hose works. (CLICK PHOTO TO ENLARGE) Karen Bruce for WestportNow.com

Friday, July 30, 2004

8:30 a.m. - Room 309 - Westport Transit District Directors' meeting
8 p.m. - Levitt Pavilion - The Dave Mason Band

Essay: The Meaning of Security in a Post 9/11 World

By Jessica Bram
Contributing Editor
WestportNow.com

Having experienced a whole new level of security screening in airports and New York City building lobbies in the last two years, I thought I already knew what “high security” means in a post-9/11 world.

But nothing prepared me for the phalanx of armed guards, screeners, scanners and weaponry that I encountered this week at the Democratic National Convention in Boston. And not just at the Fleet Center, where the actual convention is taking place, but in just about every hotel, subway station, nook and cranny throughout the city.

Serious young men in crew cuts, white shirts and suits with curly wires in their ears survey hotel lobby crowds with piercing eyes. Clusters of MPs in camouflaged combat fatigues with M-16 equivalents patrol street corners. Secret Service agents in tight black tee shirts and bulletproof vests block entrances to chain link checkpoints. It’s all a little more than unsettling.

But what really raises inner alarms is the nearly solid wall of police in full riot gear surrounding the Old State House. With segmented armor of thick black padding strapped onto every inch of their bodies, Darth Vader helmets and high-rise black steel sole boots, they look like a cross between something out of Revenge of the Clones and ungainly, upright black carpenter ants.

It makes the Boston police officers with ordinary pistols and handcuffs seem positively tame, like Officer Boltons without a whole lot to do.

The Fleet Center convention site is a fortress surrounded by concrete barricades, check points, and eagle-eyed screeners. Fire trucks surround the center, their hoses laid out and at the ready. Passing through security, with one’s bags and body screened, scanned and searched, is complicated and intimidating.

Here it’s not just nail clippers being turned away. Any kind of container, from plastic Poland Spring water to small bottles of perfume and makeup, are confiscated and tossed into big garbage bins.

It all comes off as somewhat unreal to someone raised during the complacent post-World War II years of safety and comfort. The “It-could-never-happen-here” notion that I grew up with was as familiar and certain as the Pledge of Allegiance and the yellow school bus that stopped at the corner, rain or shine.

It also brings to mind how pristinely beautiful it was in Westport on Sept. 11, 2001. Traffic flowed up the Post Road like always, Shaw’s and Trader Joe’s, though quieter than normal, had a steady stream of shoppers. Compo Beach and Long Island Sound were as glistening and peaceful as on any ordinary late summer day.

The only indication of tragedy was a thin column of smoke one could glimpse from a far-off point at Sherwood Island. The idea that nothing bad could really ever happen to us in Westport somehow prevailed.

But that day did ultimately affect us all in Westport, even without a hint of ash in the air. Westport and cozy suburban towns like it look the same. But we are reminded every day how much our world has changed too, from the locked doors at of my sons’ school to the price of gas on the Post Road.

It drives home the point that this extreme level of security in place at the Democratic National Convention is happening to us back home in Westport just as much as it is here in Boston. This is a dead-serious proposition. Because what’s being protected here this week, first and foremost, is our nation’s most fundamental and cherished ritual: the peaceful and orderly transition of government.

This process that we undergo every four years, which is the foundation of our democracy, is a rare thing in this unmanageable world. And we know it. We can endure the loss of buildings, and even the loss of lives. But never that.

All that being said, there is one other noteworthy aspect to the security in Boston. There is a surprising benevolence, almost cheerfulness to it all. The burly young security guard at the Westin Hotel drive-up circle offers to keep an eye on my car while I run in to pick up convention credentials.

A large woman in a TSA uniform brightens when she sees Westport, Conn., on my photo ID, tells me she’s been sent up from Bradley Airport for the week, and loudly announces, as she searches my bag, “I do love Connecticut!”

It’s as though all these inconveniences being doled out in the name of security, and our ready acceptance of them, is our way of acknowledging – maybe even congratulating ourselves for – this treasure that we share. Collectively, we will protect at all costs.

So the convention, the noisy caucuses, the breakfasts and the hobnobbing and the hoopla – it has all gone on smoothly and without incident.

But not without meaning.

(Editor's Note: A version of this essay was broadcast Aug. 2 on WSHU-FM, the National Public Radio affiliate in Fairfield, Conn.)

Martha Stewart Visits Probation Officer

Westport's Martha Stewart has paid a visit to her probation officer, several newspapers reported today.

The New York Post and Newsday said Stewart appeared Wednesday at the federal courthouse in Manhattan

"She came in to review and sign a document concerning the conditions of her supervised release that will follow her five months of imprisonment," said Chris Stanton, head of U.S. Probation.

Stanton said Stewart was notified that she must follow 13 specific conditions that include not leaving the district without permission from her probation officer and is subject to check in monthly with the office.

He said it was not unusual for Stewart to sign the document, even though she remains free on bail pending the outcome of an appeal of her conviction for lying to investigators about her sale of stock in ImClone, which Waksal ran before going to prison for insider trading.

Stewart has been mulling voluntarily beginning her sentence by entering prison soon, even while her appeal still proceeds, to remove uncertainty surrounding her company, Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia.

While on probation for two years, which includes the home-confinement portion, Stewart will not be allowed to leave the federal Southern District of New York — Manhattan, The Bronx, Westchester and several upstate counties — without approval from a judge or probation officer, according to the New York Post report.

Row, Row, Row Your Boat

Half a dozen scullers make their way along the Saugatuck River Wednesday afternoon during low tide. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Emily Laux for WestportNow.com

Thursday, July 29, 2004

8 p.m. Levitt Pavilion - Blum-Wessell-Harris Group, jazz

Fender Bender

Several people suffered minor injuries today in a two-car accident on Wilton Road. Fire Department personnel cleaned up a fluid spill while traffic slowed in the area during the afternoon rush hour. Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com

Young Republicans Launch 4th Congressional District Branch

A new branch of the Hartford-based Connecticut Young Republicans has been established in Connecticut’s 4th Congressional District, it was announced today.

Connecticut Young Republicans 4th Congressional District (CTYR 4th) will oversee and organize the formation of young Republican organizations in each of the 17 towns spanning the district, the announcement said.

The district encompasses the towns and cities of Fairfield, Easton, Monroe, Trumbull, Bridgeport, Shelton, Oxford Westport, Weston, Wilton, Redding, Ridgefield, New Canaan, Norwalk, Darien, Stamford, and Greenwich.

Felix Rodriguez, chairman of Connecticut Young Republicans, appointed Christopher W. Tymniak, a Fairfield Republican Town Committee (RTC) member in District 8, and legislative assistant for Sen. Judith Freedman (R-26), to serve as chairman of the CTYR 4th.

Tymniak also serves on the executive committee of the Connecticut Young Republicans.

Tymniak named James Millington as the organization’s executive director. Millington, currently a member of the Fairfield RTC in District 1, served as RTC chairman from March 2002 to March 2004. Millington is a Shelton police officer.

Other appointments to CTYR 4th include: Michael Hahn, a Fairfield Republican and pharmaceutical sales specialist with Sepracor, will serve as membership chairman; Robert Leiphart, a Fairfield Republican and business development and financial consultant with the Westport-based Investment Consulting Group (ICG), has been named treasurer; and Eric Johnson, who is employed by Citigroup, will serve as deputy treasurer.

Johnson is a member of the Fairfield RTC in District 9, and serves as treasurer of BridgePAC.

“I commend the Connecticut Young Republicans of the 4th Congressional District for their vision and commitment to Republican ideals.” said Rep. Christopher Shays, who faces Westport Democratic First Selectwoman Diane G. Farrell in the November election.

“Young people are the next generation of political leaders and Connecticut Young Republicans of the 4th Congressional District will be an important opportunity for those who are interested in getting involved in local politics.”

CTYR 4th will host a meet and greet cocktail party at the Sky Box Café, 1494 Post Road, Fairfield, on Wednesday, Aug. 18 from 6-9 p.m.

Westport's Political Lawn Sign Rule Getting Attention

Westport's rule regarding placing political lawn signs out on private property is getting some attention in the state and region – and it's not positive.

The Associated Press today picked up a front-page story in The Advocate of Stamford/Norwalk reporting on a Connecticut Civil Liberties Union letter to towns and cities warning that limits on political lawn signs could violate free speech.

The issue has cropped up because of a complaint about Westport's 60-day limit on the posting of campaign signs on residential property.

The CCLU has threatened legal action against Westport if the town fails to amend its zoning regulations.

The regulation states that temporary signs may be posted on residential property for "public, political and charitable purposes" no more than 60 days before an event and must be removed within seven days after the event.

Westport Zoning Director Katherine Barnard acknowledged that the time limitations need to be removed and, until they are, would not be enforced.

"The Town of Westport recognizes the importance of allowing our citizens to express freely their political preferences ... I have discussed this issue with the Town Attorney, who agrees that the zoning regulations need to be amended to remove the time limitations," Barnard wrote to the CCLU.

CCLU Executive Director Teresa Younger said the regulation needs to come off of Westport's books and other municipalities deserve a warning to look for similar regulations.

"If there's an ordinance passed in one community, others look at that same ordinance. This is not just a one-town problem. We need to educate all 169 towns" in the state, Younger said, according to the AP.

Political Talk

Westport First Selectwoman Diane Farrell (l) confers with Westport Democratic chair and Connecticut delegate Martha Aasen at the Democratic national convention in Boston. Farrell was a featured speaker at today's Connecticut delegation breakfast at the Lenox Hotel. WestportNow. com photo

Blogging from Boston: WestportNow Doesn't Quite Fit the Definition

By Gordon Joseloff
Editor/Publisher
WestportNow.com

WestportNow doesn’t quite fit the notion of what has become known as a blog (shortened from Web log for the uninitiated) and that's caused a few double takes this week at the Democratic National Convention in Boston.

When the Democrats decided to open the credential process for "bloggers" some time ago, I applied on behalf of WestportNow in order to provide readers with hometown coverage of the Democratic event.

It's certainly not an unusual idea – newspapers, radio, television and cable outfits do it routinely, if they can afford to send correspondents and crews to the gatherings every four years.

But since WestportNow is one of only a handful of Web-based community news sites in the nation not affiliated with a traditional newspaper or broadcast company – and since it uses a common blog publishing platform – I applied as a "blogger."

The Democrats, selecting 35 or so blogs out of more than 200 applicants, gave one of the slots to WestportNow, for which we were very grateful.

In order to facilitate the reading of convention reports from bloggers, several Web sites established Web pages to aggregate blog reports from the convention. Brief snippets of all blog entries are posted to these Web pages as soon as they are published.

As a result, not only have WestportNow convention stories and pictures appeared on these pages (see www.conventionbloggers.com), but so have the picture of kids puddle jumping at Compo Beach, the Fran's List column on buying housegifts, calendar items, and the latest batch of Westport property transfers.

We can only hope that these non-political items about Westport are providing some relief to blog watchers overdosing on convention news, or non-news.

* * *

This is the fifth national Democratic convention for Westport's Martha Aasen. At 74, she is as active as ever, serving as the town's Democratic chair and as one of 62 Connecticut delegates to the convention.

During Monday night's opening session, she got a chance to mingle with some of the delegates from her native Mississippi.

Tuesday there was a tribute to the late Fannie Lou Hammer to mark the 40th anniversary of her heroic efforts to integrate the Mississippi delegation.

In a note to convention organizers, Aasen told of her personal recollection of the 1964 event:

"In 1964, I was in Atlantic City at the Democratic National Convention. My mother and father, Thelma and Milton McMullan, were delegates from Mississippi. The integrated, mostly black Mississippi Freedom Democrats were trying to gain seats on the Mississippi delegation, challenging the seating of the all white regular delegation.

"Fannie Lou Hamer gave an electrifying presentation to the credentials committee on the treatment of blacks in Mississippi. The upshot of all this was Ross Barnett, the segregationist governor of Mississippi, called the caucus of 'regular' delegation and said, 'Walk out, come home, don't give an inch.'

"My mother then stood up in the caucus, and said, 'I didn't come all the way up here for Ross Barnett to tell me what to do, I am staying.' And she did, along with three other 'regulars.'

"When my mother died in 1998 at the age of 91, there were stories and editorials in Mississippi papers about her courage in Atlantic City in 1964."

Today's The Advocate of Stamford/Norwalk reports on Martha Aasen's Mississippi connection and how her mother was part of the 1964 delegation -- and features a picture of Martha and Larry Aasen on its front page.

***

All the media attention on convention bloggers is no doubt satisfying to Westport's Brian Reich, co-director of Internet Services for the Democrats and one of the people in charge of making sure their needs are met.

But it's also meant a lot of 19 and 20 hours days getting things ready. Monday's opening day was especially trying for Reich, son of Westport Representative Town Meeting member Ann Sheffer.

When bloggers finally made their way to their assigned seats way up in the upper reaches of the Fleet Center, they found not enough tables and power outlets for their laptops and an Internet Wi-Fi connection that came and went – mostly went.

Reich was on the case, however, and by Tuesday's session bloggers said the situation was much improved. And Reich was much relieved.

***

While Martha Aasen has had no trouble getting around places with all the proper delegate credentials, husband, Larry, doesn't have credentials and has had to scramble to find ways to get into the convention center.

He managed to get some passes for the first two days but found himself separated from his wife a good part of the time and tried to keep in touch by cell phone.

But having cell phone conversations in the din of the convention center can be challenging at best.

Monday night they didn't manage to link up to leave the Fleet Center together. Martha got back to their hotel by midnight but Larry didn't make it back until about 1:30 a.m.

Tuesday night was better, however. Larry managed to get himself the right credentials to sit next to Martha in the Connecticut delegation -- as evidenced by a front-page picture today in the The Advocate of Stamford/Norwalk (see above).

In the background is Westport First Selectwoman Diane Farrell, who also managed a floor pass to sit with the Connecticut delegates.

P.S. Martha said she and Larry were able to get on the same bus back to the hotel after Tuesday night's session.
***

When the Democrats put out the call for volunteers to be "Beantown Buddies" for visiting delegations, Westport' s Seth Orkand, who is working in Boston for a software firm, answered.

The 27-year-old son of Temple Israel Rabbi Robert Orkand was one of three guides working the Connecticut delegation buses Sunday night and introduced himself as having grown up in Westport.

Three rows in front of him Martha and Larry Aasen let out a cheer and quickly introduced themselves. They had never met before.

***

Westport First Selectwoman Diane Farrell, who as all Westporters know is running for Congress, didn't give a speech Tuesday at the Democratic National Committee's Official Women's Caucus. But she made a splash there anyway.

As Farrell made her way around the room introducing herself to delegates and guests, a Cablevision News-12 camera crew and a couple of photographers followed her.

A few in the audience asked a reporter who she was. When told, they reached out to shake her hand and then excitedly told others they had met a congressional candidate from Connecticut.

Farrell, who briefly visited the city Sunday night before rushing back to Westport for Monday meetings, said she was delighted to be in Boston for more than a few hours.

But she said she didn't look forward to finding her way to her temporary quarters at night.

"It's a place way out in a part of Cambridge I've never heard of before," she said.

But that didn't stop her from getting back into Boston this morning in time for the daily 8 a.m. Connecticut delegation breakfast at the Lenox Hotel. She was among the featured speakers.

***

Among the Democratic National Committee staffers in Boston is Staples High School student Kevin Petersen, 17.

Petersen wrote to the DNC a while back offering his services in any capacity. They took him up on the offer and now he's assisting delegates, monitoring backstage activities, and working the telephone lines.

***

The Connecticut delegation staff office in the Lenox Hotel was a busy place Tuesday as delegation members came and went and requests piled up for extra passes to the evening's events.

A political lobbyist for SBC, the Texas-based giant phone company that swallowed up Southern New England Telephone a few years ago, was in the room and noted the WestportNow credential on a visitor.

"I read you all the time," said the man, who said he is a resident of Norwalk. "I especially like the lady columnist who does all those lists."

We promised to pass on to Fran that we found a fan of hers in Boston.

Westport Property Transfers, July 19-23, 2004

Property transfers as reported by the Town Clerk's office for the period July 19-23, 2004:

Mark and Valerie Spellman to Nanette J. Buziak, 10 Court of Oaks, $1,460,000.

25 Cross Highway Associates LLC to Steven A. and Alexandra C. Marks, 25 Cross Highway, $1,510,000.
31 Gorham Ave.: sold for $1.6 million. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com

Michael S. and Allison Dayan Juceam to John R. Coykendall and Gail L. Mordacq, 28 Ostend Ave., $975,000.

Ronald and Amy Goldberger to Jorge M. and Tori S. Soltero II, 27 Blue Ribbon Drive, $871,000.

Theresa L. and Steven Lewis to Patrick H. and Gina O. Beranek (name corrected), 31 Gorham Ave., $1,600,000.

Westport Home and Land LLC to Carole C. Berkowitz, 52 Terra Nova Circle, $1,051,853.

Donna E. Rogg to Larry M. and Georgia Wasserman, 7 Ambler Road West, $610,000.

John J. and Nancy J. O'Donnell to Stuart A. Jamieson, 26 Surf Road, $2,675,000.

John D. and Deborah C. Spalding to Donna E. Rogg and Brian R. Macpherson, 4 Woods End Road, $1,099,000.

Michael P. Ward to Axis Point Group Holdings LLC, 23 Sturges Commons, $1,050,000.

Jeffrey M. Nadel and Lisa N. Corrigan to CRC Estate Development LLC, 48 Turkey Hill Road North, $630,000.

Kristine Towner to Heather X. Towner, 20 Richmondville Ave., $100,000.

Frances M. Rock to Steven Lewis, Unit 64 Regents Park, $900,000.

Jane C. McAllister Revocable Living Trust to Arpad and Katalin Krizsan, 3 Hitchcock Road, $1,266,250.

Residential Development Group LLC to Lisa A. Sheppard, 16 Smoky Lane, $2,365,000.

14 Morningside Lane LLC to Donald Chaney, 14 Morningside Lane, $1,379,000.

Smile for the Birdie

The Westport Rotary Club Tuesday presented a check to the Sound Cyclists Bicycle Club in support of the second annual Harvest Rides Sunday, Sept. 19 bicycle classic (rain or shine) that benefits the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Posing for the cameras are (l-r) Debbie Horne, development coordinator for Make-A-Wish Foundation of Connecticut; Emil Albanese, president Sound Cyclists Bicycle Club; Peter Ferrara, president Westport Rotary Club, and Chris Klimek, community and media relationship manager, Cablevision. Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com

Wednesday, July 28, 2004

10 a.m. - Town Hall Room 201 - Sasco Brook Pollution Abatement Committee
10:30 a.m. - Town Hall Room 102 - International Hospitality Committee
12:15 p.m. - Westport VFW - Classic car maven Miles Morris addresses Westport Kiwanis Club about forthcoming "Concours d'Elegance"
5:30 p.m. - Town Hall Room 309 - School Building Committee Staples Subcommittee

Westport First Selectwoman Makes the Rounds in Boston

Westport First Selectwoman Diane G. Farrell returned to Boston today to mingle with fellow Democrats and raise awareness and funds in her uphill battle to unseat veteran Republican Rep. Christopher Shays in Connecticut’s 4th District.

“It’s exciting to be here,” she said. “You get a palpable vibe that Kerry can do it.”
Westport First Selectwoman and Democratic congressional candidate Diane G. Farrell greets Mark and Marsha Coyle from Tulsa, Okla.in Boston today. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) WestportNow.com photo

Farrell made a brief visit to the Democratic National Convention Sunday night but returned to Westport late in the evening.

She was on the road to Boston at 5:30 a.m. today after a full day of business in Westport and the evening fundraiser at the Levitt Pavilion starring Smokey Robinson.

“I’m here for three reasons,” Farrell said.

“It’s a wonderful gathering of Democrats and good opportunity to see a lot of people in one place. It’s also a good opportunity to meet with the press in one location.

“And it’s nice to be here to thank donors to my campaign and meet some people who may consider becoming contributors.”

Farrell had a number of interviews with Connecticut media at the Sheraton Hotel where she also attended the Democrat National Committee’s Official Women’s Caucus.

Among the speakers were Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton and former Secretary of State Madeline Albright.

At the meeting, she greeted a number of delegates as a television crew and several photographers from Connecticut media gathered around her.

“Who is that?” asked one woman of a reporter. When told, she said, “She (Farrell) really has charisma.”

Outside the ballroom where the caucus was held, Farrell struck up a conversation with Mark Coyle, 50, and his wife, Marsha, 45, both postal workers from Tulsa, Okla.

“It’s really neat to meet someone like you,” he said as his wife, wearing a red white and blue Uncle Sam hat, beamed.

Farrell also got a hug at a souvenir stand from Jacqueline Kozin, 31, of New Haven, president of the New Haven chapter of Connecticut Young Democrats, who was selling Kerry T-shirts and buttons.

“It’s so nice to see you,” Kozin told the Westport official.

Farrell Meets and Greets in Boston

Westport First Selectwoman Diane G. Farrell greets Democratic alternate delegate Marjorie Bunce of Chippewa Falls, Wisc. (c) and Jill Barthen Berke, a delegate from River Falls, Wisc. today in Boston. They were attending the Democratic National Committee’s Official Women’s Caucus. (CLICK PHOTO TO ENLARGE) WestportNow.com photo

Tuesday, July 27, 2004

2 p.m. - Town Hall Room 309 - Revaluation Working Group
7:30 p.m. - Town Hall Room 309 - Architectural Review Board

Westporter Oversees Democratic Convention Bloggers

Westporter Brian Reich, 26, is playing an important role at the Democratic national convention in Boston this week. Reich, son of Representative Town Meeting member Ann Sheffer, is co-director of Internet Services for convention organizers. This means he has charge of Internet bloggers at the convention. He is shown conferring tonight with blogger Jessamyn West of Bethel, Vt.whose blog is Librarian.net. Reich is also covering the convention for his blog, Campaign Web Review. (CLICK PHOTO TO ENLARGE) WestportNow.com photo

Balloons Galore for Levitt Fundraiser

/>
Balloons galore were ready tonight for a private reception before the Levitt Pavilion’s annual fundraiser concert starring Smokey Robinson. Emily Laux for WestportNow.com

Board of Selectmen Approves Athletic Gift to Town

Westport’s Board of Selectmen today approved acceptance of a gift from the Staples Gridiron Club Inc. to the town of goal posts at the Wakeman “C” field and replacement of old goal posts at the Doubleday football field. First Selectman Diane G. Farrell and Selectman John Izzo listen to an explanation from Dan DeVito, supervisor of operations. (CLICK PHOTO TO ENLARGE) Emily Laux for WestportNow.com

Reval Firms Make Presentations

Westport First Selectwoman Diane G. Farrell prepares to meet today with two firms bidding on Westport’s physical revaluation. Board of Finance and Representative Town Meeting members joined the Revaluation Working Group for the presentations. (CLICK PHOTO TO ENLARGE) Emily Laux for WestportNow.com

Connecticut Delegation Hears Security Warning

Things got quiet at today’s breakfast for the Connecticut delegation to the Democratic national convention in Boston when state party chair George Jepsen reminded members that they needed to know how to exit the convention site quickly.

“I don’t want to raise any alarm bells,” said Jepsen to the delegates, including Westport’s Martha Aasen and Bob Rose. “Security is terrific, but look around the Fleet Center in case you need to exit quickly.”

The warning was the only somber note at a breakfast at the Lenox Hotel for the 62 delegates and guests. Also addressing the crowd were Sen. Christopher Dodd and Rep. John Larson.

Delegates Sunday night attended a reception at the Museum of Fine Arts and a concert by the Boston Pops at City Hall.

“It was just lovely to have the reception at the museum,” said Aasen, who is attending her fifth Democratic convention as a delegate. “It was good to be able to meet so many people.”

One of the delegation’s “Beantown Buddies” is Westporter Seth Orkand, 27. The 1995 Staples grad, who is working for a software firm in Boston before attending law school in the fall, said things have gone smoothly so far for the Connecticut guests.

“No glitches so far,” he said.

Jepsen told the crowd that credentials were in tight supply and urged delegates to turn theirs in to the Connecticut pool if they were not going to use them for a period during the day or planned to leave early.

“We have a lot of guests and others who very much want to get on to the floor but don’t have credentials,” he said.

One of the convention guests who made a brief visit to Boston Sunday night was Westport First Selectwoman Diane G. Farrell. She attended several receptions in the city before returning to Westport late in the evening.

Martha Stewart’s Lawyer: She is Considering Starting Prison Sentence

The lawyer for Westport’s Martha Stewart said today she that is "taking a look at" the idea of voluntarily beginning her five-month prison sentence while appealing her conviction.

"She's willing to think about this because of the company," attorney Walter Dellinger said on ABC's "Good Morning America." He said Stewart "would consider the possibility" of serving her sentence "in the near future ... at the time that's best for the company."

"No decision has been made about whether she's going to do it, but she is taking a look at it," said Dellinger, who is handling Stewart's appeal.

Dellinger said Stewart wants her appeal to "go ahead vigorously because she wants to clear her name." He said the legal team believes it has strong grounds to appeal.

When asked about the time frame for Stewart's plans, he said, "I think she'll make the decision fairly soon about whether to go in now." When pressed, he said, "I don't know what the time period is."

On Friday, the Daily News, citing an unidentified source, reported that Stewart wants to serve her time before her appeal is heard.

In response to the report, Dellinger told The Associated Press last week that "Any thought she might give to voluntarily beginning her sentence is based upon her desire to devote her full time to her company as soon as possible."

Stewart was convicted of lying to investigators about her sale of ImClone Systems Inc. stock in late 2001. She was sentenced Stewart July 16 to five months in prison and five months of home detention.

She won a stay of sentence while appealing her conviction. She would likely serve her sentence at the federal prison in Danbury.

Breakfast with the Lt. Gov

Westport’s Martha Aasen chats this morning in Boston with Lt. Gov. Kevin Sullivan (c ) and Elliott Ginsberg, chief of staff to Rep. John Larson during a breakfast of the Connecticut delegation to the Democratic national convention. WestportNow.com photo