Newman's Own Foundation Funds New Transportation & Environment Program

Kirsten Griebel Joins CTLCV as Program Director

The Connecticut League of Conservation Voters Education Fund (CTLCVEF) is pleased to announce that it has received a three-year grant of $150,000 from Newman's Own Foundation in support of the CTLCVEF Transportation Program.

CTLCVEF recognizes the urgent need for Connecticut to develop sustainable transportation alternatives, given the transportation sector's impact on Connecticut's environment, economy, sprawl, and public health. The transportation sector accounts for two-thirds of the nation's oil consumption and is the second largest source of carbon dioxide pollution, the leading cause of climate change. According to the Union of Concerned Scientists, cars and trucks account for 41 percent of the Connecticut's total carbon emissions. For the last two election cycles, candidates for General Assembly have pointed to transportation and energy as their top two environmental issues.

CTLCV is also pleased to announce that Kirsten Griebel has joined the organization. In her role as the CTLCVEF Program Director, Griebel will help coordinate the environmental community's transportation efforts, engage activists via the web, conduct summits of environmental leaders and legislators, and publish a Connecticut Transportation Guide on the environmental, economic, health, and sprawl impacts of transportation and outline what citizens can do to affect public policy.

Previously, Griebel worked with 1000 Friends of Connecticut and other grassroots coalitions that promote smart growth. A resident of Simsbury, she has been active in municipal and state politics. Kirsten Griebel may be reached at 860.236.5442 or kirsten.griebel@ctlcv.org.

About Newman's Own Foundation
Paul Newman was committed to helping make the world a better place. To carry on his philanthropic legacy, Newman's Own Foundation donates all net royalties and profits after taxes from the sale of Newman's Own products to charity. To date, Paul Newman and Newman's Own Foundation have given over $300 million to thousands of charities around the world. For more information, visit www.newmansownfoundation.org.

About CTLCVEF
CTLCVEF is a nonpartisan not-for-profit organization that educates public officials, media and the general public on environmental issues and engages citizens and coalitions in crafting public policy.  CTLCVEF publishes the Environmental Briefing Book and Connecticut Energy Guide and conducts an annual environmental summit.  Visit CTLCVEF online at www.conservationeducation.org.

GOVERNOR-ELECT MALLOY NAMES BEN BARNES AS OPM SECRETARY

The following content is from a Press Release from the Malloy Transition Team

For Immediate Release: November 17, 2010
Contact: Colleen Flanagan
860-759-6889

(HARTFORD, CT) - Governor-Elect Dan Malloy made a key appointment in his administration today, naming Ben Barnes to be his Office of Policy and Management (OPM) Secretary. Barnes, a former Director of Administration, Director of Operations and Director of Public Safety, Health and Welfare for the City of Stamford, is currently the Operating Officer for Bridgeport
Public Schools, overseeing the school system's facilities, transportation, technology and budget. 

"I've known Ben for years and I know he's exactly the kind of person I need in my administration, to help get Connecticut's fiscal house in order," said Governor-Elect Malloy. "I personally entrusted him with three of the most important positions in Stamford over a period of time. His experience as a numbers-cruncher at the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities, as well as his time in-the-trenches working for two of Connecticut's largest cities, as prepared him well for the vast and varied challenges he'll face as OPM secretary. Ben knows my priority as Governor is creating new jobs and keeping the ones we have. But he also knows that I'm committed to a rigorous, transparent and straightforward budget. We're turning a page with Ben's appointment. We worked together to produce GAAP budgets in Stamford.

We'll do the same for Connecticut in Hartford. Transitioning our state's budget to GAAP -- a standard in the industry that will ensure there are no gimmicks contained within our state's books - will be a sobering process, but it's one that needs to be done now. I'm excited to have Ben on board and look forward to work with him once again."

Of his appointment  Barnes said, "I'm honored that Governor-Elect Malloy has found my experience and skill-set to be a match for what he's looking for as his OPM secretary. I know that he's serious about getting the state's fiscal house in order, and I'm ready for that arduous work. Working with then-Mayor
Malloy for eight years has allowed me to see what kind of a leader he is, and what kind of expectations he sets, and I'm eager to get down to business on behalf of the people of Connecticut. Obviously there will be a great number of challenges in this new position, but I take them on knowing how critical it is that the people of this state are told the truth about our fiscal reality so we can finally do what needs to be done to get things back on track. I look forward to working with the Governor-Elect and his entire
team."

Benjamin Barnes is currently the Operating Officer for the Bridgeport Public Schools, overseeing the school system's facilities, transportation, technology and $215 million budget.  Previously, he was the Director of Operations for the City of Stamford, a department with 250 employees, an annual operating budget of $43 million and a capital budget of $40 million.

Barnes was responsible for public works, solid waste and recycling, land use and zoning, sewage, parks and recreation, and engineering services in Stamford, CT.  He had previously served as Director of Administration and as Director of Public Safety, Health and Welfare in Stamford.  All told, he served over 8 years as a cabinet member during Dan Malloy's mayoralty. He has also worked as the Government Finance Director for the Connecticut
Conference of Municipalities and as a planner for the Cities of Hartford and St. Petersburg, Florida. Barnes holds a Masters degree in Urban Planning from New York University and a Bachelor's degree in History from Swarthmore College.  He has served on the Boards of Directors of the Housing Development Fund and the Childcare Learning Centers.  He has lived in Connecticut for 20 years and currently resides in Stratford with his wife Tania and his three sons.

###

Malloy names Capitol outsider as OPM chief | The Connecticut Mirror

The Connecticut Mirror reports on governor-elect Dan Malloy's pick for what will be a very tough job: Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management. It's outsider Ben Barnes, who is "smart, even-tempered and detail-oriented" was selected for the post, not some of the insider names we've heard floated.

Malloy names Capitol outsider as OPM chief | The Connecticut Mirror

Foley Concedes Governor's Race; Malloy Available to Press @ 4pm

Republican candidate for governor Tom Foley has conceded.  Dan Malloy will be available to the press today at 4 pm in the Old Judiciary Room on the 3rd floor of the State Capitol

Read the Courant’s article on Foley at http://bit.ly/dq7ceb.

AP’s Red Checkmark Returns; Malloy by 5637

The Secretary of the State has released official vote counts and the AP has returned the winner’s red checkmark to its election results, under the Malloy column as before. 

But the AP and SOTS totals don’t yet match up.   The SOTS official tally shows Malloy leading Foley by 5637 votes, while the AP shows Malloy leading by 7762. AP numbers are not official, but are usually accepted as accurate and reliable.

	Foley	Malloy	Lead
SOTS	560,861	566,498	5637
AP	557,123	564,885	7762

The Hartford Courant reports that the state’s official tally was announced around 6 p.m. tonight, although Secretary of the State Susan Bysiewicz was not present, issuing a press release instead of making an appearance before reporters.  Her office announced the official statewide tally as 566,498 votes for Malloy (49.48%), 560,861 (48.99%) for Foley.  Independent candidate Tom Marsh received 17,586 votes (1.53%).

Because Malloy’s lead exceeds 2000 votes, a recount is not required. 

Foley Not Conceding Anything Yet; SOTS Keeping Quiet Until Final Counts Received

In her blog, The Laurel, Duby McDowell reports this  request for patience for the Secretary of the State.

Meanwhile, the CT Mirror, the New Haven Independent, CT News Junkie and the Courant all report Tom Foley’s refusal to concede and inclination toward pursuing a recount.

All Night Recount Shows Malloy Up by 13,000 in Bridgeport

CT News Junkie and the CT Mirror ran stories of the 6 am news conference in Bridgeport, announcing  that “Malloy had beaten Republican Tom Foley 17,800 to 4,075 in Bridgeport. That’s enough to put him over the top of the otherwise official statewide vote count…”

Read the rest here:  http://bit.ly/c8oJYL and here : http://ctmirror.org/home

Guess What I Found! A Bag of Ballots?

The Hartford Courant's Rick Green just reported that in “the last few hours we've had stories about what may be an uncounted bag of ballots discovered in Bridgeport and news that there could be a 2,000 vote swing in Tom Foley's favor in Torrington…”

Read the rest here: Malloy v. Foley: Election Off The Rails, CT A Laughingstock - Rick Green | CT Confidential

Bysiewicz Statement Regarding Latest Updates from Bridgeport

Susan Bysiewicz
Secretary of the State
Connecticut
For Immediate Release:                                                                           November 4, 2010                                                                                      

For more information contact Av Harris: (860) 509-6255,   Cell: (860) 463-5939

-Statement-
Bysiewicz Statement on Latest Updates From Bridgeport Regarding Reporting of Moderators' Returns

Hartford:  Secretary of the State Susan Bysiewicz today issued the following statement regarding the status of moderator returns from the city of Bridgeport following the November 2, 2010 general election:

"At approximately 5:00 p.m., our office learned from the Registrar of Voters' office in Bridgeport that it may take several more hours for the Head Moderator to complete the return from Election Day.  By law, this document was required by law to be delivered to our office by 6:00 p.m. yesterday.  As such, we do not anticipate receiving any completed return from Bridgeport this evening.

In the interest of transparency and open government, we feel it is very important that this return from Bridgeport be processed during normal business hours when any member of the public can observe the submission of this important document.

Our office has always been committed to ensuring the integrity of every election in Connecticut and this is no different, despite the close vote for Governor.  Therefore, we expect that tomorrow we will receive a Head Moderator's return from the city of Bridgeport with complete vote totals from Election Day.  We will have more to say once this return is received and processed by our office."

---

Av Harris
Communications Director
Connecticut Secretary of the State Susan Bysiewicz
(860) 509-6255 ofc
(860) 463-5939 cell
av.har...@ct.gov

Pick a Number, Any Number….

This is almost getting worse instead of better. (Almost?, you say?)

Maybe it's me but it doesn't look like the AP results jive with what the SOTS reports on its website, although both indicate Bridgeport's totals are missing.

By my read of the SOTS numbers, Foley is ahead (556,787 to 548,378).

AP numbers have Malloy ahead by 6240 (Malloy with 565,508 leading Foley with 559,268).

I don't even want to ask what the candidates' own counts are. 

SOTS: No news, really. We’re waiting for Bridgeport too.

Talk about anti-climactic. 

Secretary of the State Susan Bysiewicz reported at a brief news conference just minutes ago that official vote counts from 168 of Connecticut’s 169 towns are posted on the SOTS website.

Apparently the Secretary of the State’s office is still waiting for Bridgeport to turn in its vote tallies.

SOTS Press Conf to be held in State Cap Room 310–Go!

Bysiewicz 11/4 Noon Press Conference Postponed

Malloy Now Leads by 4242 Votes

With New Haven votes apparently corrected and with the addition of the votes from Windsor Locks’ 2nd precinct, Malloy now appears to be leading Foley by 4242 votes.

Votes from 10 precincts in Bridgeport are still unreported.

The AP reports a total of 559,609 votes cast for Malloy, 555,369 for Foley, and 17,315 for Independent candidate Tom Marsh.

The Hartford Courant reports that Secretary of the State Susan Bysiewicz will report official vote counts at noon today.

It’s a little easier and faster to report new developments on our Twitter feed, so check there too (www.twitter.com/ctlcv).

Bysiewicz: Malloy wins governor's race | Hartford Business

Bysiewicz: Malloy wins governor's race | Hartford Business

We've been mostly using Twitter for our posts today (www.twitter.com/ctlcv), but as of early afternoon, Secretary of the State Susan Bysiewicz says unofficial election results show Malloy defeated Republican Tom Foley by 3,103 votes.

Head spinning yet?

CT Commissioners’ Joint Message to Educators About Upcoming National Sustainability Week

 

Dear Connecticut Educator:

In acknowledgement of the economic, social, and environmental challenges and opportunities facing our society, Governor Rell has issued an Official Statement designating November 8 – 12, 2010 as “National Sustainability Education Week.”

The week is devoted to “the recognition of students, teachers, colleges of education, and the larger community working to create sustainable communities.”

We encourage you and your schools to take this opportunity to integrate sustainability into lessons, initiate a project to model sustainability in your facilities and operations, hold an event, or engage your learning communities in some other way.

Sustainability concepts are interdisciplinary and span a broad range of subject areas, including environmental education, clean technologies, the green economy, climate science, public health, human rights, and global equity. The exploration of these topics through the lens of sustainability requires critical and creative thinking and innovative problem solving.

Many excellent resources for teaching sustainability concepts at all grade levels, including lesson plans aligned with the Connecticut education frameworks and student competitions, are available at www.ctenergyeducation.com. You will also find resources to “green” your operations at this website and links to organizations actively promoting sustainability education in Connecticut. In addition, you may find or post an event at www.ctclimatechange.com.

We hope that you will find creative ways to integrate sustainability into your learning communities during National Sustainability Education Week and throughout the year. Thank you.

Sincerely,