Poop On The Pequonnock, Plus: Brassy Brazile

Okay boys and girls, what’s the latest on Trumbull’s plan to build its own stand-alone sewage treatment plant?

The town is looking at building a $45 million plant on property it owns near Fairchild Memorial Park on Quarry Road right along the Pequonnock River near Bunnell’s Pond in Bridgeport’s Beardsley Park. Say What?

As an OIB friend said to me on Tuesday, “Here’s our shit Bridgeport, except we’ll treat it first.” The treated water will have to end up somewhere. Might it be the Pequonnock River? That should be some environmental fight.

Trumbull’s effluent is piped into the city’s wastewater treatment system. As Bridgeport has begun negotiations to create a regional wastewater authority with Monroe, Trumbull has decided to look into building its own treatment plant. Why? Trumbull, with a modern sewer infrastructure, doesn’t want to subsidize Bridgeport’s antiquated system under a scenario that would occur if it joined the regional authority.

Trumbull is assessing the advantages of building its own treatment system and the associated staff costs that goes with it against deferring current infrastructure debt to a new regional authority.

Trumbull officials aren’t saying much publicly about this thorny issue in an election year. This story is getting better every week. Stay tuned.

Get On The Bus

Hey, get on the bus today. Mayor Bill Finch hopped the Greater Bridgeport Transit bus from near his home on the East Side to work, as well as taking the bus to various appointments to celebrate Earth Day, including a stop at Geraldine Johnson School on Lexington Avenue for a noon planting of weeping cherry trees.

Brazile And Bridgeport

One of my favorite political analysts Donna Brazile will visit Bridgeport on Tuesday morning (April 28) 7:30 at the Holiday Inn as keynote speaker of the Bridgeport Child Advocacy Coalition’s 2009 Breakfast Conference in partnership with Casey Family Services. “What does the new political environment mean for us?”  Donna will deliver her thoughts. Tix are $100; order here npo.networkforgood.org/Donate/Donate.aspx?npoSubscriptionId=3088.

And check out www.bcacct.org

Donna Brazile’s Biography

“A campaign is about defining who you are–your vision and your opponent’s vision.”

Donna Brazile is one of the most admired and well-known political strategists today. She has worked on every presidential campaign since 1984, making history in 2000 as the first African American to lead a major one. Since running the Gore-Lieberman campaign, she was appointed to serve as chair of the Democratic National Committee’s Voting Rights Institute (VRI), and she is now vice chair of Voter Registration and Participation at the Democratic National Committee. She is also the founder and managing director of Brazile and Associates LLC, a public affairs and grassroots advocacy firm based in the District of Columbia. A dynamic speaker represented exclusively by Leading Authorities, Brazile uses her varied and diverse experience to address the current state of affairs, from public policy to the challenges facing the Obama administration, and drives points home with her consummate storytelling ability.

Stirring the Political Pot. Brazile is the author of Cooking with Grease: Stirring the Pots in American Politics, a memoir about her life in the political lions’ den. She is a nationally syndicated columnist, a weekly contributor and political contributor for CNN, a political consultant for ABC News, This Week with George Stephanopoulos, and a regular contributor to NPR’s Political Corner. In addition, Brazile writes a column for Roll Call newspaper and Ms. Magazine. She co-authored What We Do Now, a collection of essays recalling the 2004 presidential election, with 24 other influential pundits.

Brazile currently serves as an adjunct professor at Georgetown University. She has served as a senior lecturer at the University of Maryland, resident fellow at Harvard University’s Institute of Politics and as the Senator Wynona Lipman Chair at Rutgers University Center for American Women in Politics. Recently, Donna was appointed to serve on the Louisiana Recovery Authority (LRA)–which has been instrumental in helping guide the state’s rebuilding efforts following the devastation caused by hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

Powerfully Influential, Powerfully Dedicated. Brazile is the recipient of numerous awards and honors, including Washingtonian magazine’s 100 Most Powerful Women in Washington, DC, Essence magazine’s 50 Most Powerful Women in America, the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s Award for Political Achievement and Ebony‘s 150 most influential African Americans in the country. In addition, Brazile was recently named one of “America’s Most Influential Liberals” compiled by The Daily Telegraph.

Brazile fought her first political fight at age nine when she campaigned (successfully) for a city council candidate who promised a playground in her neighborhood. The day after Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated, she committed her heart and her future to political and social activism.

News release from Jim Himes

Himes’ Hands-on Projects & Legislation Take Action to Protect Environment, Create Jobs

Congressman Himes celebrates Earth Day with park Clean-up, weatherization and office “greening”

WASHINGTON, DC-At home and in Washington, Congressman Jim Himes is taking action to celebrate Earth Day this year. From a park clean-up and home weatherization in Bridgeport this week to an audit to make his Washington office more energy efficient, Congressman Himes is supplementing his green legislative agenda with a hands-on approach to protecting the environment.

“Forward-thinking legislation is critical to creating jobs and achieving energy independence, but our commitment can’t stop there,” said Congressman Himes. “From improving outdoor spaces to increasing energy efficiency, a small hands-on effort can go a long way to reducing our impact on the environment. These initiatives are a win-win: we help create jobs while improving our cities and increasing energy independence.”

This weekend, the Congressman and volunteers removed approximately 10 tons for debris during a “spring cleaning” of James Brown Park in Bridgeport. The clean-up will prevent garbage and tires from contaminating the Yellow Mill River adjacent to the park. Monday, the Congressman joined The United Illuminating Company to weatherize a house, which provides a lasting solution to high energy bills by improving energy efficiency.

In the Congressman’s Washington, DC office, he has worked with the Chief Administrative Office of the House of Representatives to make the operations of the office more energy efficient and reduce pollution and waste. When office painting was required, Green Seal Certified paint, which contains a very low level of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), was used to improve air quality in the office. The Congressman also furnished his office with used furniture, recovered with eco-friendly leather refinished with water-based lacquers and alcohol-based dyes. When in Washington, the Congressman walks to work, and he uses the House Transportation Benefit Program to encourage staff use of mass transit. In additional to promoting recycling and reducing paper use, the Congressman has named a green office representative to further green the office and its operations.

On the legislative front, Congressman Himes has taken the lead on a number of initiatives to establish new and bold incentives for energy efficiency and sustainable building design. The Environmental Performance (REEP) Program Act will fund state and municipal investments of up to half the cost of retrofitting houses with energy-efficient lighting, heating, and insulation. Additionally, the Congressman is working to a develop package of lending incentives that encourage the production of energy-efficient and sustainable homes.