The Berlin
Cit itiz ize en Berlin’s Only Hometown Newspaper
Volume 14, Number 8
Stuffed animal sleepover
Thursday, Februar y 25, 2010
Schools’ proposed budget asks for 1.91 percent increase Salary freeze helps keep expenses down for 2010-2011 By Olivia L. Lawrence The Berlin Citizen
The Berlin-Peck Memorial Library recently held a stuffed animal sleepover event as part of its school vacation week programs. Program participants, with their plush friends, are: Brett Hodas, Lara Hodas, Sam Turgeon, Will Turgeon, Marek Grabowski, Taryn Gozio, Breslin Grozio, Stefanie Powlin, Zachary Wall, Amy Wall, Luke Lanteri, Lisa Lanteri. For more fun vacation photos see page 15.
The Board of Education is scheduled to meet with the Town Council’s finance committee in early March to present its budget for 20102011. The proposed budget asks for an increase of $696,466 over the current operating budget; an increase of 1.91 percent. The current operational budget is $36.5
million. “ T h i s budget represents an extremely efficient use of limited res o u r c e s while pres e r v i n g Brochu those elements necessary to ensure student learning,” President Gary Brochu said in a letter to Town Manager Denise McNair that accompanied the board’s budget proposal. “We designed this budget, in part, when we did last
See Budget, page 5
Lively discussion with Larson hits on tough topics By Olivia L. Lawrence The Berlin Citizen
Congressman John B. Larson led a lively — and at times contentious — discussion of the issues when he visited Berlin Feb. 19 on what was billed as a “seniors listening tour.” Several members of the audience, at the Berlin community center meeting, pressed Larson with pointed questions about health care, immigration policies, and the loss of business overseas. A man who identified himself as a member of the Tea Party asked “Where is the transparency in government?” Larson said he welcomed the tough questions and that on his tour he’d gotten “a good going over” at times. “You have to hold people ac-
countable and you can’t hold them accountable if they don’t hear from the people.” Charles Vigra of Kensington was one of those who had a list of questions with which he was ready to quiz Larson. At the top was whether or not the congressman read every bill he signed. “No, I don’t,” Larson said explaining that, with many bills running a thousand pages or more, it’s “impossible to read every bill.” Instead, he receives a briefing on legislation from staff and from the committee handling the bill. On important legislation, the bill is thoroughly gone over by him and his staff. Larson, a Democrat, who has represented the 1st Dis-
Citizen photo by Olivia L. Lawrence
Congressman John B. Larson takes a question from a constituent during a listenSee Larson, page 14 ing tour stop at Berlin’s community center last week.