The Berlin
Cit itiz ize en
Volume 14, Number 23
Berlin’s Only Hometown Newspaper
Thursday, June 10, 2010
The vote is in: NO
Citizen photo by Olivia L. Lawrence
A school bus passes beneath the Amtrak railroad bridge where opponents and proponents of the $83 million high school renovate-as-new referendum vote hung signs of their points of view.
The question: “Shall the $83,250,000 appropriation and bond issuance authorization for the renovation and expansion of Berlin High School (expected to be paid from an estimated $24,668,664 State grant and $58,581,336 from Town general obligation bonds) as adopted by ordinance of the Town Council, be approved?”
Unofficial results: Yes: 2,848
No: 2,981
For more coverage go to www.berlincitizen.com
GOP chair files election complaint against town officials By Olivia L. Lawrence The Berlin Citizen
Chairman of the Berlin Republican Town Committee, George Millerd, has filed a complaint with the state Elections Enforcement Commission against several town officials. The complaint, dated June 2, charges that an informational flyer distributed by the town, in regards to
the high school referendum, showed a “clear bias” and this is in violations of state statute that printed materials disseminated by the town to the electorate should not advocate approval or disapproval of a proposal that will be the subject of a referendum. “People felt it was extremely biased in tone,” Millerd said referring to discussions he had with other party members about the flyer. Some in
the BRTC, who are familiar with state statutes that regulate elections, advised that the town’s paying more than $1,200 for the printing and distribution of the flyer was illegal, Millerd said. Named in the complaint are Town Manager Denise McNair as well as the Democrat council members who authorized the flyer: Deputy Mayor Steve Morelli, Rachel Rochette, William Rasmussen and Robert Dacey. Mayor Adam Salina
Dinosaur day
was not at the meeting when the flyer was authorized. Republican Councilor David Evans voted against the measure and Republican Councilor Kari Drost abstained. Morelli called the complaint “completely political”. He said the council and staff followed state statute and that McNair was directed by council
Pro football practice is coming to town By Nick Carroll The Berlin Citizen
Members of Brownie Troop 66381 visited The Dinosaur Place at Nature’s Art in Oakdale recently. The scouts spent their time mining for gems, exploring prehistoric nature trails with life size dinosaurs, watching a volcano erupt and exploring a mammoth-size maze. The scouts used their cookie sale proceeds to pay for this trip.
See GOP, page 22
The football-loving town of Berlin is in for a treat. The Hartford Colonials, a member of the five-team United Football League, will use Sage Park’s Scalise Field as its practice facility this fall. Cooler still, practice sessions are open to the public. The Colonials, navigated by former NFL coach Chris Palmer, scouted out some 100 potential practice locations before settling on Sage Park. “The beauty of Sage Park is that it’s isolated,” said Palmer. “And the thing I like is that fans can come out and watch us practice. This will be a nice situation for everyone involved.” The Colonials will hold a mini-camp at Sage Park, June 11 to 13. The morning
sessions will run from 9 to 11 a.m. There will be an afternoon practice on Friday and Saturday from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. The UFL regular season kicks off in S e p tember. The Colonials’ home games will be played at Rentschler Field in East Hartford. “People are going to be surprised with the level of talent,” Palmer said of the UFL, pointing out that 32 players who competed in the league last year — the UFL’s inaugural season — are now on NFL rosters. “I think people will enjoy the brand of football we play.”
See Football, page 26