So Aldon suggested that I pick up the Monday This Week on the Campaign posts, just to let folks know what to look out for in the week to come. Here's a few events for this week --

Special Election in East Hartford today! please remind East Hartford folks to get out and vote for Henry Genga.

And two towns where you can find Mayor DeStefano in this week:

Ridgefield
Tuesday, Jan 24, 8p.m.
Town Hall, 400 Main Street

Plainville
Thursday, Jan 26, 7p.m.
Municipal Center, 1 Central Square

Look out for more posts this week, along with the return of photos to the blog...

Today, we celebrate the life of Martin Luther King, Jr. Any words I write, would not do justice to the life that he led. So, instead, let me ask that you take a little time out of your day to reflect on his famous I Have a Dream Speech, and if you feel inspired, share a few words here about your dreams of how we can work together to make Connecticut a better place for all people.

I wanted to share words of encouragement one of our supporters, a union firefighter, who wrote to Mayor DeStefano and closed with this message:

“I believe you can win this election and your success is from less corporate influenced press/sound bites and more old fashioned leg work and pressing the flesh in our cities where the working people and working poor are waiting to see and hear a real leader supporting them and their families.”

What more needs to be said?

If you live in Farmington’s first district, please get out and vote today. This is a special run off election after the previous election was a tie. Yesterday, DeStefano supporters went out to drop literature in the first district and hopefully people are up there today helping get out the vote.

The other big news of the day is that the State Legislature is expected to vote on a campaign finance reform bill tomorrow. Mayor DeStefano has lobbied for campaign finance reform and I hope you will to. Contact your legislators as well as Governor Rell to urge them to pass and sign this bill.

Okay. Now for something a little more light hearted, or perhaps light headed:

There is a new website called Frappr which uses Google Maps to display information about people in a group. Anyone can set up a Frappr map, so I set up http://www.frappr.com/destefanoforct.

Please stop by and add your name to our map of supporters.

The reason I support Mayor DeStefano is because he has a great record and a strong vision for Connecticut. I like to focus on this here on the blog. I want to build a community of DeStefano supporters that can spread this message, and from my most idealistic sense, I don’t really care whether it is Mayor DeStefano that gets elected or anyone else that can successfully put his vision in place.

However, from the practical side, I don’t think there is anyone who can do that, so I need to think from time to time about the practicalities of the campaign. We are approaching the end of the quarter, and one of the practicalities is that of fundraising. It takes money to run a successful campaign. Please donate now.

Why do we need the money? Why do we need endorsements? Well, when you get down to the most basic consideration, we need to get more people to get out and vote for Mayor DeStefano on election day than will get out to vote for Jodi Rell. There are two ways of doing this, we can discourage people from voting for Rell, or we can encourage people to vote for Mayor DeStefano. Back to my idealistic side, I want to be encouraging as many people to vote for Mayor DeStefano as possible.

A friend of mine is a family therapist and she has a button that she gives to some of the kids she sees. It says “Whining” in a red circle with a slash across it in the international ‘NO’ symbol. I thought of that when I was in Washington this weekend and saw a T-shirt that said, ‘Quit your whining, start a revolution’.

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While Mayor DeStefano isn’t calling for a revolution, it seems as if ‘Quit your whining’ is one of the themes of his campaign. The Mayor has described Jodi Rell’s approach to government as issuing press releases and band-aids. Last week, the Mayor issued his own press release pointing out that a “hotline number, while a worthy initiative, does not address the four most pressing problems facing employers in the state; taxes on machinery and manufacturing equipment, high health care costs, escalating energy costs, and outdated transportation infrastructure.”

Mayor DeStefano’s record shows that he does more than just suggest hotline numbers. Among other things, he is addressing escalating energy costs. Yesterday, the Mayor’s office announced that it “managed to avoid more than $5 million in additional utility expenses for fiscal year 2004-05.” Through working together with other municipalities, and proactively addressing energy consumption, New Haven is saving money when it comes to energy. We need this sort of leadership at the state level.

So, I’m sitting in the car, having just gotten back from picking up a bagel and coffee from a local store. I have Connecticut Public Radio on and they start a segment about New Haven’s offer of housing victims of Hurricane Katrina. They talk about the concern that offering housing to victims of Hurricane Katrina would take away from the efforts to provide housing to the homeless in New Haven.

I listen to each side present their talking points. I’ve heard them before. Much of the housing is expected to come from the private sector, etc. But then, I hear the clip from Mayor DeStefano. “Maybe, this is really about us.”

Yes, when you get to position statements, I find that Mayor DeStefano’s team puts together position statements that more closely reflect my own views than anyone else running for Governor. His vision and record are strong reasons why he is leading in fundraising and leading in support from unions and political leaders.

But those too, are some of the same old talking points. The bigger reason that I support Mayor DeStefano is because it really is “about us”. This “about us” mentality does come through in some of the other campaign slogans. We need to “expect more”; not only of our leaders but of each of us. “We are at our best when we are working together”. These aren’t just catch phrases, this is an attitude that pervades the campaign.

Brush the lint off your tuxedo jacket. Dig out your ruffled shirt or vintage prom gown. Hit the stores to find the perfect little black dress or just don a pair of your favorite jeans and T. Prom is here!

On Saturday, October 1st join me and the rest of the DeStefano for CT Prom Committee for Prom Redux. Held at the beautiful and historic Eli Whitney Museum, Prom promises to be the party of the fall. This isn’t your parents’ fundraiser. Drinks, food and fabulous music guaranteed.

Whether you loved or hated your Prom make sure to gather your friends and head to Prom. This time around…there are no rules. Come with a date or come stag. Come dressed in formal wear or come dressed down. This time around…come as you are.

Tickets are $35 per person and a mere $20 for students. For more details and to RSVP, visit
www.destefanoforct.com/prom.

If you are interested in attending an intimate dinner with the Mayor (about 10-15 people, and a bit more expensive) before Prom, email me.

Last night’s Shelton Democratic Town Committee meeting provided a reminder of what is right with politics in Connecticut. It is easy to lose sight of this as we read about politicians resigning due to ethics scandals, committees failing to complete their work on finding ways to reform campaign finance laws, and the daily grind of dealing with jerks and trolls online.

I regularly ask people to come to town committee meetings as a chance to hear Mayor DeStefano speak. I also hope that they will come, and get more involved in local politics. Yesterday, an old friend from a neighboring town showed up at the DTC meeting. People asked who she was and we both spoke for a moment about the importance of getting new people involved.

The meeting started with a brief discussion of the municipal campaigns. There were the standard discussions about fundraising. For example, they are having a Lobster Bake on October 1st from 2 to 5. For more details, please click here or contact Margaret Coughlin at 929 7962. There will also be a fundraiser for Mike Pacowta who is running for Mayor. Contact Mike at mepcpa for more information.