Congressman Jim Himes will be in our area to conduct the third and final scheduled town hall on the federal budget on Thursday, August 12th from 7:30 to 9 PM.

The event will be held at New Canaan High School, 11 Farm Road in New Canaan (map).

A Candid Discussion on the Federal Budget

Congressman Himes conducted similar town hall meetings recently in Fairfield and Shelton. He will offer a presentation on the problems and issues facing legislators as they look ahead a decade or two and see enormous structural problems in the federal budget.  He will discuss his own votes since 2009 and his thinking about contemporary proposals, including the potential extension of the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts.

There will be ample time for questions and discussion.  Please attend and participate in this important discussion.

The Democratic and Republican primaries will be held on Tuesday, August 10, 2010. Learn more about the Convention-endorsed candidates.

Candidates in Democratic Primaries:

• GOVERNOR: *Dan Malloy, Ned Lamont
• LT. GOV.: *Nancy Wyman, Mary Messina Glassman
• SEC OF STATE: *Denise Merrill, Gerry Garcia
• COMPTROLLER: *Kevin Lembo, Michael J. Jarjura
  (Editor’s note – Mike Jarjura, who is being advised by disgraced former governor John Rowland, is anti-choice and a board member of the ultra-right wing Family Institute.)

* = endorsed candidates

Voting Information

Polls will be open from 6:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. at all 3 polling places:

• District 1 – Wilton High School Clune Center
• District 2: Driscoll School Gym
• District 3 – Middlebrook School Cafeteria

If you aren’t sure of your voting district, you may look it up on the Town of Wilton site.

Only registered Democrats and registered Republicans may vote in their party’s respective primaries. Unaffiliated voters can mail in a party enrollment card by August 5 or can stop by the Registrar’s office in person to affiliate up until 12 noon on August 9.

The Wilton Democratic Town Committee will hold its 5^th Annual Barbeque for Victory fundraiser on Saturday, September 25, 2010.

The event will be held at Merwin Meadows from 11:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m. and will feature food, fun, friends, and great guest speakers, including:

• Congressman Jim Himes
• State Representative Peggy Reeves
• State Senate candidate John Hartwell

Tickets are $45 per person. Family tickets are $100. Tickets for children under 15 are $10 each or free for children under 3.

To reserve your tickets, please contact Finance Committee Chair Barbara Massy Bear via email or phone at (203) 762-5803.

Nancy Wyman

The event will be a breakfast at Oscar’s Deli in Westport, located at
159 Main Street, from 7:30 – 9:00 am.

Download invitation (PDF)

Dan Malloy

Dan Malloy, candidate for Governor, will be our special guest.

They will make a dynamic team in Hartford. Please come and support Nancy, have a cup of coffee, a bagel and feel free to ask questions.

State Representative Peggy Reeves, Marcia Spivak, and Jean Rexford are hosting a brunch in support of Attorney General Richard Blumenthal – Candidate for U.S. Senate.

The brunch will be held on Sunday, June 6 from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at the home of Monica and Burton Spivak, located at 35 Wicks End Lane in Wilton.

All supporters are welcome. Suggested contributions are $150 per individual.

Please RSVP to Joe Kelley.

Residents of the Town of Wilton are invited to a meeting of the Town on Tuesday, May 4 to consider and act upon:

1. annual budget and tax levy
2. appropriations for Miller Driscoll School roof and window renovation

Subject to approval by the Town at this meeting, the Wilton Board of Finance has recommended a Fiscal 2011 budget of $108,695,022, and a tax rate of 20.16 mils.

Download Meeting Legal Notice

Voting will take place immediately following the Annual Town Meeting in the Middlebrook School cafeteria, and will be continued on Saturday, May 8, 2010 from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. in the Middlebrook School Old Gymnasium. Absentee ballots will be available in the Office of the Town Clerk, 238 Danbury Road, Wilton between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. from May 5 through May 7, 2010. Completed absentee ballots must be returned to the Town Clerk’s Office no later than 4:30 p.m. on May 7, 2010.

The Democratic Town Committees of Wilton, Weston, and Westport are hosting a Candidates Forum at 8:00 PM on Thursday, April 15^th at the Westport Town Hall, 110 Myrtle Avenue for Democratic candidates for state-wide office, including:

• State Comptroller: Nancy Wyman
• Attorney General: Susan Bysiewicz, George Jepsen, & Cameron Staples
• Lt. Governor: Kevin Lembo
• State Treasurer: Denise Nappier
• Secretary of State: Gerry Garcia, Andy Garfunkel, Jonathan Harris, Denise Merrill

The Candidate Forum is open to the public and all are invited to attend, meet the possible candidates, and ask questions. Admission is free. Following the Forum attendees will have a chance to talk with the possible nominees at a reception in the lobby.

The Wilton Democratic Town Committee held its annual Spring fundraising breakfast Saturday, May 8 at Trackside with nearly one hundred Wiltonians on hand to meet local, state and national office-holders and 2010 statewide candidates.

The enthusiastic crowd heard DTC Chairman John Kalamarides introduce former State Senator George Jepsen, now a Democratic candidate for Connecticut’s Attorney General, and former Stamford Mayor Dan Malloy, a Democratic candidate for Governor. Also warmly greeted was state party Chairwoman Nancy DiNardo.

State Rep. Peggy Reeves Talks With Attendees

Congressman Jim Himes with Ernie Ricco at Trackside

by: Peggy Reeves, State Representative, 143^rd
Assembly District

I wanted to bring the bills listed below to your attention and encourage anyone who is affected by the sky-rocketing costs of health insurance to testify at the Insurance Committee’s public hearing on Thursday, February 25 at 1:00 in the Legislative Office Building at the Capitol in Hartford (LOB Room 2D).

In addition, the Healthcare Advocate, Kevin Lembo, Attorney General Richard Blumenthal, and Legislators will hold a press conference on SB 194, AAC Rate Approvals for Individual Health Insurance Policies prior to the hearing at 12:30 in LOB Room 2A.

If you can’t attend, please consider submitting written testimony.

Connecticut Moves Forward on Health Reform: Transparency, Accountability & Coverage

The Insurance Committee will hold a public hearing on these three bills on Thursday, Feb. 25th at 1:00 in LOB Room 2D. Sign-up begins at 11:00 in room 2800. Please provide 35 copies of testimony to committee staff.

SB 194: An Act Concerning Rate Approvals for Individual Health Insurance Policies.

Premiums skyrocket in CT and across the country:

• Last week the Dept. of Health and Human Services released a report detailing shocking rate hike requests in other states, even as insurance companies report billions of dollars in profit.
• In Connecticut, last summer Anthem proposed a 32% rate increase on individual policies. The proposed increase affected 56,000 Connecticut residents—many of whom work for small businesses that can’t afford coverage and are locked out of larger pools.
• Under public pressure, the Insurance Department held a public hearing and heard from consumers, legislators, the state Healthcare Advocate, and the Attorney General.
• Still, the Department approved a rate hike of 16-20%–costing residents thousands of additional dollars in insurance premiums.

Empowering Consumers and Holding Insurance Companies Accountable for Premium Rate Hikes:

• In the past, the insurance company requests for premium increases have gone into effect after 30 days—there is no requirement for a public hearing or affirmative approval of these requests by the Insurance Department.

The new legislation:

• Eliminates Insurance Department’s ability to simply allow rate hikes to take effect without a public hearing.
• Requires insurance companies to notify all policyholders of requests for rate increases, and the date, place, and time of the public hearing.
• Requires insurers to disclose documentation in support of rate increases for public scrutiny.
• Limits reasons for a rate increase, and puts burden of proving that an increase is “reasonable” on the insurer.
• Empowers the Attorney General and the state Healthcare Advocate to intervene in rate cases and appeal rate decisions to the Superior Court.

SB 5235: An Act Concerning Evidence of Noncoverage of Health Insurance

Protecting consumer rights:

• Requires insurance companies to notify consumers in writing that a claim has been denied, include the relevant provision of the insurance policy, and instruct the consumer to contact the Office of the Healthcare Advocate for assistance with an appeal.

HB 5219: An Act Extending State Continuation of Health Insurance Coverage

Ensuring coverage access for unemployed workers:

• Extends COBRA coverage from 18 months to 30 months, so that laid off employees can keep their coverage for a longer period, at the lower group rate, as they look for new jobs.

Mark R. Warner, U.S. Senator from Virginia, will be keynoting the 62^nd Annual Jefferson Jackson Bailey Dinner hosted by the Connecticut Democrats.

The event will be held April 12 starting at 5:30 pm. at the Connecticut Convention Center in Hartford. Get directions.

Reserve your ticket now.