We have 187 state legislators in two separate houses, the House of Representatives and the Senate. This is unwieldy, not result-oriented, and I recommend consideration of a unicameral legislature composed of 60 legislators. One legislative house and chamber would be far more efficient, effective and less costly than our present bicameral system. Further, there should be term limits for our state legislators so that new blood and new ideas are coming to our state government on a regular basis. Three terms of four years each is my suggestion. Today, 55% of the state Senate has served more than twelve years and many senators for more than 20 years.

The legislative leaders should serve on a full-time basis with a commensurate increase in compensation. Our legislative leaders now receive a base state salary of $28,000 per year and so in order to support their families, they need a different and larger source of employment income. That divided job situation does not work well for the residents of Connecticut.

There should be a constitutional or statutory mandate that the new state budget must be passed by the end of the prior budget year. The budget discussions before the end of our last budget year on June 30, 2009 were a travesty, and they have not been much better since we entered the new budget year. New York, which has its problems, so abused budget passage that the citizens of that state successfully brought about a law by which state salaries of legislators are suspended for the period in which the new state budget is not enacted.

Finally - and arguably the most important - Connecticut needs a new governor. The political party of that new governor is less important than our election of a new and competent chief executive officer of our state government. From personal observation, I believe that Governor Rell has lost her drive and motivation and has become so both intractable and absent from the reins of power as to be unacceptably ineffective.

Now, there are a few ideas to chew on!

At the time, the Board of Tax Review and the Board of Assessors worked together to reach agreements on challenging issues. We also conducted educational workshops for taxpayers on the revaluation process. As a member of the Board of Tax Review, I represented the town of Killingworth before the Freedom of Information Commission to resolve a taxation dispute.

The appeals process is a vital component for providing fairness in taxation. If elected to the Board of Assessment Appeals, I will work to maintain fair taxation policies.

Presently, I am a member of the Water Pollution Control Authority and a Director of the Killingworth Foundation. I am also Killingworth's representative to the Regional Mental Health Board.

I am fortunate to be part of an energized Democratic slate. We have worked together to put a knowledgeable, experienced team before the Killingworth voter on November 3.

Candidates in attendance were Cathy Iino (candidate for First Selectwoman), Susan Dean and Poornima Agarwal (candidates for Board of Education). In her speech to the junior democrats, Cathy Iino said "politics is the most important and serious activity we do. When you see something wrong with the world, politics is the way you can change it. When you see someone who needs help or, a whole group of people who need help, politics is how you get their situation improved. When you think of something that would make your town or the world a better place, politics is the way you get your neighbors and all the other people in the community to work together to get it done. Politics is the way we do things together. I'm really proud of you all for getting involved in politics and you should be proud of yourselves for trying to make a difference in the world - that takes courage." Thanks to the candidates, everyone who helped us make this a fantastic evening and a special thanks to Patricia for helping to make our first meeting a great success. Submitted by: Stephen and Cailey Anderson

"Some parents think if their kids are going to drink, that it's better that they drink in their homes. Besides being illegal, they don't understand the affect of alcohol on the teenage brain," stated Toni McCabe, Director, East Haddam Youth and Family Services. This issue has been front and center in the media due to recent cases in suburban towns around the state. But coalition members feel if parents had accurate information, things would change. "We try to educate parents and the public about the dangers of underage drinking and how to prevent it," said Cheryl B. Chandler, Director of Haddam-Killingworth Youth and Family Services. "We felt now was the time to bring more attention to the issue in Middlesex County."

The billboards can be seen sprinkled along Route 154 through October and November. Gail Onofrio, Director of Tri-Town Youth Services in Deep River summed up their efforts this way. "We hope it makes parents stop and think and NOT permit drinking in their homes." The CT Dept. of Mental Health and Addiction Services (DMHAS) through a Federal Strategic Prevention Framework State Incentive Grant have funded the Regional Drinking Enforcement Initiative.

Authors are often advised to write about what they know. And it was when Gayle turned to the story sitting in her lap that she found a publisher. "Sometimes It's Grandmas and Grandpas" grew out of the special relationship Gayle and her husband, John, have with their own granddaughter. "Over six million children in the United States today are being raised by grandparents or other relatives. That's roughly 1 out of every 12 children," Gayle discovered. Yet there were no books for young children reflecting that reality. This book is a step toward filling that void.

Deborah M. Whitley, Director of the National Center on Grandparents Raising Grandchildren said of the book, "This is a wonderful story, with the right tone and message. It leaves one with a sense of calm, warmth and security, which is something many grandchildren desire." When Gayle reads "Sometimes It's Grandmas and Grandpas" all those feelings shine through. Every word is exactly the right word.

The publishing experience has been an exciting one for Gayle. She was introduced to the book's illustrator, Mary Haverfield, by phone and both agreed that this story would work best in a family of people not mice or bunnies or teddy bears. Haverfield's watercolors give a softness not only to the illustrations but to the tone of the story itself. Mary lives in Texas with her family who coincidentally resemble many of the characters found in her stories! The publisher, Abbeville Press, is located in New York City.

Armed with possibilities of more book deals, Gayle finds herself mentally filing away ideas for future characters, settings and storylines. Her advice to writers is "Write what you know best, what's particular to you and your experiences - but most of all, keep writing!" About her own writing Gayle says "I think in writing. It is a different way of thinking, a different way of watching life around you. I will always be writing but "Sometimes It's Grandmas and Grandpas" is the story I needed to have published. There are other authors out there, creating beautiful and amazing stories but I knew that living in this different kind of family I could write this different kind of story". And so she has. Write up courtesy K. Amoia. photo courtesy T. Gannon