Do we need all the friends our money can buy?

Monday night in Norwich City Council chambers, if the local newspaper has it right, the City Council will consider a resolution from the City Manager to hire lobbyist(s) to advocate for Norwich (that's you and me) at the state capital (and in our nation's capital). These would be folks in addition to the two State Representatives and one State Senator we already have doing this in Hartford, at least that's what they say in the newsletters they send me at least once a month (even when the State legislature isn't in session-that's what I call talented).

There's a lot to be said for hiring gunslingers, especially when it seems every municipality in Connecticut is doing the same thing. (where's Yossarian when I need him? 'Then I'd be a damn fool not to, wouldn't I?"). There's a report on the CT State Office of Ethics web page, running 726 pages, listing all those registered as lobbyists here in the Land of Steady Habits (the file is almost 2 megs in size, which, unless your name is Meg, is pretty large). Considering the size of the Gubernatorial, Judicial and Legislative branches of government and all of the people who work for those branches, influence, and the solicitation of influence, is a very big business.

We've been this way before, literally. Norwich hired lobbyists last session. I recall some pseudo-urgency as the convening of the State Legislature seemingly took everyone in City Hall by surprise (so we got to do that 'hurry hurry!' maneuver I so enjoy. Never have time to do things right the first time, but always have time to do them over. When you fail to plan, you plan to fail). And there was more than a little hue and cry over who wasn't hired, and why they weren't, with a smattering of innuendo and half-muttered aspersions that did so much to improve the climate of cooperation we were pretending we had.

I'm hoping Monday night to learn: what we/Norwich got for the money spent a year ago (I'll pretend I'm a businessman and use the term, ROI, return on investment); what specifically we/the leadership of the City of Norwich want the lobbyists to assist us in doing this session; how this assistance will 'Move Norwich Forward' (the more definition of this concept I get, the happier I'll be) and who, on this end, specifically, will be doing the moving, complete with the direction of movement (and moving in a circle might be movement, but it's NOT a direction).

I'm also hoping those whom we have elected to travel to Hartford to be in the legislature will honor us with their presence ('tell 'em we ain't got none-the stores were closed!' -Curly Howard) so they can tell me what they think about all this extra help we want to rent (and maybe do a little commercial for themselves since I'm getting tired of all the folks on my dime doing what seems to be the same thing).

Actually, what I'm really hoping is I'm NOT the only resident in the Council chambers watching all of this Monday night. I say that (okay, type it) out loud because of the number of neighbors I've met since the First Tuesday in November who think their part in The Play is over because the elections are now past.
It is unfair to those whom we've elected to this Council to NOT offer them our opinions, preferably pleasantly packaged and eloquently argued and presented, during the (now we have) two opportunities for public comment at every Council meeting.

Additionally, the alderpersons' email and home addresses, with phone numbers, are on the City of Norwich's website and at least two aldermen, Messrs Coutu and Zarnetske, maintain websites to actively solicit citizen comment. None of the men and women we elect to any office, municipal, state, national, are mind readers. They cannot guess what we want unless, and until, we tell them (and sometimes we contradict one another which makes their jobs a LOT harder, but that comes with the territory of representational government). Silence must never be mistaken for consent.

Someone said "90% of Life is showing up." Too many people worked too hard this fall to begin a conversation with, and within, our local government to decide the 10% Solution is now the way to go. Each of us has an opinion on who's going to win the Super Bowl, on who will capture 'Project Runway' and which trained seal will be named American Idol. The least we can do is share our thoughts with our elected aldermen on a topic a lot closer to our wallet and, hopefully, to our heart. We owe one another at least that much.
Democracy is a team sport and no one gets to ride the bench.
Gather your thoughts and your notes-see you Monday night, teammate. Game on.
-bill kenny