Beth Cherico
Chair
Darien DTC Fundraising Committee

Photos from the event can be found on our Facebook page: www.facebook.com/DarienDemocrats

February 25, 2013, Darien, CT – On Saturday, February 23rd, approximately 100 people gathered at the Darien Library for a discussion on gun control policies at the local, state and federal level. The event was part of the Darien Democratic Town Committee’s (DTC) 2013 speaker series titled “Policy Matters: Conversations that Strengthen Our Community.”

The panel of speakers included Congressman Jim Himes, Connecticut Attorney General George Jepsen, Darien Police Chief Duane Lovello, and the Executive Director of Connecticut Against Gun Violence, Ron Pinciaro. The moderator for the discussion was former Darien Selectman Callie Sullivan.

The panelists provided their views on what legislative changes are likely at both the state and federal levels. One message in particular was very clear: in order to affect real change, it will require the involvement of all concerned citizens over the long term, and not just when tragedies like Columbine, Aurora, West Virginia and Sandy Hook occur.

Commenting on the forum, Ms. Sullivan said: "Our community is well served by volunteers and professionals alike. Together, we can educate not just each other, but those around us, and work towards meaningful change in our nation's gun control laws, which will save lives.”

A number of Darien’s local leaders were in attendance for the event, including First Selectman Jayme Stevenson, Selectmen John Lundeen and David Bayne, State Representative Terrie Wood, and State Senator Carlo Leone.

“It was inspiring to see so many people come out to discuss this important topic,” said Rachel Martin, Chair of the DTC Issues Committee. “The DTC is looking forward to hosting more events in 2013 that encourage dialogue and address issues that cross party-lines.”

Photos from the event can be found here: http://www.dariendemocrats.com/2013/02/policy-matters-photos-2013-02-23/

Press coverage of the event:

• Darien News, February 24, 2013: Gun-control panel in Darien turns to talk of culture change
• Darien Patch, February 25, 2013: Gun Control Talk at Darien Library Draws a Crowd
• Darien Daily Voice, February 26, 2013: Leaders Talk Gun Control At Darien Panel Event
• Darien Times, February 26, 2013: Darien gathers at DTC gun policy forum
• Darien Patch, February 28, 2013: Darien Police Chief Supports Ban on Assault Weapons

Approximately 100 people attended the event.

Darien Police Chief Duane Lovello speaks to the crowd, with moderator and former Darien Selectman Callie Sullivan.

Darien Police Chief Duane Lovello answers a question from the audience. Callie Sullivan and Congressman Jim Himes listen in.

Congressman Jim Himes speaking to the crowd.

Ron Pinciaro, Executive Director of Connecticut Against Gun Violence, speaks to the audience, with CT Attorney General George Jepsen listening.

Attorney General George Jepsen responds to a question from the audience.

Congressman Jim Himes and Police Chief Duane Lovello listening to a question from the audience.

Attorney General George Jepsen speaking to the crowd.

Darien Police Chief Duane Lovello addressing a question from the audience.

Congressman Jim Himes fielding a question.

Congressman Jim Himes speaking to the crowd.

Attorney General George Jepsen speaks to the crowd.

Congressman Jim Himes answering a question while Callie Sullivan and Police Chief Duane Lovello listen.

Congressman Jim Himes and Police Chief Duane Lovello answering questions after the forum.

Congressman Jim Himes speaking with audience members after the forum.

Police Chief Duane Lovello listening to a question following the forum.

Congressman Jim Himes speaking with audience members after the forum.

Congressman Jim Himes listening to a member of the audience after the forum.

The festivities will start at 8:00 pm. The trivia contest will begin at 9:00 pm with special prizes being awarded at 10:00 pm. Guests can be prepared to team up with friends and elected officials to be challenged on topics such as pop culture, sports, current affairs and politics.

"The Darien DTC is introducing some exciting new fundraising events this year, starting with the Trivia night,” said Beth Cherico, Chair of the DTC Fundraising Committee.

“With victories at the national, state and local level in November, we have a lot to celebrate this year, and we want to keep Democrats top of mind as we ease into the municipal and gubernatorial elections on the horizon. We encourage anyone to attend, not just to mingle, but to discuss issues that are top of mind right now. Great thinkers are welcome!”

The event costs $50 per person at the door. Bar food and drinks will be available. Interested individuals can RSVP to MaryEllen Moore at maryellen7@optonline.net or 203-655-4834. The Riccardo/Spencer home is located at 33 Red Rose Circle in Darien.

About the Darien Democratic Town Committee (DTC)
The Darien Democratic Town Committee is the Democratic Party's organizing body in Darien. More information can be found on www.dariendemocrats.com. Darien DTC can be found on Facebook at DarienDemocrats and on Twitter at @dariendemocrats.

Darien Democratic Town Committee Speaker Series: A Non-partisan discussion on the impact of guns in America

The Darien DTC has launched a new speaker series, “Policy Matters: Conversations that Strengthen Our Community.” The series, which is expected to run quarterly, kicks off on Saturday, Feb. 23rd at the Darien Library.

The first event will feature a discussion of guns in America and their impact on our community. The speakers scheduled to appear are Congressman Jim Himes (arriving at 11:45a), George Jepsen – Connecticut Attorney General, Duane J. Lovello – Darien Chief of Police, and Ron Pinciaro – Executive Director of Connecticut Against Gun Violence.

The inaugural event kicks off at 11:00 a.m and runs until 12:30 p.m. Admission is free and open to all.

The series has been created as a forum to encourage discussion on national issues that impact Darien. The DTC aims to host several speaker series events throughout 2013. Future topics in the series may include a Women's Health Forum, Helping Our Seniors – The Challenges of Aging, and Staying Solvent in The New Economy.

"The Darien DTC is very excited to bring this speaker series to our town. We felt that it was important to look beyond party lines and bring people together to discuss issues that really matter to our families and neighbors,” said Rachel Martin, Chair of the DTC Issues Committee. “We hope that others see this is a great way to stimulate conversation in our community.”

Local press coverage:

• Darien Patch, January 25, 2013: Darien Democrats Host Series of Policy Talks
• Darien Daily Voice, January 28, 2013: Darien Democrats Launch Speaker Series with Talk on Guns
• Darien Times, February 2, 2013: Darien Democrats launch 'Policy Matters' series at the library
• Darien Times, February 16, 2013: DTC 'Policy Matters' event rescheduled for Saturday, Feb. 23

The resolution fully endorses the agenda put forth by the bipartisan coalition of Mayors Against Illegal Guns, an organization of over 750 city mayors that have joined together to promote tougher federal, state and local gun regulation. It will be distributed to all key lawmakers this week.

“The unthinkable happened last month in Newtown and as a nation it is our duty to come together, putting party politics aside, and end senseless gun violence,” said Randall Klein, Chairman, Darien DTC. “This movement for change is just beginning and now is the time for us to be a part of a larger strategy. During President Obama’s next term it is estimated that over 48,000 Americans will be murdered with guns. It is time to demand a plan and stop the cycle.”

The document addresses the following concerns:

• closing deadly loopholes in the national background check system;
• limiting the availability of military style weapons and high-capacity magazines, replacing the expired federal assault weapons ban with a more enforceable law;
• making gun trafficking a federal crime;
• appointing a director to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives
• vigorous prosecution of felons and other prohibited purchasers who attempt to buy firearms, ammunition or high-capacity magazines;
• requiring federal agencies to submit records that prohibit a person from owning a gun to the National Criminal Background Check System;
• repealing the remaining restrictions under the Tiahrt Amendments, which are riders to the federal budget that restrict access to federal gun data.

In addition, the resolution supports new legislation being introduced by Senator Richard Blumenthal, which would require instant background checks for the sale of gun ammunition; and it encourages improved access to mental health resources and a review of violence-in-culture issues.

Similar resolutions have also been put forth by Democratic Town Committees across Fairfield County and the coalition’s initiatives have also been supported by several Board of Selectmen.

The full text of the resolution can be found here.

George, who first joined the Board of Education in 2002, has been integral in making decisions for our schools — from budgets, to the new construction of Darien High School and Tokeneke Elementary School and revising curriculum. Before the Board of Education, George served as a member of the Darien Board of Selectmen and the Darien Charter Revision Commission. He has also been an adviser and board member for several Darien businesses and organizations — all while serving as a practicing attorney and partner in the Stamford law firm, Siegel, Reilly and Conlon LLC. As a native of Darien and resident for close to 20 years, he always put improving our town at the top of his agenda and for this we are grateful.

Tom has served as the Registrar of Voters since 1994, committing himself to ensuring fair elections in our town. He has been instrumental in many enhancements to our voting process — such as the transition to new, technologically advanced voting machines, changes to the election statutes and procedures for voter registration. A retired corporate executive specializing in accounting, finance and internal auditing, Tom has lived in Darien for more than 30 years and has made every day about bettering our town.

Thank you again for all you have done over the years. You have made an indelible mark on our town government and our community is a better place because of your service. We wish you the best of luck in all of your future endeavors.

Randall Klein, chairman
Shawn St. Jean, vice chairman
Darien Democratic Town Committee

November 12, 2012 – DARIEN, Conn. –

Thank you Darien!

The Darien Democratic Town Committee would like to extend our appreciation to everyone who came out to vote on Election Day. Even in the aftermath of a catastrophic storm, Darien voters made their voices heard. We would also like to thank our amazing volunteers who put in long hours supporting our candidates.

Last Tuesday was a proud day to be a Democrat, with nine of the 11 Democrats on our ballots elected to office. We’d like to congratulate all of the candidates that continue to serve Darien. We’d like to extend a very special thank you to Rob Werner, who ran a terrific race for State Rep – a campaign for which we are truly proud. In addition, we’re very thankful to Katie Stein and Patty McCormick for their campaign for the Board of Ed; their incredible passion for education was always evident. We are also excited to have Kathy Hammell as our new Registrar of Voters.

The Darien DTC is always looking for people who have a passion for the issues and want to get involved at the local, state or national level. For more information visit www.dariendemocrats.com or email us at info@dariendemocrats.com.

-Darien Democratic Town Committee

By Peter Applebome – HARTFORD

Mr. Murphy, a Democrat, defeated Ms. McMahon, a Republican, amid heavy turnout to cap a meteoric political rise. Mr. Murphy, a lawyer, first won a seat in the Connecticut House of Representatives in 1998 at age 25 and in 2006 defeated a 24-year incumbent, Nancy Johnson, to represent Connecticut’s Fifth District. He will be the youngest member of the Senate.

The race was long and bitter, dominated by a media barrage by Ms. McMahon, 64, who also lost a bid for the Senate in 2010 against Richard Blumenthal. Over the two races, she spent nearly $100 million, almost all of it her own. In this race, she tried to reach out to women, with whom she performed poorly last time, by softening her image. She also tried to paint Mr. Murphy as a career politician who had been careless about his personal finances.

But Mr. Murphy hit back on traditional Democratic themes, particularly women’s issues, and performed strongly in the candidates’ four debates. And Ms. McMahon, who over the two races spent more of her own money to win a Senate seat than anyone in history, was bucking a stiff Democratic tide in a state that President Obama carried easily and where Democrats hold all the state offices and control both houses of the Legislature. They held on to all five United States House seats in voting Tuesday.

“Tonight we proved that what matters most in life is the measure of your ideas, the measure of your determination, the measure of your friends, not the measure of your wallet,” Mr. Murphy told an exultant crowd here.

He was introduced by Senator Blumenthal, who clearly remembered his own brutal race against Ms. McMahon and relished the outcome of both.

“In Connecticut, we have elections, not auctions,” he said.

In Stamford, Ms. McMahon thanked her supporters and asked them to stay involved with the issues she raised.

“Everyone listen to me,” she said. “Charge them, challenge them to do what we say, because they work for us. If we forget that, shame on us.”

With 72 percent of the vote reporting early Wednesday, Mr. Murphy had won about 53 percent of the vote, with 45 percent for Ms. McMahon.

Exit polls indicated that more than two-thirds of voters said that which party controlled the Senate was a very important part of their vote, a clear advantage for Mr. Murphy.

Ms. McMahon’s background as the former chief executive of World Wrestling Entertainment — which she used to describe herself as a successful businesswoman, and which her opponents used to portray her as a purveyor of crass entertainment — was not as prominent a part of the campaign as it was in 2010. Still, according to exit polls, roughly 4 in 10 voters said Ms. McMahon’s wrestling background played a role in their vote, and of those, 9 to 1 went for Mr. Murphy.

And, despite advertisements aimed at softening her image, slightly more than half of voters said Mr. Murphy had high ethical standards, while only 4 in 10 said that about Ms. McMahon. Mr. Murphy won the women’s vote by about 15 percentage points.

And, as in 2010, it appeared there were limits to what Ms. McMahon’s advertising artillery could accomplish.

Mark Gudim, 31, a home inspector from Brookfield, said he was an unaffiliated voter and was undecided until a few weeks ago when “I couldn’t take the advertisements anymore.”

“I drive a lot every day for work, and every time I turned on the radio, there she was,” he said. “It wasn’t about what she was going to do, it was always bashing Chris Murphy. It definitely got old.”

Mr. Murphy’s election capped a night on which Democrats were poised to control all six Senate seats in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. In New York, Senator Kirsten E. Gillibrand, who was appointed by Gov. David A. Paterson and then won a special election in 2010 to serve out Hillary Rodham Clinton’s Senate term, defeated her Republican opponent, Wendy E. Long.

In New Jersey, the incumbent, Robert Menendez, defeated Joe Kyrillos, a Republican state senator and a close ally of Gov. Chris Christie.

The Connecticut race was the most contested of the three and gained considerable national attention as Ms. McMahon’s aggressive, well-financed campaign put Mr. Murphy on the defensive and brought the race to a dead heat in several polls before the four debates last month. But national Democrats and outside groups threw some money into the race on Mr. Murphy’s behalf, and Ms. McMahon began drawing heat for remarks she made in April proposing provisions that would allow the reconsideration of Social Security and for refusing to provide specifics on programs like Social Security and Medicare until after the election.