July 4 display again raises controversy

Fishbein balks at town’s different treatment of fireworks and ‘Celebrate’

As published in the Record Journal Thursday April 12, 2012

By Russell Blair
Record-Journal staff
rblair@record-journal.com
(203) 317-2225

Dickinson Fishbein Zandri

Photos courtesy of the Record Journal

WALLINGFORD — One of the town councilors who helped launch a fundraising effort to save the annual Fourth of July fireworks celebration claims the town doesn’t treat all nonprofit organizations it works with equally.

Republican Town Councilor Craig Fishbein said that the fireworks are being treated differently from events such as Wallingford Symphony Orchestra concerts and Celebrate Wallingford, which is put on by Wallingford Center Inc., the downtown business advocacy group. The town budget allocates $8,500 for an outdoor summer symphony concert that Fishbein said draws only hundreds of people, while the fireworks celebration draws more than 10,000 and receives no funding. For Celebrate Wallingford, Wallingford Center Inc. is able to contract with vendors, Fishbein said.

Fishbein and Democratic Town Councilor Jason Zandri founded the nonprofit Wallingford Fireworks Fund in 2010 after the town dropped funding for the show from its budget. They’ve butted heads with Mayor William W. Dickinson Jr. during the planning for this year’s celebration. Zandri and Fishbein raised several issues during a council meeting Tuesday.

For the last two years, Zandri has negotiated with vendors. He said the arrangement allowed a certain flexibility on costs, through discounts from the vendor, and room to accommodate last-minute donations that could improve the show. But this year that process is being handled by the Parks and Recreation Department.

“The town doesn’t contribute one red cent, yet the mayor feels the (donors) should have no part in the coordination,” Fishbein said. “We don’t want total control ... we’re willing to work with them.”

Liz Landow, executive director of Wallingford Center Inc., said the events are treated differently because the town, not the fireworks fund, ultimately puts on the show, even if the fund provides the money. She said Wallingford Center Inc. wasn’t getting special treatment.

“It’s a Wallingford Center production,” she said of Celebrate Wallingford. “It’s put on by Wallingford Center; we hold the insurance. We have the freedom because of the way it was established.”

Dickinson, a Republican, has maintained that the town must handle the purchasing process for the fireworks, and said that comparisons to Celebrate Wallingford aren’t fair.

“The fireworks are clearly put on by the town,” he said. “For Celebrate Wallingford, Wallingford Center provides insurance; they are the hosts of that. They are a separate entity from the town that provides all the groundwork.”

Several members of the Wallingford Center board have Republican ties, including Republican councilors John Le-Tourneau and Rosemary Rascati and former Republican Councilor Stephen Knight. Landow is Rascati’s daughter. But Zandri said he doesn’t believe politics plays a role in the perceived different treatment of the fireworks and Celebrate Wallingford.

“I like to look above and beyond that ... I think it’s not politically motivated,” Zandri said.

Zandri said that he hasn’t thought about the fund taking total sponsorship of the event, but said that if he is continually denied input, it’s an option he may consider.

“I suppose there’s ways to do it,” he said. “But it’s a manpower issue. Right now it’s just me, my father and Craig (Fishbein). It’s hard to say it, but if I have to go that route someday, maybe I will.” Jason Zandri’s father, Geno Zandri, a former six-term Democratic councilor, helps organize fireworks fundraising.

The fund would have to get permission from the town to use the school grounds and pay directly for the cost of the town services including police, fire and public works, and the fireworks. Currently, the town makes the payments and arrangements after receiving a check from the nonprofit.

Democratic Town Councilor John Sullivan said that he thinks Fishbein, Zandri and Dickinson need to sort out their differences, and not at a council meeting.

“We have two sides working toward a common goal,” he said. “They need to sit down, communicate and work together.”

Councilors seek help with fireworks fundraising

NOTE: The Wallingford Fireworks Fund will meet at Gaetano's Tavern on Main (40 N Main St  Wallingford) on Wednesday February 8th at 7:30PM in the dinning area.

The meeting will be to recruit volunteers to work as part of the fundraising committee for the 2012 fundraising season which will kick off on March 1st.

For more information contact Jason Zandri at 860 614 6069 or via Jason@Zandri.net. You can also contact Craig Fishbein at his law offices - (203) 265-2895

As published in the Record Journal on Tuesday January 31, 2012

By Russell Blair
Record-Journal staff
rblair@record-journal.com
(203) 317-2225

WALLINGFORD — If Jason Zandri has learned one thing in his past two efforts to raise money for the town’s Fourth of July fireworks celebration, it’s that you can never start too early.

Zandri, a Democratic town councilor, has headed the effort to pay for the fireworks since the town dropped the festivities from its budget in 2010. He’s already started a blog to promote this year’s fundraising efforts, and will be holding a meeting soon, looking for people to join a fundraising board to oversee the operations.

“We’re looking this year to get a formal fundraising committee established,”Zandri said. For the past two years, Zandri, his father, Geno, and Republican Town Councilor Craig Fishbein have collected most of the donations. But Jason Zandri said it can’t continue with just the three of them.

“It can’t just be the Jason, Craig and Geno show,” he said. “We lucked out doing it twice like that.”

The first year the money was raised, Jason Zandri worked from his Wallingford home and his flexible schedule allowed him time for fundraising outside Stop & Shop and Dunkin’ Donuts. But last year, Zandri took a job in New York City and had to restrict his efforts to the weekends.

“For 16 weeks that’s all I did on the weekends,” Jason Zandri said.

With his new responsibilities as a councilor, putting in the same effort this year will be “impossible.”

“I’m just too involved,” Jason Zandri said. “I have to tend to my council duties, and the majority of the fundraising comes during budget season.”

Fishbein agreed, noting that he too became busy in 2011 and didn’t help out as much as he did the year before. “We need all the help we can get,” Fishbein said.

Jason Zandri said he hopes more of the people who come out to the show will help pay the costs associated with it. Many of the donations in the past two years have come from large businesses and not individuals.

Fishbein said he was disappointed that two fundraisers scheduled last year — a matinee movie and a concert at Zandri’s Stillwood Inn — drew small numbers of people.

“It was very discouraging,” Fishbein said.

Fundraising efforts at the show last year also didn’t garner as much money as was expected, Fishbein said.

Jason Zandri will once again ask the mayor if the town can pay a portion of the costs, such as the police and public works overtime, but he said he wasn’t optimistic the town would put money toward the project. The fund has about$1,000 left over from last year to put toward the 2012 show.

Last year the $24,150 for the show was raised with little time to spare. Mayor William W. Dickinson Jr. said the check was delivered to the town at 2:30 p.m. on May 27, 2011, only hours before his 5 p.m. deadline.

A $2,500 donation from New Life Church helped the charity reach its goal in 2011. Similarly, a $5,000 gift from Choate Rosemary Hall in 2010 pushed the fund past its $30,000 goal.

For more information on fireworks fundraising, visit http://wallingfordfireworks.blogspot.com.

Fishbein redistricted out of 85th

By Dan Ivers
Record-Journal staff
divers@record-journal.com
(203) 317-2275

WALLINGFORD — The recent remapping of state House and Senate districts has left local Republicans without a clear choice to oppose longtime Democratic representative Mary Mushinsky in next year’s election.

Craig Fishbein, a second term town councilor, had indicated an interest in running for state office, but the new districts place his Grieb Road home out of Mushinsky’s 85th District. He is now a resident of the 90th District, which also includes portions of Cheshire and is represented by Democrat Mary Fritz.

Republican Town Committee Chairman Bob Prentice said he was disappointed Fishbein would not be able to challenge Mushinsky, who has held the 85th District seat since 1981.

“It’s unfortunate, because I know he was talking pretty heavily about it. We’re not sure how it’s all going to pan out at this point,” said Prentice.

Mike Vitali, who opposed Mushinsky in 2008 and 2010, has also been moved out of the district, although Prentice said Vitali had informed committee members that he was unlikely to seek the nomination again next year.

Last month, Fishbein told the Record-Journal that he would be open to possibly running for state office in the future, fueling speculation he would challenge Mushinsky next year. However, Fishbein said he never committed to a run and had yet to take any steps to prepare a campaign.

“I have thought about running for state rep,” he said. “But I can tell you categorically that I have not asked anyone to be on my team for any run in 2012.”

Fishbein indicated that the prospect of ousting a longtime incumbent such as Mushinsky is not a primary factor in his plans, and that he would not be opposed to challenging Fritz if he runs.

“That’s not the way I do things. If I was to run, it wouldn’t necessarily be because of potentially unseating someone. It would be because I think I would do a good job,” he said.

Cheshire resident Richard Abbate has already indicated that he plans to oppose Fritz this year, according to Prentice, but official discussions on nominations will not begin until early next year.

Mushinsky, who has announced her intention to seek a 16th term, called Fishbein a “very active councilor.” Despite being members of rival parties, they recently found common ground in their opposition to a plan to upgrade the Simpson Court parking lot using $500,000 of taxpayer dollars. Fishbein broke with other Republicans on the Town Council in opposing the deal.

Mushinsky has gone through the redistricting process three times since being elected, and said the 85th District has undergone at least a minor shift each time. This year, its borders moved slightly to the south and the west, toward Cheshire.

“There generally is some kind of boundary moving every time redistricting happens,” she said.