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The Wonderful World of the Computer
By Michael E. Driscoll, Torrington
I have been following the minutes of the City Council’s meetings ever since the City of Torrington started their (our) great new website, which may be found at <www.torrington-ct.org>. This new tool is a great asset for us taxpayers. Yes, I do understand that many of Torrington’s residents are seniors and maybe do not own a computer or have not seen a need for one, as they have decided they have lived this long without one. I respect their opinion. Up until December of 1998, I had never sat at one myself. But let me say that some of us now find that a computer is a necessity in our everyday lives. And, with the help of a computer, you can become more involved and see how our city is run, who shows up for meetings, and how the city’s bills are made and paid—including what we buy and how much we spend for specific items.
For example, we bought a wood chipper. (The following is copied right out of the minutes for the City Council meeting of December 2, 2002.)
"PURCHASE CHIPPER #1020 — On a motion by Councilor Soliani, seconded by Councilor Samele, the Council voted unanimously to accept the request from the Public Works Director to waive the bid process and purchase a chipper off the state bid for $28,675, using funds from the Vehicle Replacement Account. (No paperwork. The item was scheduled to be purchased in year 2003-04.)"
I have confirmed that this item was actually bought on December 13, 2002, via a purchase order (even though it has not as yet been delivered). I did a little research and I found that a similar John Deere "Brush Bandit" could have been bought on eBay last week (item #3107180112) for about $20,000. I could buy a lot of salt and sand with that extra $8,000! I think our City should start looking at eBay for any and every purchase to compare pricing. (And certain city councilman has been talking about cutting our police and fire department budgets by 15%. Maybe other departments should be cut—but not our police and fire personnel.)
Back to our website: there is information about every City department. There are pictures of the Police Department and its employees (while most of them look great, a couple of the guys, like me, need to go on a diet). You could e-mail the Mayor, Andy Roraback or even Roberta Willis, you could find out about this year’s Torrington Twisters or find out that on Monday, March 31 they are serving Salisbury steak at the Sullivan Senior Center. Amazing!
Now I am reading the minutes of the City Council meeting of November 19, 2002, where I found the following exchange between a Deputy Chief of the Fire Department and Councilman Dalla Valle.
"Deputy Chief Giampaolo: ‘The Fire Marshal and the Deputy Fire Marshal, obviously they have a vehicle right up to now. I don’t know what the language was—there again, I would have to defer to Corporate Counsel for clarification on the usage and how they were presented these vehicles—when they, in fact, were promoted and given these positions. You look to us for leadership and responsibility. It is a very responsible act. These are issues that we legislate over and it’s not frivolous by any means ‘cause I know how tough the Council can be, as Councilwoman Ruwet brought out. I certainly wouldn’t be standing here this evening if I didn’t think that it was important, and I believe by leaving them at the B, it prolongs their response to calls. And they do respond frequently.’
"Councilor Dalla Valle: ‘With all due respect, Councilman Reginatto’s suggestion doesn’t increase their response time … leave the vehicle at the department, put them in Category C.’
"Deputy Chief Giampaolo: ‘Oh yes it does.’
"Councilor Dalla Valle: ‘How?’
"Deputy Chief Giampaolo: ‘I could do the same thing. No problem. Leave my vehicle there and when the call is around the corner from my house, I go to the fire house, start my car, get in it, wait, scrape it off, drive it to the block around here, right around the block. It’s an extra half an hour, while my guys are looking for the support that they need from me. We are an emergency response department.’"
My intention in writing this article is just to inform you, the taxpayer, of how this site and its information are so helpful to us. I never thought I would have so much fun while sitting in my pajamas on a cold day here in T-Town. I could go on and on about so many great departments—this is better than television! If you need some help getting on the site, give me a call at 489-2449—I can sure try and help.
In closing I must add that there are a lot of people who use this tool at City Hall to keep our wheels turning here—and for that, I thank you all.
Wishing I was in Florida—oh well, back to eBay.
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