Torrington — Sundries and Politics

I see a lot of people around town walking, jogging, struggling to keep fit. Thought: Ever listen to centarians give reasons why they made it to 100? It's always they drank/ didn't drink, smoked/ didn't smoke, did a lot/ did nothing. It's never, "Tarnation, I worked out. Ran myself silly. Sweated an ocean." Point: Maybe Torrington should be in the forefront of a new longevity movement. Scrap the gyms. Convert them to what old Torringtonians really need: free, mix-it-yourself pharmacies. Just a thought.

Nutmeg Grill — This charming eatery is the old Manhattan Bagel at bottom of East Main. Stopped for breakfast the other morning and WOW! Had an omelet the size of Rhode Island filled with chunks of ham, large pieces of cooked onions and peppers (not that dicey, little confetti stuff), and accessorized with thick rye toast (not that anemic, prepackaged stuff) and a mountain of home fries cooked to a magical taste. It's open 6-2, and having seen the menu, I'm very excited about lunch—and not working it off.

Music — I always like to give local retailers business, but sometimes it's hard. Went to the big music store in town to get a Michael Bolton CD that's a few years old. They didn't have it and said they couldn't order it. Then tried the little store and was put off twice over 10 days, so finally went to amazon.com. Had a choice of new or used, bought used, and had the CD in a few days for half the price. Moral: Service is more than a tennis term.

People — Doctor Peter Humphrey is one heck of a nice guy and superb veterinarian. I know our cat Oscar regards him as the feline's Albert Schweitzer, and we never disagree with Oscar … John Palmer's opened On the Level Billiards downtown. Hasn't been a pool hall downtown since Herbie Lehmann's place on Water back in the 1960s. Good luck to John, and check out his website at www.onthelevelbilliards.com … Glen Kilner was in the forefront of founding Torrington UConn and saving it in the 1970s. He was also a superlative example and practitioner of higher education. If anyone should have had the main building on University Drive named after him, it should have been Glen … Andy Roraback is playing the Republican party line and sticking with the courthouse being built in Litchfield despite a huge public groundswell against it. Bright note to Rora-backers: Andy did take a tough stand and got the name of Morrissey Brook in Sherman changed to Naromiyocknowhusunkatankshunk Brook. That's your boy, a real native son.

Segue to local politics and the mayoral campaign. It's going to be close. At first it looked like a runaway for Owen Quinn, but people are liking what they see and hear of Tom Jerram. He's young, a John Rowland type of a decade ago. At least one insider is telling me Jerram's going to win. Perhaps. I was an undecided voter myself until the other morning. Woke up and found a Quinn placard on my lawn. Forced me to decide, and for me the deciding factor was that Owen's a local, a real native son who deserves a shot at running the city after being involved in Torrington for so many years. True, he does come from a fireman gene pool (father) that could cause him to sleep on the job. But if he does, he'll be in and out in two years. And with no pension. I'm giving him a shot.

City Council — I watched the debate on Cable 5 and have read what some of the candidates have written, those who could write. Here's my ranking of the nine.

• #1 is Rick Della Valle. Rick's come a long way since the Hot Dog Wars of 1990. He's a former council member who's strong on every issue. He's capable of some highly original thinking but can also play politics when necessary. I expect him to be the top vote-getter, and he would have been a real contender for mayor.

• #2 is Jim Reginatto. He's an incumbent who's done a good job the last two years. He's got a large physical presence that's attention grabbing, and once he has it, is thoughtful and well spoken. He gave excellent answers on the Schapp and charter revision issues.

• #3 goes to Mike Driscoll, the ubiquitous food vendor, antiques dealer, bed-and-breakfast owner. Driscoll is well read and well researched on Torrington and Torrington issues. His answers are sound, and he's the kind of bulldog politician who, if a voter has a question or problem, Mike will get on it and not let go. High energy. Good-hearted.

These are far-and-away the top three. The big leaguers. The other six are nice people, but not big-ball hitters. Here they are in unranked order.

• Paul Samele Jr. — I like his first name. Otherwise, he spoke little in the debate, at one point going 50 minutes without saying a word. Samele did run a successful business, which is to his credit, but it burned, which is … unfortunate.

• Dave Bascetta — Who? Gave a weak answer on the courthouse issue and just doesn't have enough name recognition to stand a chance. Forget this lever.

• Kathleen Perrotti — Ditto on the … who? Weak on courthouse issue, and wrong about Litchfield being in the middle of the state. Did write an OK Voice article, but said on Laurel that her pet project would be more fields for the kids to play on. There are greater priorities.

• Paul Summers — Again, great first name. To his credit he's a public defender, but to his detriment he's a lawyer who's weak on the courthouse issue, a very defensive stand. Wants to work with the State on heart and hypertension. There are greater priorities. Name = Paul Summers, not Paul Falls. Would lose in November if there weren't six elected. Could just sneak in.

And the two female incumbents.

• Ann Ruwet — Took Sue Cogswell's place. Never elected. Another weak stand on courthouse issue (wants it to happen legislatively first, rather than being proactive and fighting for it). Biggest plus is name recognition, and that could carry her unless, of course, voters remember the 26 acres plus wetlands deal for $2 million.

• Marie Soliani — Marie's a nice lady who's done a good job on the antiblight force, but missed on just about every other issue she's tackled politically. Backroom dealing on downtown revitalization that she still has no vision for. Doesn't think we need a Park and Rec director. Can't push that charter revision committee along. Bottom line: Has not helped the city council to be the strong, governing body that it should be. Still, she's got name recognition, energy, a nice smile, and a feisty gene or two. We like characters; Marie should get in.

If you agree with my choices, I strongly recommend you get out and vote on November 6. If you disagree, shoot for the 7th. In any case, politicians whom I've endorsed should get their checks to me NLT October 26.