"Calling a tail a leg doesn't make it so."

In his latest letter to the editor, (When have GOP leaders done good for Waterbury? – February 24) Frank M. DePaola exhibits the symptoms of a rather intense case of political amnesia.

In his letter Mr. DePaola claims to be responding to the information and opinions that I presented in my letter of 1/18, yet he spends most of his time repeating the same mistakes he made in his letter of 1/13. I guess Mr. DePaola subscribes to the notion that if you say something often enough, it becomes true.

As an example, Mr. DePaola claims that I spoke before the Board of Aldermen for a $60 million City Hall project. There are 2 major errors in his logic. First off, there never was a plan to renovate City Hall alone for $60 million. No matter how many times Mr. DePaola says otherwise, he is still mistaken. When I came before the Board of Aldermen from February to June of 2007, I was speaking in favor of a proper restoration of City Hall. I was just as satisfied with the $36 million project that was approved, as I would have been with the $39 million project that I originally supported. My main concern was not spending the city’s money, but restoring a building that is on the National Registry, and the centerpiece of our downtown.

Another example of Mr. DePaola’s selective memory resides in his insistence that the city tried to force a $1 billion school construction project on the taxpayers in one bonding package. Again, no matter how many times Mr. DePaola repeats himself, he is still mistaken. If he checked the minutes from the Board of Aldermen meeting on May 10, 2004 he will see the school-bonding package the he refers to.

Items 27 through 40 on this agenda mention 2 new elementary schools, a swing space for a middle school, an expansion of the Media Center at Crosby, and a new high school. While this proposal was negotiated into 3 new K-8 schools, and the Media Center expansion at Crosby, there is nothing on the agenda that would have cost the city anywhere near $1 billion. If Mr. DePaola can find an agenda for the Board of Aldermen or Board of Education that contradicts this, I would love for him to show me.

At the end of his letter, Mr. DePaola challenges Jason Van Stone and I to list some of the recent accomplishments of the Republican leadership. If one takes the time to look at the websites of the Republican members of the Waterbury delegation to the Connecticut General Assembly, they can find the answer that Mr. DePaola is looking for.

Rep. D’Amelio has served the 71st district since 1996, is an Assistant Minority Leader, and the Ranking Member on the Insurance Committee. Rep. Noujaim has served the 74th district since 2002, and has spent his time in Hartford supporting the East End of Waterbury, and its veteran population.

Rep. D’Amelio has spent time meeting with local leaders to find the best solutions to their budget problems. Both men have worked to save the city of Waterbury money through the proposed postponement of the In-School Suspension law. Both Representatives were also vocal supporters of the Heart Center of Greater Waterbury in its fight for permanent status.

In the upper chamber, Sen. Caligiuri has served the 16th Senate district of Waterbury since 2006. In just the past few months Sen. Caligiuri has worked to strengthen equal pay laws, and to improve the licensing and oversight of some of the trash-hauling companies in the state. This is in addition to his continuing work on a “Three-Strikes” law for repeat violent offenders. All three men have a record of distinction in Hartford, and I am proud to call them fellow Republicans.

Furthermore, Mr. Depaola’s desperate attempt to connect Mr. Van Stone and myself with the last Republican mayor is a tenuous leap of logic. Neither of us was involved in politics when Mayor Jarjura was elected in 2001. In fact, few of the candidates on Mr. D’Amleio’s ticket had even run for public office before 2007. Mr. DePaola, and the Independents he supports, wants everyone to believe that nothing has changed in the Republican Party. They have ignored the fact that the Republican leadership in Waterbury has undergone wholesale changes since 2002. They feel that if they keep saying something over and over again, it becomes true.

However, no matter how many times they try and say otherwise, the Waterbury Republican Party of 2009 is nothing like the Republican Party of 2002. The men and women who are involved now represent a new generation of leadership that is willing to bring the party into the 21st century with our heads held high. We will be the party of the future that brings ideas to the table and a willingness to work with the opposition to find solutions that are in the best interests of the city of Waterbury and its taxpayers.

In conclusion, despite Mr. DePaola’s best efforts in his exercise of First Amendment rights, he cannot change the truth. The truth is that the Independents have been spreading misinformation for 8 years now, and have nothing but campaign signs to show for it. Mr. DePaola my truly believe everything he wrote in his letter of 2/24, but when you consider the fact that Aldermen Denze and Booker paid Mr. DePaola a combined $107.50 of state taxpayer money for poll standing during the 2008 elections, it leaves one to wonder just how many of Mr. DePaola’s opinions have been paid for.