Woodbridge
Local Coverage about events in the Town of Woodbridge, CT
Artsweek, Education and Validation
Submitted by Aldon Hynes on Thu, 06/07/2012 - 21:44Another blog post reflecting some of my thoughts as I run for State Representative, and try to be a good dad at the same time.
It's been a tough week. I'm trying to get a couple projects off the ground and as potential partners in these projects have interviewed me, they've questioned whether I am up for the project and have made me feel inadequate. I know that these are projects that will be significant challenges for me, but I believe I can do them, and that the criticisms were unwarranted. Nonetheless, I ended up feeling a bit invalidated a couple times this week.
I suspect others often run into this, especially if they are seeking to grow and expand their boundaries. As I tried to process my feelings, I remembered a great YouTube video, Validation:
I'm here to get validated.
You! You are awesome!
It made me think about what is going on in education in America. Our system has become so focused on standardized testing that education seems to be more about invalidation than about validation. You hear education wonks making comments about 'acceptable yearly progress', and not about how awesome our students are.
All of this came to mind as I visited Arts Week at Beecher Road School. The art on the walls, celebrating the creativity of the Beecher Road Students is truly awesome and I was glad to visit the reception with my daughter Fiona.
She is busy campaigning for me, and if I get elected as State Representative, some of the credit will have to go to her. One parent she introduced me to wanted to hear my thoughts about education. We talked about the problems with teaching to the test and having very myopic views of how to measure the success of teachers and administrators. We talked about school districts cutting sports and arts, two of the great ways that students can be validated.
Perhaps most importantly, we talked about that great factor in students' success, parental and community involvement. There were a lot of parents at the reception. There were lots of students being told they are awesome, and I suspect this is one of the things that has greatly contributed to the success of Beecher Road School.
I talked about how my campaign is not against the Republican Incumbent, it is against apathy. It is about getting people more involved in the electoral process, in their community. It is about improving educational outcomes by getting more parents involved in the schools their children attend.
To all of you that are getting more involved, by attending events like the Arts Week reception, by reading this and other blogs about what is happening in the community, and by joining discussions, "You! You are awesome!"
The Patch State Legislative Debates
Submitted by Aldon Hynes on Wed, 06/06/2012 - 21:47Below is a blog post that I have submitted to the Bethwood Patch. I've also modified it slightly as a post to the Orange Patch. In true political style, I'm claiming victory in the first debate on Patch and I look forward to many more.
When I accepted the Democratic Nomination for State Representative in the 114th Assembly District here I Connecticut, I talked about how I'm not running against the Republican incumbent. I'm running against apathy. I'm running to get people more involved in their communities, both politically, and in terms of community service. I'm running against an intellectual apathy where people don't know who their State Representative is or what is happening up in Hartford.
When I was asked to start blogging on the Bethwood Patch, I hesitated. I've been maintaining my personal blog for eight years. I'm writing on a health care blog for my work. I didn't need another outlet for my writings.
On the other hand, I recognized the benefit that blogging might bring to me as a State Representative candidate seeking to get more people involved. The Bethwood Patch could be a great platform to stimulate debate.
Well, this week, my opponent has started to blog on the Bethwood Patch. I'm very excited and view it is a small victory for my campaign. I am managing to get others more involved and more informed, if simply by getting my opponent to post here.
I look forward to her sharing posts where she talks about her views on the issues and what she has done for the people of Woodbridge, Orange and Derby. I look forward to her allowing comments on the posts so that we can have an open, honest, and friendly discussion about the issues that should matter to all of us in this district.
It would be great of the 114th Assembly District could set an example for other districts where there would be an ongoing friendly discussion about the issues between the candidates for office.
Let's start off with a friendly welcome to my opponent for State Representative.
Returning to Bethwood Patch and Going to a Caucus
Submitted by Aldon Hynes on Tue, 05/29/2012 - 19:08Below is a blog post I've written for the Bethwood Patch, announcing that I am resuming writing for them, this time as a blogger, as well as letting Democrats in the Third Congressional District know about the upcoming Democratic National Committee Delegate Selection Caucus.
Around a year and a half ago, I briefly wrote an 'Around Town' column for Bethwood Patch, before taking a new job as Social Media Manager for the Community Health Center in Middletown. I tried to keep up the column with my new job, but I was just too busy. I started a blog for work, I continued my personal blog, and I did hosted an Internet radio show with my youngest daughter.
Since then, various people have encouraged me to write a blog for Bethwood Patch. They even suggested that I could simply copy material from my other blogs and post some of the material here.
Recently, I started setting up yet another blog, where I intend to write about my run for State Representative in the 114th Assembly District which includes Woodbridge and parts of Orange and Derby.
With all of this, I have decided to accept the offer from the Bethwood Patch. I can't say for certain how often I'll be able to write blog posts here or how long I'll be able to keep up the blog posts, but I do hope for an ongoing discussion.
With that, let me add a little bit of local news to this blog post. Wednesday evening there will caucuses around the state at which the Democrats will select their delegates to the National Convention in Charlotte, NC later this year. Two Woodbridge residents, Gerry Weiner and Jen Just are on the list of possible delegates. The caucus for the Third Congressional district will be at North Haven High School, 221 Elm St. North Haven, beginning at 7:30 PM, with doors opening at 7:00 PM.
I hope they get a chance to go. I attended the 2004 Democratic National Convention in Boston in 2004 as a blogger, and it was a wonderful experience. I also hope that registered Democrats from Bethany and Woodbridge consider coming to the caucus. It is a great chance see firsthand how the political process works and even to get a little bit more involved.
Coming Down After the Convention
Submitted by Aldon Hynes on Tue, 05/22/2012 - 21:40Well, the Democratic 114th Assembly District convention in Connecticut is over and I'm the Democratic nominee. Its almost time for bed, but I want to share a few thoughts before I crash . The past few days have been a slow crescendo of excitement, building up to the convention. Now, the convention is over, and I look to the five months ahead. I have a lot of work ahead of me.
Over the past few weeks, there have been discussions about who would run as a Democrat in the 114th district. When no one else accepted the task, I stood up. It is important that there we don't have uncontested seats, and I do think I've got something important to say.
Around twenty-five people showed up for the convention. I would have liked more, but it happened on very short notice and I don't have a campaign fully set up yet. I was very pleased with the comments that my friends made when they nominated me and seconded the nomination. It was my first time giving my stump speech, and people said it was good. I'm glad I got a chance to deliver it to a friendly audience, but I need a lot more work on it.
You can read my speech, as prepared for delivery here.
With my late start, now I have to raise $5000 in donations from five to a hundred dollars. At least 150 of the donors need to come from the town of Woodbridge, Orange, and Derby. It is going to be a lot of work to raise this money, and fundraising has never been my strong suit. There were a few donations, mostly small, which was good.
Then, there is the issue of getting to know all the people in Woodbridge, Orange and Derby that I need to ask to vote for me. That is going to be a challenge as well. Yet this is one of the things that can make the campaign a lot of fun. I need to go to as many civic events as possible. They should be fun and already Fiona is speaking excitedly about some of them. I hope it will give me good material to blog about.
Most importantly, my goal is to encourage others to get more involved in their communities. At least one person at the event had never been to a political convention before, and introducing them to this world is one of the early small victories. I hope to have many more like this over the coming months.
But now, it is time for bed. Tomorrow, I'll see what is online. I'll talk to more reporters, and resume the long trek to November. Wish me luck everyone
The Fowler Street Shootout
Submitted by Aldon Hynes on Sun, 05/13/2012 - 14:01It was a warm sunny Saturday evening in May. I was running a quick errand to the store to pick up some stuff for Mother's day. As I headed down Fowler street, I saw three black males, I would guess there ages were around thirteen. They were shouting, running around, having a good time. All of a sudden, one of them jumped into the middle of the road looking straight at me as I drove my black 1997 Nissan Altima down the street.
He put his hands together, palm to palm, fingers interlaced, except for the index fingers. Those, stuck out straight towards me, like the barrel of a revolver. All of a sudden, they jerked upwards, as if receiving the recoil of a gun. He resumed his aim, and pumped off a few more imaginary rounds at the on coming car.
I reached out the window and pointed my left hand at him, a smaller, but just as effective imaginary gun. I fired a few rounds, and he clutched his chest, as if he had been hit. His friend laughed and waved, so for good measure I pumped a few rounds off towards them as well, and they scattered.
The only thing missing was Peter Gabriel's "Jeux sans frontieres" blasting from the car radio.
I am a 52 year old white man, driving a beat up old car through a mixed neighborhood. It felt good to join in the games of some kids on the street on that fine spring evening, but I paused to wonder.
The boys weren't wearing hoodies. The way they interacted with an unknown white male on the streets indicated that their mothers probably hadn't had "the talk" with them; the talk how their actions might be misunderstood, how they could end up following in the steps of Trayvon Williams.
New Haven is not a stranger to youth being killed, and the kids were playing half a mile from where a new gun shop is slated to open in Woodbridge.
What went through those kids minds as they interacted with me on the street. We're they playing out the scene from their favorite video game? We're they processing the fears and concerns of their families about shootings in New Haven. Will they go on to join the military, the police, or some gang? Are they celebrating a Happy Mother's Day with their families?
And what role did I play in the drama. I wish I could stop and talk with them. Most likely, they'd run away. If not, they'd probably roll their eyes the way my kids have so often done.
Now, I sit on the deck. I hope people have a happy Mother's Day, especially the mothers of black youth in our country.
