THE SENIOR MEN'S CLUB OF NEW CANAAN
Minutes of the Regular Meeting of May 10, 2002
President Bob Witt in his debut as SMC President opened the meeting with 142 members present. Current membership is 500, with 30 on the waiting list. New members George Hasapis and Bob Barnes were introduced and welcomed by the members.
Announcements: President Witt praised Lee Hindenach, Bill Ford, Bob Dalury and Charlie Morris for their excellent Anniversary Gala contributions. In addition, he announced Ron Seger as the new Couth chairman, and assured Bob Wosahla that he will remain in charge of refreshments. President Witt then cited ten exceptional perks that go along with the Presidency of the SMC. Jim D'Acosta requested two helpers for May 13 and 14, to build a model whale boat at Saxe school. Bob Moylan is reported to be doing well after shoulder surgery.
Activities: The May 4F's luncheon will be at the Three Bears. Trailblazers will hike to Macedonia State Park on May 22nd. Bridge will meet as usual at Lapham Community Center. Bowlers compete for the Zimmerman trophy today. Paddle continues MTTh from 9-11. A Paddle party is planned for May 15th. Racquetballers had stratospheric attendance of six. Tennis begins on May 13th, at Mead park at 8 AM. A day of golf is scheduled for June 4th, at Redding CC; the fee is $71 with a 9 AM start. On July 15th, we will golf at Ridgefield CC, the fee is $37 with a 9:30AM start.
Couth: The Bronx Zoo is scheduled for May 14th; followed by Goodspeed Opera House on June 19th. July 27 is the date for the CT Jazz Festival. August 15, takes us to Sagamore Hills and a ferry ride returning from Port Jefferson. September 19th, it's off to the races at Belmont. October 9th, is a date with Broadway to see Oklahoma, and on Nov. 9th we will see the Army-Air Force football game at West Point. In December we will tour the GE Building and NBC studios.
Jester: John Berg described the life threatening risks that golfers face in getting too deep in the rough with the wrong club.
SPEAKER
Vice President Bob Shafter made his debut by introducing State Representative Toni Boucher. Ms. Boucher began by explaining the great difficulty and complexity of crafting a state budget that "meets the needs of 3.4M CT residents, that fits within available revenues, and is acceptable to 187 state legislators". In good times the governor makes his proposal, the legislature's Appropriation Committee develops its version and then the legislative leaders come to final agreement. A weak economy and reduced tax revenue make this year very different. Legislators wish to spend more than they take in, and close the $400M deficit by increasing taxes. Election year politics further complicate matters with the budget currently gridlocked. Ms. Boucher suggested that Hartford take a business approach in this revenue crisis, and cut expenses. She predicted tight budgets for 2003 and 2004. She mentioned other legislative actions: extending the statute of limitations in cases of sexual assault involving a child; requiring schools to adopt anti-bullying policies; making schools set aside time each day for the Pledge of Allegiance; making terrorism a state crime; revamping the motor vehicle emissions system; a dog cruelty bill; and agreements on a power line moratorium and Sooty Six Bill, to name a few. She closed by saying that after six years, she sees a more pronounced delineation of party philosophy.
Stan Stanziale, Asst. Secretary