Category Archives: A View from my Porch

A Special Memorial Day ‘View from Our Porch’: Town Budget Meeting Reflections

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By Christina J. & Thomas D. Gotowka

This “View” was supposed to be “Electric Vehicles: Can Elon overcome the legacy of the Beach Boys?”, but Christina encouraged me to ignore the plan and provide some follow-up on last week’s annual town budget meeting. 

We were troubled by the article by Elizabeth Regan and published on May 16 in The Day, which characterized the meeting and the residents’ interactions with the BOS as disorderly, e.g., “the room erupted”; “Moderator Vicki Lanier called for calm; let’s try to keep some order in this meeting”; and “lengthy debate about what constitutes an ‘assault weapon’ turned Monday night’s meeting into a fight about guns”. 

This essay begins with our reflections on what we thought were the key issues and concerns raised by residents that Monday evening; but as the topic developed, it became clear that this ‘View” was something that was appropriate for consideration on Memorial Day.

We felt that the gathering was nothing more than a typical New England town meeting, which historian Frank Bryan describes in Real Democracy as a public forum that enables residents to share their opinions on issues; “while engaging in deliberation and democratic decision-making” regarding laws and budgets. The residents of Old Lyme seemed very serious about their participation; and there were appropriate questions and comments when information appeared incomplete or absent.

Many were shocked that the proposed FY23/24 budget included expenditures of $29,500 for 7 patrol rifles,10 Glock 45s, and ammunition; listed under “Public Safety”. Those expenditures generated discussion and questions about exactly what comprised the “7 patrol rifles”, and why do we need them? Some expressed alarm that the patrol rifles might be AR-15s. 

Old Lyme is not immune to School Violence:

Selectman Matt Ward, who was a Connecticut (CT) State Trooper for 20 years, and a part-time police officer in Old Lyme; and Resident Trooper Matt Weber justified the expenditures as essential because our schools are vulnerable; — “shootings happen everywhere, including close to home”. Mr.  Weber’s comments were in The Day, not in person at the meeting. 

Surely, none of us living in Connecticut can be indifferent to the terrible school shootings that have impacted our confidence in the safety of our children while in school. 

Just in the past decade, they have included, Sandy Hook Elementary School in Dec. 2012, where 20 children and 6 adults were murdered; Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., in 2018, where 14 students and 3 staff members were murdered, and 17 seriously injured.

Just last year, we witnessed a mass shooting at a supermarket in Buffalo where 10 people, all of whom were African-Americans, were murdered and three seriously injured; and another at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, where 19 children and two teachers were murdered. The slow response by Uvalde Police Department, which cost lives, remains under investigation

A few months ago, on March 27, three children and three adults were murdered at the Covenant School in Nashville, Tenn.

The Numbers:

The data are daunting and gut-wrenching. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently released the most current national mortality data and reported 45,222 firearm-related deaths in the United States in 2020, which is a new peak.

Worse yet, the previous analysis, which examined data through 2016, showed that firearm-related injuries were second only to motor vehicle accidents, both traffic-related and non-traffic-related, as the leading cause of death among children and adolescents. That gap narrowed; and in 2020, firearm-related injuries became the leading cause of death in that age group

Further, the United States has far higher rates of firearm death than any of the two-dozen other high-income countries that were studied, which included Australia, Canada, Germany, Italy, Japan, Norway, Spain, and the United Kingdom. We kill each other with firearms 25 times as often as the study group. 

Finally, according to the Gun Violence Archive (GVA), the rate of mass shootings escalated during COVID and has persisted since; and 2021 became the worst year for mass shootings since tracking began in 2013 with 690 across 44 states and Washington, DC.

Incredibly, by May 1, of this year, there were already 235 mass shootings in the United States; which puts us on track to pass 700, which would be a new peak. 

There is no doubt in our minds that we have a problem in this country with gun violence. 

M-4s, Not AR-15s:

Our elected officials initially seemed unwilling to specify the exact rifle model that was to be purchased, and that led to concerns from residents. 

Eventually, Selectman Ward informed us that Old Lyme Police Department’s (OLPD) patrol rifles would be M4s. He emphasized that the rifles would not be routinely carried by officers on patrol, and would remain locked and secured in police vehicles and only deployed with authorization from a supervisor. This was corroborated by two members of OLPD who attended the meeting in uniform.

An advantage of the M4 is that it is also used by CT state police, with whom we already have a close working relationship. 

As we understand, equipping the OLPD with M4s in this manner will enable more rapid deployment of armed officers for containment of an active incident. The Resident Trooper stated, “It’s going to be my Old Lyme officer that’s the first one in that door.”

After some additional discussion and a motion to remove the firearms from the budget failed to achieve the required two-thirds majority, those in attendance voted to approve the proposed budget with no change. 

Through the Looking Glass:

These expenditures were presented as having been endorsed by the Old Lyme (OL) Board of Selectmen and approved by the OL Board of Finance (BOF). However, a BOF member said at the meeting that the board received no information from the OLPD describing the purchase, nor did they respond to a request to explain the need for the weapons.

In contrast, The Day reported that the Resident Trooper told them in March that his department, “… is requesting Colt M4 carbine semiautomatic rifles.”

All in all, and borrowing from Lewis Carroll’s Alice, the situation becomes, ‘curiouser and curiouser.’

Perhaps more eloquently stated, former Old Lyme Selectwoman Mary Jo Nosal, in a response to The Day, stated, “The crux of the issue is not whether these arms are necessary but the lack of transparency and justification for the need for what would be a new purchase for the town.”

America’s Rifle?

The shooters in Uvalde and Buffalo used AR-15 style weapons. The CT State Police reported that Adam Lanza used a similar .223-caliber Bushmaster XM-15 E2S semi-automatic rifle at Sandy Hook.

In 2020, the National Shooting Sports Foundation estimated that 19.8 million AR-15 style rifles were in circulation in the United States; surging from about. 8.5 million since a federal assault weapons ban expired in 2004.

In 1993, and again after Sandy Hook, the CT General Assembly passed laws prohibiting the sale of certain “military-style” weapons, including the AR-15 and its many variations.

About 80,000 AR-15s purchased prior to 1993 were “grandfathered in” and then re-grandfathered” after Sandy Hook.

Governor Lamont has announced that he is seriously considering repealing the exemption. 

We Need a Plan:

The outcome of the meeting demonstrates that residents acknowledge America’s gun violence problem and the attendees now realize, “Shootings happen everywhere, including close to home.” While approving the purchase of the proposed firearms for OLPD is a step towards containment of an active shooter incident, we have not touched on prevention or deterrence.

Last June, after the Uvalde school shooting, the Region 18 Board of Education approved armed school security guards, who would be retired, trained police officers., However, the school district did not purchase firearms. 

Rather than have another Old Lyme Arms Summit in 2024, Reverend Steve Jungkeit, senior minister at the First Congregational Church of Old Lyme, called for a, “Wider conversation about public safety.”  He said, “I don’t feel safer as a human being by having a lot more guns out there, even carried by people that I trust because good people do make errors of judgment.”

Elections:

Per The Day, — “with little publicity”, town officials, proposed amendments to local ordinances that would have changed the Old Lyme Town Clerk and Tax Collector from elected to appointed positions; and lengthened the current respective four-year terms to six. The vote from the floor was virtually unanimous in rejecting the proposed change. 

Author’s Thoughts:

We are concerned that it appears that Old Lyme is now using an honor system rather than verification of identification in order to confirm a person’s status as an “elector or citizen eligible to vote” in important Town Meetings. 

We know that Old Lyme’s BOS have been reticent in the past to comment on social issues, but it seems that it is time to make a statement in support of developing some common-sense rules and enforceable regulations to curb gun violence and make our children safe in school.

After all, “shootings happen everywhere, including close to home”. 

Sources:

Boschma, J., Merrill, C., and Murphy-Teixidor, J. “Mass Shootings in the US”. CNN.  5/04/2023

Bryan, Frank. “Real Democracy: The New England Town Meeting and How It Works”. University of Chicago Press. 2010

Carroll, Lewis. “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” & “Through the Looking-Glass”. London: Macmillan & Company. 1865 &1872.

Goldstick, J. E., Cunningham, R.M., and Carter, P.M. “Current Causes of Death in Children and adolescents in the United States” NEJM. 05/19/2022

Lallanilla, M. “What Makes the AR-15 Rifle ‘America’s Gun’?” LiveScience. 09/17/2013

Loh, M. “America has 20 million AR-15 style rifles in circulation, and more guns than people in the country”. Business Insider. 05/30/2022

Pazniokas, M. “Lamont may go alone in seeking end to ownership of AR-15s in CT”. CT Mirror.12/09/2022

Regan, E. “Some in Old Lyme oppose arming police with semiautomatic rifles”. New London Day. 05/16/2023

South, E.C., Hemenway D., Webster, D.W. “Gun violence research is surging to inform solutions to a devastating public health crisis”. Preventive Medicine, 10/27/2022.

Vigdor, N. “State Police: All 26 Newtown victims shot with assault rifle”. CT Post. 01/24/2013

A View From My Porch: Just Another Day at the Beach — A Treatise on Connecticut Beach Access

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Tom Gotowka

I will introduce this topic by acknowledging the courage of Ms. Kathleen Tracy and her co-plaintiffs, who have seen the most recent beach access case against the Miami Beach Association (MBA) through to its conclusion. That specific lawsuit, which really began with a fence in 2016, ultimately required more than six years of effort and anguish; and certainly, some considerable expense. 

There has been substantial media coverage of this and the earlier, nearly identical cases, so I thought it would be worthwhile to devote this “View” to an impartial chronicle of Old Lyme’s beach access skirmishes, based on that coverage — a post mortem, if you will. 

My objectives are to provide a basic understanding of how Connecticut has ensured the public’s access to its beaches, and to review 70 years of the Sound View / MBA experience. 

Prologue:

It has been more than a century and a quarter since H. J. Hilliard deeded the property then referred to as “Long Island Avenue”, and now comprising the whole of Sound View Beach and the adjacent Miami Beach, to the “unorganized general public for its perpetual use”. Despite that, members of the MBA have erected fences over the years to impede entry from Sound View, only to be repeatedly ordered to take them down. 

I begin this essay with a review of what I believe are the key events that played a role in assuring the public’s access to beaches in Connecticut and then turn to an Old Lyme “play-by-play”.          

Public Access to Connecticut Beaches:

One cannot review this topic without considering the endeavors of Connecticut activist, Ned Coll, who founded an anti-poverty and social justice agency in Hartford, the Revitalization Corps, in memory of assassinated President John F. Kennedy. Ned presented himself in every conflict as the “everyman”.

He was shocked by both the poverty and racism that he felt had kept impoverished minority residents isolated in Hartford; and the apparent indifference shown by those living in the suburbs. He wanted to confront the reality of that city vs. suburb divide, and determined that the best place to demonstrate it was probably at the private beaches in the more affluent shoreline communities, that in the late -1960s, were nearly all in private hands or limited to town residents.

A master showman, who had the willing support of the media, Coll began gathering busloads of children from Hartford’s North End in the early 1970s; and then proceeded to Long Island Sound for a day at the beach. He challenged local officials to keep the kids off the sand and out of the water. To publicize his efforts, he walked the shoreline from Old Lyme to Greenwich, even landing on a few beaches in a rubber raft. He became the face and catalyst of the contentious issue of blocking public access to Long Island Sound. 

He continued his beach trips for several years; and managed to keep the state focused on his cause. Nonetheless, the individual who got the beaches opened to the public was a Rutgers law student, Brenden Leydon, who was stopped by security while jogging on the Greenwich Point Park beach. Leydon sued the town and won. Ned Coll provided expert testimony.

In 2001, in “Leydon vs. Greenwich”, the Connecticut Supreme Court overturned the Greenwich ordinance that banned non-residents from entering the park and its beach. The court found that the beach constituted a public forum and non-residents’ access to it was protected under the First Amendment, which guarantees a citizen’s rights to free speech and association; and informed the towns on the Connecticut shoreline that they could not prohibit access to the beachfront.

Later, in 2019, the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection ordered the Shenecossett Beach Club in Groton to remove a portion of the fence it had placed along a stone jetty and a sign that said “Members only.” The legal basis for this order was that the Beach Club was violating the Public Trust Doctrine (PTD), which holds that private ownership ends at the mean high-water-line and the general public can use the area of the beach that is waterward of that line, i.e., coastal states hold the submerged lands and waters waterward of the mean high-water-line in trust for the public.

The doctrine, which is found primarily in state Common Law, is one of the main underpinnings of environmental law in the United States and requires states to manage certain natural resources for the benefit of the general public. Public Trust Doctrine provides assurance that they may freely use these lands and waters, whether they are beach, rocky shore, or open water. The PTD has been re-confirmed by the CT Supreme Court in a line of cases that date back nearly 100 years. 

The Sound View Beach Border Chronicles:

File photo of the now infamous fence (right in photo heading towards Long Island Sound) installed by the Miami Beach Association Sound View (public) Beach is to the left of the now-removed fence.

The MBA, a private beach community, was founded in 1949. They installed their first beach boundary fence in 1952 to mark the end of the Sound View public beach and the beginning of “private” Miami Beach. 

Then, in early 1953, the New London District Superior Court, in a decision on “Rose Vitello et al, v. Nunzio Corsino and Miami Beach Association”, issued an injunction that prohibited the fence, proclaiming that the entire length of Sound View and Miami Beaches must remain open to the public, as spelled out by H. J. Hilliard. 

The “New London Day” reported that the MBA put up another fence in the late-1980s, only to be “promptly” removed by the Town. However, then First Selectwoman Bonnie Reemsnyder stated, “the town has concerns about the fence, but its attorneys have advised against taking legal action”; and so, “it would now be up to members of the public to challenge the fence, just as they did in the early 1950s.” 

In 2016, near the end of the beach season, the MBA put up a chain-link fence and levied a “clean beach fee” that would be charged at an entry point. Sound View resident Kathleen Tracy challenged the legality of the fence and fee in 2018 in “Kathleen Tracey et al v. Miami BeachAssociation”.

In July, 2019, Superior Court Judge Kimberly A. Knox heard testimony and ruled that, “Nothing but the recent imposition of a fee has changed since1953, when an injunction was issued; making the entire length of Sound View and Miami Beaches open to the public.” The fence must come down and the fee be abolished, although the fence was allowed to remain while an appeal was pending.

A few weeks ago, in mid-April; and after the Connecticut Supreme Court refused to review the Superior Court’s decision (above), the fence was again removed. In full, Knox ruled that the Association is prohibited, “now and hereinafter,” from maintaining or establishing any other fence or boundary, and from charging fees and issuing permits for the use of the beach.

Leave Nothing Behind but your Footprints:

I believe that the fundamental issue that prompted the MBA’s construction of fences and the 2016 “clean beach” fee was the regrettably bad behavior that some of the “unorganized general public” exhibited while visiting the beach. 

The MBA described a mess that went well beyond the little bit of litter and trash left behind, using the word, “Filthy!”and describing rude and disrespectful behavior; and inappropriate interpersonal behaviors that are better indulged in private.

Sound View Beach apparently witnessed the same, but also noted a significant increase in calls for police service.The MBA reported that they spend about $40,000 to $45,000 per year on beach security, and $13,000 on cleaning the beach, while the town covers only about $20,000.

A Meeting of the Minds:

The leaders of the two beach communities met with Old Lyme’s Board of Selectmen in July, 2021 and presented data describing the problems at the two beaches from an informal “task force”; and suggested some possible solutions, which included making it more expensive for out-of-towners to park at the beach by increasing rates in town-owned parking, and raising permit fees for private parking lots.

First Selectman Timothy Griswold requested that the two leaders put some action steps in writing with quantifying data to be presented at a future meeting. Then-Selectwoman Mary Jo Nosal said the informal “task force” should be an official group that represents the residents of Old Lyme. I am not certain whether either of those requests went any further.

Author’s Thoughts:

Conflicts regarding beach access are not unique to Old Lyme. Public access advocates are worried about a new attack on the right of way to the beaches of the 1.5-mile-long Napatree Point in Watch Hill. Officials of the Watch Hill Fire District, which owns a portion lot of the Point, have recently put the Town on notice that they do not accept the validity of a 2008 town resolution enshrining into law “a right of way for access by the public to pass and re-pass to and from Napatree Point in perpetuity”.

Watch Hill runs the risk of being only known as the home of Taylor Swift, who, I am told, sings songs.

In closing, a few words on sportsmanship. Some of my life has involved ice hockey programs for boys and girls from the newest skaters through high school and college. The games are intense and emotions can run high. At the games end, and regardless of the outcome, both teams will skate the length of the rink in parallel lines, bumping gloves, with a “good game!”

In contrast, “The Day” reported that when the fence came down for the last time, Ms. Tracy extended her hand to the President of MBA’s Board of Governors and said, “Let’s just move on; can we do that?”

He ignored the gesture.

In the NFL, if a player is flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct, the penalty is 15 yards, and an automatic first down, when committed by the defense.

Robert Frost claimed that “good fences make good neighbors”. Well, maybe in New Hampshire, but in Old Lyme?

Well, let’s see …

Sources:

  •  Burian,H. “Old Lyme woman takes legal action to rid Miami Beach of Fence”. NBC-CT. 08/23/2017.
  • Collins,D. “War over public access to Napatree Point heats up in Westerly”. New London Day. 04/19/ 2023
  • Condon, T. “Edward T. “Ned” Coll dies; Hartford activist fought racism, poverty, and closed beaches”. CT Mirror. 12/19/2022
  • Crawford, A. “Racism Kept Connecticut’s beaches white Up through the 1970s”. Smithsonian Magazine. July,2018
  • Drelich, K. “DEEP: portion of Shenecossett Beach Club fence must be removed”. New London Day. 10/26/2019
  • Hewett, C. “Fence to come down at Sound View Beach after court ruling”. The CT Examiner. 04/12/2023.
  • Howard, L. “Miami Beach fence comes down after court ruling”. New London Day. 04/13/2023
  • Kahrl, A. W. “Free the beaches: the story of Ned Coll and the battle for America’s most exclusive shoreline.” Yale University Press. 2018
  • Regan, E. “Old Lyme beach officials recommend higher parking fees to discourage out-of-towners”. New London Day. 07/07/2021
  • Regan, E. “Closing time at issue in Sound View parking lot”. New London Day. 07/20/2021
  • Florin, K. “Debate over beach rights heats up in Old Lyme.” New London Day. 07/03/2017.
  • Florin, K. “Sound View resident takes legal step to fight Miami Beach fence in Old Lyme.” New London Day. August 21, 2017.
  • Florin, K. “Judge: Old Lyme beach fence must come down.” New London Day. 01/14/ 2020.

Editor’s Note: This is the opinion of Thomas D. Gotowka.

About the author: Tom Gotowka is a resident of Old Lyme, whose entire adult career has been in healthcare. He will sit on the Navy side at the Army/Navy football game. He always sit on the crimson side at any Harvard/Yale contest. He enjoys reading historic speeches and considers himself a scholar of the period from FDR through JFK. A child of AM Radio, he probably knows the lyrics of every rock and roll or folk song published since 1960. He hopes these experiences give readers a sense of what he believes “qualify” him to write this column.

A View From My Porch: Finding Fenway — A Feline Interest Story 

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Tom Gotowka

Nearly a year ago, Christina and I announced in LymeLine that we were “on the lookout for two adoptable kittens; we hope to find a pair of orange tabby sisters.” Our plan was to name them Fenway and Wrigley.

We had lost Finn, our pet of more than 15 years, as a result of an inoperable and inexplicable carcinoma of the lung, which appeared on a radiograph at an emergency visit. 

Finn was a rescue, and had spent her early months in our daughter’s NYU freshman dormitory; remaining there until expulsion appeared inevitable (i.e., the kitten’s, not the daughter’s). Devan, the freshman, was visited by her older sister, Erin, who convinced her to relocate the kitten to Old Lyme, where she remained with us. 

Those who have also had long-term pets know just how soon they become important members of the household; and how long they are mourned, when lost. 

We never really anticipated what would then lay before us as we set out on our search for kittens. 

We began our quest near the beginning of this year with the municipal animal shelters in southeast Connecticut, and then eventually, with both Finn’s and another veterinary practice, who suggested that we wait until early-summer, when kittens are often more plentiful. 

Although we were persistent with the municipal shelters and on waiting lists at several, we were unsuccessful and decided to investigate the private animal rescue shelters in the same area, where there are several. 

We learned that these shelters tend to be non-profit and/or charitable organizations that are highly reliant on volunteers, although some had a few paid staff. They are “no-kill”, and so, do not terminate healthy or treatable animals, limiting euthanasia for incurably ill animals or those who could pose a danger to public safety. 

Fenway is found, but the Gotowkas are still looking for Wrigley. This image is not Fenway but rather a file photo of another kitty by Michael Sum on Unsplash!

Adoptions at these shelters may require payment of a nominal fee (e.g., $200 to $250 per kitten) to cover expenses for veterinary services incurred by the organization while the animal was in residence. These can include a health examination, neutering, various vaccinations, and treatments for problems like fleas, ticks, ear mites. 

We felt confident that our history and experience with pets, relationships with veterinarians, and sensible and stable lifestyle would make us very suitable candidates for adopting rescued kittens. 

In addition, the “PBS News Hour” reported in February that, “Rescue shelters are feeling the pressure of too many potential pets and not enough people adopting them. Many shelters are at capacity and understaffed; pets adopted during the pandemic were returned, and inflation had made owning and caring for a pet more expensive, leaving some owners struggling to afford rising costs.” While this may have been the situation in many parts of the country, it was apparently not so for kittens in this area, as we were to experience.

The first shelter we explored had stated that their mission was, “To stop the proliferation of homeless cats living hard lives and struggling to find food and shelter on the streets of our local communities.” Their application process seemed daunting, and included the disclaimers that the organization, “Reserves the right to deny an adoption request for any, or no reason, and may choose not to reveal specific reasons;” and that they “Promote age-appropriate adoptions.”

I did some further research on this shelter, and found several unhappy reviews that cited age as a factor. A few examples follow: 

  • “To adopt a kitten from this shelter you must be no older than 60.”
  • “We were told that at 60 and 65, we were too old to adopt any of their cats that aren’t two years of age.” 
  • “When we visited, we witnessed them declining another couple because they were “too old to adopt a young cat.”
  •  (In contrast): “During this process, we walked into a section with a volunteer, June, who immediately exclaimed, “We do not let anyone under the age of 25 adopt!”

Christina and I were shocked and surprised that this organization apparently had such discriminatory age restrictions in place. We were both already “of a certain age”, and so we were discouraged and decided to regroup before exploring other similar shelters.

Frankly, these practices “fly in the face” of conventional wisdom, which is supported by several scientific studies, that pets are important for the health of older adults, especially for those who are single, living alone, and a little isolated. Pets offer socialization and companionship to lonely seniors; and provide a strong sense of purpose that may reduce stress and assist them maintain a regular routine. However, as I describe below, our explorations unexpectedly came to an end.

Celestial Interference?

We were returning home from Chester on a nice February Saturday. On the spur of the moment, we pulled into a local market in Deep River. While I wandered a few aisles on the hunt for dinner ideas, Christina checked out the bakery and bulletin board. Nothing appealed in the bakery, but there was a listing that stated, “Looking for a good home for our cat.” We called on Sunday and learning that we were not the first respondents, arranged a visit on Tuesday.  

This retired couple was moving from Connecticut to care for the wife’s elderly brother in Florida. The brother’s circumstances did not allow them to bring their pet. Faye was not a kitten, but very young; perhaps a toddler, if it was human. Faye was a long-hair with remarkable coloring — pure white with a black saddle, crown, and tail. They said she was a rescue from a litter that was abandoned in a box behind their apartment complex. 

The couple was childless and doted on Faye. They shared her veterinary records with us, which were very complete, and arranged a site visit in Old Lyme; where we passed muster. They delivered Faye about a week later. The cat’s parting from her former owners was smooth, if not a little emotional for them. 

After several weeks transition in her new digs, she now answers to Fenway. She is a nice, playful pet; has very expressive ears, and communicates well when dinner is late. There is a very active fox population in our neighborhood, so Fenway will be exclusively indoors. We are discussing whether we will resume our search for Wrigley.  Cats are social animals and tend to be happier in pairs. 

In closing, Christina is a retired professor of Human Development and Ageing and corroborates the value of pets for older adults, which I touched on above.

Sources:

Cirrillo, Anthony. “The value of pet ownership for older adults” US News and World Report. 10/16/2019
Moeller, Philip. “10 reasons older people need Pets” US News and World Report. 01/07/2010
Norris, Courtney. “Animal shelters struggle as many pets adopted during pandemic are returned” PBS News Hour (transcript). 02/20/2023
Cleveland Clinic. “The Health Benefits of Pets” Health Essentials Newsletter. 02/09/2023

About the author: Tom Gotowka is a resident of Old Lyme, whose entire adult career has been in healthcare. He will sit on the Navy side at the Army/Navy football game. He always sit on the crimson side at any Harvard/Yale contest. He enjoys reading historic speeches and considers himself a scholar of the period from FDR through JFK. A child of AM Radio, he probably knows the lyrics of every rock and roll or folk song published since 1960. He hopes these experiences give readers a sense of what he believes “qualify” him to write this column.

A View from My Porch: Connecticut Adopts FDA Food Code — A Primer for the Curious 

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Tom Gotowka

The Connecticut (CT) General Assembly passed the adoption of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Food Code into law in 2018; and it finally went into full effect on the 17th of February.

The law requires some changes for both the food service establishments (FSEs) operating in the state, and for the inspection and permitting processes conducted by the local health departments charged with regulation. For Lyme and Old Lyme, this latter is, of course, Ledge Light Health District (LLHD) along with seven other communities in Southeast CT.

In this essay, I review some of the key changes that occurred with the full enactment of this Food Code. 

The U. S. FDA publishes the Food Code as a model to assist local health departments develop or update their own food safety rules; and thus ensure that local rules have a sound scientific basis, reflect best practices, and are consistent with national food regulatory policy.

The FDA Food Code was first issued in 1993, and updated and re-issued every two years until 2001; but then moving to a four-year interval. 

Implementation did not alter the major components of CT’s food safety rules and best practices, since CT’s regulations were generally consistent with the FDA’s.  The rules still stress hand-washing along with proper cleaning and sanitizing of food preparation surfaces and equipment.

However, there are changes in temperature standards for food preparation and storage, the classification of food service establishments, and the methods for scoring and documenting inspections. 

The former CT Code required that cold foods be held at 45 degrees F. or lower, and hot foods held at 140 degrees F. or higher. The FDA Code requires 41 degrees F. or lower and 135 degrees F. or higher, respectively. 

Perhaps more important are the changes in classification of FSEs. The class affects the frequency of required inspection and the qualifications required for on-site supervisory staff. I review the classification system under the newly enacted definitions in the following. Note that this is at a high level and the examples listed for each class are only for illustration and not all-inclusive.  

Class 1 establishments provide hot or cold beverages and/or commercially prepackaged foods that are not “TCS” (i.e., foods that do not “require time and temperature control for safety”); and limited preparation or heating of commercially packaged precooked foods. This includes coffee and donut shops, and convenience stores. (inspected annually.) 

Class 2 establishments are “cook and serve” operations that offer a limited menu of “TCS” food prepared or cooked and served almost immediately. This includes fast food shops like McDonalds and Burger King. (inspected twice/year.)

Class 3 establishments are “cook and serve” operations that offer an extensive menu of “TCS food requiring complex preparation, including, but not limited to, handling of raw ingredients. This includes full-service restaurants, diners, delicatessens, and supermarket food services serving pizza and sushi. (inspected three times/ year.) 

Class 4 establishments serve a population that is highly susceptible to food-borne illnesses, and includes daycare centers, convalescent and nursing homes, and hospitals.  (inspected four times/ year.)

All Class 2, 3, and 4 establishments are required to have a Person In Charge (PIC), who has qualified as a Certified Food Protection Manager (CFPM) through a CT Department of Public Health (DPH)-approved testing organization and is fully onsite during peak hours of operation. The PIC can appoint an alternate, who does not need to pass an exam, but is only onsite during off peak hours when limited/no food preparation is occurring. 

New inspection forms are used and no longer yield a numerical score that is posted in the establishment; but rather, a simple pass or fail. Any cited violations are categorized as “Priority”, “Priority Foundation”, and “Core”; and align with the risk of that violation as it relates to foodborne illness, and the time allowed for corrective action 

Further, other changes include date-labeling of foods and notification of allergens on menus, both of which were not previously well-enforced. Product date marking will be required to ensure all refrigerated food is consumed within seven days.

My sources include: 

  • Food Protection Program-related documents  on both the  CT DPH and LLHD websites. 
  • Communications to affected food service establishments regarding the FDA Food Code from LLHD and several other CT Health Departments/Districts. 
  • Abundant Q&A with Ms. Katie Baldwin, RS (i.e., a registered sanitarian), the Supervisor of Regulated Facilities, and the local subject matter expert regarding the Food Code at LLHD.
  • The U.S. “FDA Releases 2017 Food Code” dated 02/09/2018.
  • The U.S. FDA “Benefits Associated with Complete Adoption and Implementation of the FDA Food Code” dated 06/11/2020

Author’s Comments: After the CT General Assembly passed the adoption of the FDA Food Code into law in 2018, LLHD began implementation of some of the new requirements with the FSEs in their catchment area — well in advance of the eventual Feb. 17 effective date. These included:  

  • Updated food establishment risk classification categories.
  • Changes to hot and cold temperature requirements.
  • Requirement to employ Food Protection Managers in Class 2, 3, and 4 FSEs.

Consequently, there was no difficult transition in February; as they were already operating under the new regulations. 

Finally, there are executive level staff changes at LLHD in the offing this summer. 

LLHD Health Director, Stephen Mansfield announced last July that he will retire in 2023; his final day on the job will be July 6, 2023. He has been with the organization for 25 years, the last eight as Director. 

His replacement, Ms. Jennifer Muggeo, recently marked 18 years of service with LLHD. Mr. Mansfield expanded her role several months ago from overseeing financial operations to the Deputy Director position. 

I have been on LLHD’s Board of Directors for the past several years and am comfortable saying that he leaves a very strong organization, which very visibly demonstrated its worth to SE CT during the recent pandemic.

I observed an organization with sound financials, which focused on staff development and opportunity; and held the respect of CT’s broader public health community. I had interactions with a few members of the more clinical staff, and felt their clear and prideful commitment to both the organization and the public’s health.

About the author: Tom Gotowka is a resident of Old Lyme, whose entire adult career has been in healthcare. He will sit on the Navy side at the Army/Navy football game. He always sit on the crimson side at any Harvard/Yale contest. He enjoys reading historic speeches and considers himself a scholar of the period from FDR through JFK. A child of AM Radio, he probably knows the lyrics of every rock and roll or folk song published since 1960. He hopes these experiences give readers a sense of what he believes “qualify” him to write this column.

A View From My Porch: Still Talking About the Generations*

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*With apologies to Messrs. Daltrey, Townshend, Entwistle, and Moon. (Who?)

Tom Gotowka continues his exploration of the generations in this essay. Photo by Giacomo Lucarini on Unsplash.

In my last “View” I explored reports that suggested that Americans’ attitudes about the workplace had changed “remarkably” and reviewed some of the factors that affected work expectations for both the baby boomer and millennial generations. 

In drafting that essay, I became curious about who is responsible for developing those names, and wondered whether it was some government agency. In this essay, I continue my inquiry and abundant commentary on generations, focusing on the 20th century period that preceded the Boomers. 

Generational theorists William Strauss and Neil Howe defined America’s generations in their 1991 book “Generations: The History of America’s Future”; and posited 18 generations that occupied the United States beginning with the founding of the first English colony — i.e., the short-lived Roanoke colony. They considered America’s history as a sequence of generational cohorts that began in 1584; they then examined how differences among generations could shape attitudes, behaviors, and the course of history. Most of their proposed names still hold.

“The Capitol Steps”:

Of special note; in 1981, and prior to his career as a generational scholar, William Strauss, a baby boomer, organized a group of Senate staffers to perform satirical songs at the annual Christmas party of his employer, Senator Charles Percy (R-IL); and then went on to co-found the satirical troupe, “The Capitol Steps”, who performed parodies of contemporaneous administrations, political events, and scandals — on a very bipartisan basis. 

The ”Steps” continued performing well into the 21st century under their trademark, “We put the ‘mock’ in democracy”. They released 40 albums, performed live in concert, and before a few, but not all presidents, and also on SNL as well as both PBS and NPR, the latter in their annual “Politics Takes a Holiday” specials. 

The group is named for an alleged scandal involving a congressman that occurred behind a pillar on the steps of the Capitol Building. However, my editor in this publication doesn’t do salacious; and unwilling to risk her red sharpie, I include none of that event’s tawdry details in this essay. By way of context, their song and album titles include “One Bush, Two Bush, Old Bush, New Bush”, “Between Iraq and a Hard Place”, and “Orange Is the New Barack.”

The “Lost Generation”:

Gertrude Stein, an American expatriate living in France, is usually credited with creating the name, “The Lost Generation”, for those born near the turn of the 20h century and coming of age during World War I (WWI). “Lost” refers to the “disoriented and directionless” spirit that affected many of the War’s survivors in the aftermath of the War’s horrific bloodshed. 

The countries engaged in that, “War to end all wars” mobilized more than 70 million people; — about 8.5 million who were killed, 21 million who were wounded, and an estimated 2 million, who died from disease. 

Unfortunately, the generation was also very vulnerable in the 1918 flu pandemic, which was first identified in American military personnel in the spring of 1918; and then spread globally. It became, at the time, one of history’s deadliest pandemics, with an estimated 50 million deaths, worldwide.

American women entered the military in uniform for the first time in WWI, many serving as nurses and ambulance drivers on the front line. On the homefront, they filled jobs that had been vacated by fighting men, or created as part of the war effort. By 1918, munitions factories collectively became the largest employer of women in the United States. 

Wartime service enabled women to claim full citizenship, and in the War’s aftermath, they gained greater political freedom. Significantly, the 19th amendment, which guaranteed American women the right to vote, was passed by Congress on June 4, 1919, and ratified on August 18, 1920. 

“Lost” also become synonymous with the large group of American expat writers living in France after the War; which included Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Sinclair Lewis, and poets E.E. Cummings and Ezra Pound. 

Notably, Ms. Stein wrote “You are all a lost generation” as the epigram in Hemingway’s “The Sun Also Rises”, which was published in 1926.

The Curse of the Bambino:

Boston Red Sox fans have a special link to this generation. On Dec. 26, 1919, Red Sox owner and theatrical producer, Harry Frazee made the regrettable decision to sell baseball superstar, Babe Ruth, (aka the “Bambino”), to the New York Yankees.

Adding insult to injury, Frazee used the proceeds to finance the production of a Broadway musical, usually said to be “No, No, Nanette”. According to baseball folklore, the sale precipitated an 86-year-championship drought that finally ended in 2004 when the Red Sox beat the Cardinals. 

The Silent Generation:

This generation includes those born just before the Great Depression and through the end of World War II (WWII). They are the progeny of “The Lost Generation” and the parents of the baby boomers. Many were children during WWII, and came of age during the 1950s and 60s. They are sometimes referred to as “Radio Babies”; and, of course, radio was an important source of news and entertainment. They relied on FDR’s evening broadcasts, the “fireside chats”, for information on the recovery from the Great Depression and news of WWII. 

In addition, American broadcast journalist and war correspondent, Edward R. Murrow, set the standard for frontline journalism during the War with a series of live radio broadcasts for CBS News from the London rooftops during the nightly “Blitz” of Britain’s capital city by Hitler’s Luftwaffe.

The “Silents” bore witness to the House Committee on Un-American Activities’ intrusive investigation of “alleged disloyalty and subversive activities” by private citizens, public employees, and organizations alleged to have “fascist or communist ties”, which included the Hollywood movie industry. Created in 1938, the Committee had a significant role in the decision to relocate and incarcerate more than 100,000 Japanese Americans in internment camps during WWII.

These attacks on America’s political freedoms extended beyond the House investigation to Senator Joseph McCarthy’s false and unfounded accusations of subversion and treason in the media, the U.S. State Department, the U.S. Army, and the Screen Actors Guild.  Americans became cautious and did not speak freely about their opinions and beliefs. Unable to produce any credible evidence, McCarthy was finally condemned by the Senate on Dec. 2, 1954.

“Time Magazine” described the generation’s young as withdrawn, and cautious in a 1951article. “The most startling fact about the younger generation is its silence. With some rare exceptions, youth is nowhere near the rostrum.” The article used the term “Silent Generation” to refer to those individuals … and the label remains.

Perhaps inevitably, the generation also witnessed the emergence of the “beat movement”, which originated with a group of anti-conformist Greenwich Village authors and artists of the mid-1940s and early-1950s, who challenged the cultural and social norms of the period. They first met in 1944 at Columbia University.

The core group in the formative years of the movement include authors Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg, and William Burroughs. By 1960, they ended up together in San Francisco, where they were associated with the San Francisco Renaissance. The movement also influenced many of the cultural icons of the 1960s, including Bob Dylan, the Beatles, Jerry Garcia and the Doors.

The Greatest Generation:

Strauss and Howe identified the generation that fought in WWII as the “G.I. Generation”. However, “G.I.” was replaced when Tom Brokaw’s cultural history of the Great Depression and WWII, “The Greatest Generation”, was published in 1998. 

In 1984, Brokaw went to Normandy, to work on a documentary on the 40th anniversary of D-Day. He commented on his inspiration to write “The Greatest Generation”: “there on the beaches of Normandy I began to reflect on the wonders of these ordinary people whose lives were laced with the markings of greatness.”

Brokaw profiled Americans, who came of age during the Great Depression and went on to either fight in the War or contribute to the war effort on the home front. 

He wrote that “these men and women fought not for fame or recognition, but because it was the “right thing to do”; and applauded them “for their ability to adapt and thrive in crisis and for leaving the world better than they found it”.

Sources:

  • Strauss, William and Howe, Neil. “Generations: The History of America’s Future, 1584 to 2069”. William Morrow & Company, 1991.
  • Townshend, Pete. “My Generation”. Brunswick Records, 1965.
  • Vyse, Graham. “The Fall of the Capitol Steps“. The Washington Post Magazine, 02/16/2022.
  • Brokaw, Tom. “The Greatest Generation”. Random House, 1998.
  • Hemingway, Ernest. “The Sun Also Rises”. Scribners, 1926.
  • Wells, H.G.” The War That Will End War” F. & C. Palmer, 1914.
  • Belser, Jessica A. and Tumpey, Terrence M. “The 1918 flu, 100 years later”. Science Jan 18, 2018 Vol35, No. 6373
  • Alexander, Roy; editor. “People: The Younger Generation.” Time, November 5, 1951 | Vol. LVIII No. 19
  • Sperber, Ann M. “Murrow: His Life and Times”. Freundlich Books 1986.

Author’s Comments: I can relate to the “named” generations more so than I can to the various alphabet cohorts. For example, those that were born last or this year are in Gen “Alpha”, which really isn’t too bad, although it sounds a little science fiction-ish. Right before the Alphas are the “zoomies” of Gen Z.

I recognize that I cut the beat movement a little short in in my discussion of “The Silent Generation,” although it had great influence in the United States. 

I read Jack Kerouac as a high school student; probably because he was described as the icon of the movement.  He published more than a dozen novels and several poetry volumes, and became an underground celebrity after his second published novel, “On the Road”, in 1957.

In closing, I want to challenge the members of either of the two book clubs  that Christina participates in to read one of his novels at an upcoming meeting. For the record, I don’t endorse Allen Ginsberg’s “Howl”.

Editor’s Note: This is the opinion of Thomas D. Gotowka.

Tom Gotowka

About the author: Tom Gotowka is a resident of Old Lyme, whose entire adult career has been in healthcare. He will sit on the Navy side at the Army/Navy football game. He always sit on the crimson side at any Harvard/Yale contest. He enjoys reading historic speeches and considers himself a scholar of the period from FDR through JFK. A child of AM Radio, he probably knows the lyrics of every rock and roll or folk song published since 1960. He hopes these experiences give readers a sense of what he believes “qualify” him to write this column.