The Editor's Notepod, Fri., Feb. 3, 2012

The predicted shift in Meriden of the tax burden from residential properties to commercial properties merely reverses what has been going on for the last couple of revaluations. This is, as it were, the down side of regular revaluation; if one had a fixed initial property value which never changed actually or relatively, think of the consequences for fossilized municipalities.

Meriden leaders make good points about the need for space in our high schools to serve the community as well as the schools themselves. That’s fine, but it will be better if we actually know our exposure, since hoping for statutory assistance is a little nervous-making.

In this connection, it will be interesting to see how various efforts to secure waivers for Meriden will play out through our delegation in Hartford.

Those familiar with Meriden Family Zone Promise Neighborhood and those who may benefit from it were out this week at the Augusta Curtis Cultural Center to give the program and Children First executive David Radcliffe, which won a $465,000 Promise Grant from the US Department of Education. This is a triumph for Meriden and could significantly help kids raise reading skills as they enter the school system.

Connecticut must carefully consider on-line betting and how or whether to work our matters with the state’s tribes and their casinos, which have been contributing a substantial amount to the state for years. It’s important to understand the finances of gambling as well as the interests of all the players.

Governor Malloy is asking $12 million additional for Connecticut pre-school programs, which he is making part of his legislative focus this year. We will be watching eagerly to see how the various reforms fare with legislators.

The paternity case decided by Connecticut’s Supreme Court which allows a husband to dispute his paternity of a daughter now 19 years old. Regardless of DNA, we agree with earlier court rulings which held that it was against public policy to let a father disinherit his putative child.

School-provided desktop computers at Sheehan in Wallingford (and at many other schools there and elsewhere) have issues and can result in much wastage of time and effort when computers won’t boot or crash. It s good that the town has come up with $100,000 to resupply some of those with big problems, but a part of the difficulty is that many of these machines are used by more than one person, creating an endemic problem for everyone.