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Health & Fitness

Santa Herbst is Coming to Town!

What's on your wish list this season for Mansfield?

Hey folks, guess what?

Santa Herbst is coming to town!

That’s right. And just like old St. Nick she’s making an appearance at a time inconvenient for all, except for those helpful elves, the (faux) Mayor of Mansfield and her lovable Town Manager.

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But, should you be unlucky enough to be unemployed during this recession or work at the Town Hall, a meet and greet or a cut and chat might be just the thing to pick up your spirits this holiday season.

President Herbst will be at the for a “community” reception, Monday, Dec. 5 from 4 to 6 p.m.!

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Go ahead! Treat yourself to a gawk at one of Mansfield’s honest to goodness 1%. (Per NPR’s definition, she just slips in under the wire at an annual salary of $500K!)

Oh! And, in case you did not read her press release, she loves “challenges, complaints, and ideas”!

Well, don’t disappoint. Bring it on.

Why not start with that private land grabbing deal on Gurleyville Road by that rascally Provost Petersen? Mention how, giving the public’s land away for that eyesore of a house was unethical, and completely avoidable. Whisper in her ear, “Have you ever heard of land leases?”

Buildings in Hawaii, parts of Arizona, and yes, even Washington DC sit atop renewable hundred-year land leases. The Gurleyville real estate debacle is an eyesore, an insult, and was perfectly avoidable.

Ah! And don’t be afraid to bring your Christmas wish list for the Town of Mansfield.

Ponde Place is on the top of mine this year.

It was not enough that President Herbst’s predecessors convinced Mansfield that it needed a downtown it can’t afford, but that deal for an apartment complex on the other side of town known as Ponde Place? That is an environmental disaster in the making instigated in a dark room by UConn and completely unnecessary.

Ask her to show her skill set and broker a deal between the current investors of Ponde Place and one of UConn’s philanthropists to purchase the Ponde Place land and donate it back to a local land trust. And don’t forget to add the Pink Ravine while you’re at it!

And for those members of the Town Council who are sorely lacking in civility, and we know who you are, ask her for a signed copy of her book, “Rude Democracy: Civility and Incivility in American Politics.”

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