It’s the end of 2010, a new year is upon us, blah, blah, blah . . you get the idea.
Now let’s get to it!
TWEETER OF THE YEAR
Criteria: Our favorite Valley resident to follow on Twitter.
Superbus: Chris Bowen (Twitter handle = superbus) is a Derby resident, military veteran and video game journalist.
His prolific posts on Twitter range from profane complaints about ice hockey to detailed posts about why he doesn’t agree with “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” He’s been known to occasionally beat us up for story choices. Power to the people!
MOST RESPONSIVE PUBLIC BODY
Criteria: The government entity that best exemplifies the spirit of the Freedom of Information law.
Derby Inland Wetlands Commission:
Chairman Frederick J. Columbo, Jr. puts his home phone number and address on every agenda. Enough said.
Runner up: Shelton Board of Aldermen: Documents to go along with meeting agendas are always promptly filed at City Hall before the meetings take place. This makes it much easier for the public to figure just what the heck their elected officials are talking about.
LEAST RESPONSIVE PUBLIC BODY
Criteria: The public entity, in our opinion, that doesn’t do enough to promote open government.
Seymour Police Commission: Apologies commissioners, but, according to our interpretation of the state’s Freedom of Information Act, you can’t discuss routine public policy matters in private. Full, end-of-the-year disclosure: The Valley Indy has a Freedom of Information complaint pending against the commission.
VALLEY INDY FACEBOOK ‘FAN’ OF THE YEAR
Criteria: The Facebook reader we always like to hear from.
Chad Jansen: Chad keeps it real on the Valley Indy Facebook page.
He thinks Shelton is over-developed and the Valley, in general, has lost its way.
And he’s not afraid to remind us.
VALLEY INDY BIGGEST BLUNDERS
Criteria: We make mistakes. We admit it. Then we scream at each other.
Driscoll Inserts Words Into Oxford Politician’s Mouth:
Oxford’s the most politicized town in the lower Valley. The controversy over the Board of Education’s handling of Superintendent Judith Palmer’s contract was, perhaps, the most heated debate of the year.
We published a story about a rally organized by parents who supported Palmer. In the story, we quickly broke down the party affiliations of the board members.
But, through an editing error, we made it seem like First Selectwoman Mary Ann-Drayton Rogers pointed out the affiliations. The comment board lit up with people accusing her of playing politics.
Drayton-Rogers pointed out our mistake. We corrected the article and posted a comment saying we we wrong.
Note: This also wins the 2010 award for “most convoluted explanation of an error.”
Mozdzer Insults Practically Everyone Who Wears A Uniform In Seymour:
Hey, we like to print the good stuff too. Like when people are recognized for their actions.
So when the Seymour police commission discussed a “Thank You” letter to Seymour police officers for their help rescuing a woman from a car accident scene, the Valley Indy wrote a story about the shout-out.
Turns out the police department wasn’t the only group of rescue workers commended for their service that day — a point we neglected to follow up on. Our readers quickly — and angrily — called us out on the omission.
We corrected the error and apologized for the slight.
TOMORROW: Worst photos of the year, Reader of the Year, Best Local Blog — and the Government Git ‘Er Done Award!
