The North Haven
Cit itiz ize en Your Town, Your News
Volume 7, Number 7
Annual community service awards dinner recognizes local difference-makers The 2012 North Haven Community Service Awards Dinner will recognize a new crop of residents and municipal staff whose town service goes above and beyond the norm. The awards dinner will take place Saturday, Feb. 25, at 6 p.m. at the Hamden Elks Lodge, 175 School St., Hamden. The event will honor North Haven’s Citizen of the Year Daniel Riccio, Jr.; Police Officer of the Year, Detective Jason Janosko; and Firefighter of the Year, Timothy J. Mayer. Daniel Riccio, Jr. Daniel Riccio, Jr., has been commander of American Legion N o r t h Haven Post 76 for nine Riccio years. He
was the Legion’s district service officer for the North Haven area, co-organizer for the Four Chaplains Ceremony honoring outstanding youth and churches, and co-chairman for the Memorial Day Parade and the area Columbus Day Parade, both in North Haven this year. Riccio is a speaker for the “Eye Witness to History” program, in which veterans share experiences with high-school students. He participates in the Legion’s Flag Day Ceremony at Montowese School and the Veteran’s Day ceremony on the Green. Riccio has been vice president of St. Barnabas Council, served on their Education and Liturgy Committees and taught catechism. A six and one half year cancer survivor, he has been a speaker for the
Leukemia Survivors “Light the Night.” With the Knights of Columbus, he is a past Third Degree Grand Knight, K of C Father Donaher Council 3733 and 4th Degree Past Faithful Navigator with the K of C of New Haven at St. Mary‘s W. Patrick Donlan Assembly 2459. He has coached little league and Biddy Basketball in East Haven. He is a member of American Red Cross, having donated 12.2 gallons. In 2011, he received the Herbert L. Emanuelson Individual Legionnaire Award and in recent years received the Paul Kelley award for Outstanding Community Service and the Richard Anderson Award for Americanism accompanied by the Key to
Friday, Februar y 17, 2012
Yaccarino prepares for new legislative session By Kyle Swartz The North Haven Citizen The North Haven Citizen’s recent political interview series, which included state senator Len Fasano and former state rep. S t e v e Yaccarino Fontana, concludes with Republican state rep. and local smallbusiness owner David Yaccarino. Yaccarino, who owns DJ’s Comic Shop on Lincoln Street and unseated Fontana in the 2010 election, sat down with the Citizen to discuss state and local politics. Q: Connecticut’s new legislative session just began. What have you been up to
and what are your goals? A: I’ve met already with the committees I sit on – Insurance and Real Estate, Higher Education and Job Advancement, and Public Safety. I was just asked to sit on my fourth committee. Most people are only asked to sit on three committees. I was asked to sit on Veteran Affairs. One of my personal goals, which I began last year, is reforming education, the way you approach it and fund it. I pushed for changes last year with Democrats and Republicans. I met with Stefan Pryor, Connecticut’s Commissioner of Education. One problem in education is that not all state education money that goes to cities and
See Prepares, page 20
Unsung hero recognized
See Awards, page 19
Column — North Haven teachers union addresses the ed budget
This is an open letter from the North Haven Education Association to the North Haven Board of Education, Board of Finance, and Board of Selectmen outlining our positions on the 2012-2013 budget recommendations that will be under consideration throughout this ongoing budget season. The NHEA agrees with the new academic support positions Superintendent Dr. Robert Cronin has requested: Math coaches, K-5 language arts program coordinator, intervention specialist, computer teacher, middle school autism teacher. These are positions to provide support for both staff and students to improve academic performance. We would even suggest in-
creasing this support. Rather than eliminating special education positions, why not provide more intervention teachers and utilize these educators’ skills to further support the academic needs of our struggling students? Where we disagree with the proposed budget: We believe that the elimination of pupil personnel service staff such as social workers removes the support our students need for their social and emotional wellbeing. This is a key element of learning. We must consider the impact this will have on the suc-
See Budget, page 18
Courtesy of David Marchesseault
North Haven High School senior Adam Cerilli recently received the local Rotary Club’s Unsung Hero award for his interest in education and community service. Pictured: Cerilli with his parents, Bob and Vanessa Cerilli. For more information, see page 20.