Seen and Heard in Norwalk: Unusually well dressed for a committee meeting

NORWALK, Conn. – Here are some items of interest that were seen or heard recently in Norwalk:

Slightly overdressed

Suits and ties are generally the order for male common councilmen at council meetings, but Councilman David McCarthy (R-District E) outdid himself Thursday when he showed up at the Finance Committee meeting in unusually fine attire – a tuxedo, complete with tails.

McCarthy walked in late to the meeting, causing a mild ripple of laughter and a pause in the scintillating discussion about insurance.

“I left the hat in the car,” McCarthy said, and the meeting continued.

He had no other comment. An hour later, he was the one to end the meeting with, “Motion to adjourn. I have somewhere to go.”

Then he bolted from the room.

Built to take a beating

Director of Information Technology Karen Del Vecchio was at the meeting to seek approval for tech expenditures that had been authorized in the capital budget, including new computers in police patrol cars.

“These are ruggedized devices that are designed to be in a vehicle 365 days a year,” she said, of the police data terminals. “You can spill coffee on them. You can see them in broad daylight. The keyboards are sealed so that if you do spill something on them, or, you know, bodily fluids, whatever it is, it’s not going to damage the equipment.”

People smiled, and someone mentioned doughnuts.

“They’re powdered sugar-proof, all that stuff,” she said.

After the vote, Common Councilman Bruce Kimmel, who is not a member of the committee, asked, “Ruggedized is a word?”

Delvecchio said it was, or at least her department had been using it for years.

“It survived the drop test …. It’s mil-spec, military specification.”

All voted in favor. The item now goes to the full council.

Fighting words

Councilman Carvin Hillard (D-District B) used words you wouldn’t expect a councilman to say early in the meeting.

Hilliard, the committee chairman, said he didn’t think the committee should vote for items 6 to 10 together at one point, but quickly acquiesced when others said they should.

“OK, OK,” he said. “You can’t fight City Hall.”

There was laughter, and he changed it to, “We fighting in City Hall.”