The National Popular Vote (NPV) initiative has gained ground across the U.S. because it does something overwhelming majorities of Americans in every state support: It ensures that the person who gets the most votes for President wins. Rep. John Hetherington’s recent criticisms of the initiative published on this site are so flawed that it’s hard to know where to start.

Along with so many others, I hope 2012 is the year that Connecticut will join the growing number of states that have passed the National Popular Vote initiative. The beauty of the initiative lies in its simplicity: the Presidential candidate with the most votes in the U.S. wins the election.

Rep. Hetherington claims that the NPV plan “allows any candidate to win without gaining a majority or even a minimum percentage of the popular vote”. This describes our current system of electing the President, as well as NPV. There is no requirement that the winner of the Electoral College receive an absolute majority of the national popular vote to win the Presidency – as evidenced by the non-majority elections of Presidents Lincoln, Wilson, Truman, Kennedy, Nixon and Clinton.

Further, under the current system, an absolute majority of the statewide popular vote is not needed to win any state’s electoral votes. In 2008 for example, no candidate received an absolute majority of the votes in four states. And in some years that have seen multiple Presidential candidates, winners have not gotten an absolute majority in any state.

Rep. Hetherington argues that the NPV plan would somehow help extremist candidates outside the mainstream of politics. If this were true and the Electoral College system were needed to discourage these candidates, we would see extremist candidates in elections that do not use an Electoral College system - gubernatorial elections, for example. When’s the last time you saw a fringe candidate win the Governorship in Connecticut?

Indeed, it was actually the state-by-state winner-take-all rule in our current system that encouraged extremist candidates like segregationists Strom Thurmond and George Wallace, who tried to exert influence by gaming the system and winning key states.

Rep. Hetherington goes on to say “some official in each participating state would have the awesome charge of deciding who received the most votes in the entire United States”. This is plain nonsense. Under existing federal law, each state has to provide a certified popular vote count to Washington a week before the Electoral College meets (the “safe harbor” date). This count is considered “conclusive” – there’s no mystery at all about it.

The Presidential candidate who gets the most votes in the United States should win the Presidential election. I hope the Connecticut General Assembly will listen to the 74 percent of Connecticut voters who agree.

Representative Andrew Fleischmann dedicates his life work to the region’s children, as house chairman of the General Assembly’s Education Committee and now as the new CEO of Nutmeg Big Brothers Big Sisters. At NBBBS, the “Bigs” find spending time with their “Littles” more than just a good deed that shines on a resume. It opens their eyes, and their hearts.

photo by Lisa Brisson

You are one of this region’s favorite sons, re-elected to the legislature regularly since 1995. That must make you a fortuitous choice to head up Nutmeg Big Brothers Big Sisters.
I grew up in West Hartford, went to Duffy, King Philip and Hall High. At Princeton University Woodrow Wilson School of Public Affairs, I focused on all sorts of questions related to what sort of public policies best help those in need.

It was evident that our education system, our public health system and our economy were not providing the same opportunities for people at the lower end of the scale that they were for the lucky folks at the upper end.

And so public education has been your focus in the legislature?
As house chairman of the General Assembly’s Education Committee, it has been my top priority to try to make sure that children who have a whole range of challenges, including [attending] schools that are under-performing, get more resources and better results.

We have enacted laws that empower the state Department of Education to improve under-performing schools. For example, an education commissioner could have fired a school superintendent whose district wasn’t doing well. But that is sort of a controversial thing to do and no commissioner has grasped the powers and used them.

[However,] we have a very proactive governor today, and he has just selected a really activist, reform-minded commissioner of education. So I’m optimistic that our new commissioner is going to take some of these powers and use them to start turning around some of these under-performing schools.

Aren’t the Hartford schools doing that already?
The Hartford schools are turning around, absolutely. It is evident that Dr. Steven Adamowski and now his successor, Dr. Christina Kishimoto, are doing a very nice job.

In New Haven, we also have a good example of a whole new model that involves both creating local charter schools and having a new teacher contract that better recognizes performance and helps teachers who aren’t doing as well as they might be doing, and recognizes and rewards teachers who are doing extremely well.

But it’s not enough. Bridgeport is in tough shape. Windham. New London. New Britain.
I am pretty passionate about making sure every single community that needs a turnaround gets a turnaround that is sustainable.

What is it about growing up comfortably in West Hartford that makes you the public servant, the friend of needy children that you have become?
A lot of things lead us down the paths we follow. My parents always had a tremendous sense of social responsibility and I grew up understanding that I was fortunate and there were many children in the state and in this country and this world who did not have the basic advantages I had and that it was my responsibility to give back.

When I was 19, the job I managed to land for the summer was switching cable boxes. I ended up going into homes and small apartments throughout Hartford. It was a huge eye-opening experience for me. There were kids running around in ragged clothes. They didn’t have enough toys to play with. There wasn’t a lock on the front door. In some cases, there didn’t seem to be an adult overseeing the home. I felt great concern for these children.

What does a Big Brother/Big Sister do about that?
The same way a plant needs enough sunlight and enough water, a child needs enough attention and caring in order to flourish. If they don’t have the sense that there is a person – a parent, a Big Brother or Big Sister, a loving aunt or a grandparent – who is clearly invested in their life, who wants to know what they learned in school today, who wants to know why they weren’t feeling well that morning, who cares day in and day out about their welfare, the child may have the sense that maybe their life doesn’t matter so much.

You have had a blessed life yourself. Beautiful family. West Hartford’s favorite son.
I was the smallest, shortest, skinniest boy in my class until I turned 16 years old. I could never get dates with the girls I thought were pretty.

Boys who were bigger and stronger and didn’t like my jokes in class would pick on me. I grew up with a sense that I’d better make people laugh if I didn’t want to get beaten up and I’d better be able to run fast in case my jokes didn’t go over well. I was a fast joke teller and an even faster runner. So I do not sit here with the sense that “Oh yeah, I’m someone who had everything perfect.” That little boy is still in there somewhere.

And as an adult?
I am a cancer survivor. I’ve had some good luck, some bad luck, too. The chemotherapy was
terrible; the surgery was terrible. I was in rough shape. But I came through it. At this point, I’m cured. If I get a good blood test in December, the chances of recurrence are less than one-fifth of one percent.

And that has changed you.
That led me to reexamine my life. I was doing a juggling act where I was part time at the legislature and part time at a communications company called Speedreading People. After I came through my cancer ordeal, I realized I wanted to dedicate all of my waking working time to helping children.

Is that why you have taken on this job at Nutmeg?
I got the good news I was cured of cancer and I started thinking about the nonprofit world, but nothing seemed quite right until one day I saw the description of the opening at Nutmeg Big Brothers and Big Sisters. It was like being struck by a thunderbolt.

Everything they were looking for matched with the things that I feel I am best at. I drafted a cover letter and tweaked my resume and got something in to them within 24 hours.

And you got the job.
I knew I was a long shot. They wanted someone with 10 years of experience in the nonprofit sector. [But] I knew what it was to raise funds, to serve on nonprofit boards, to raise the profile of an organization, to make sure you have accountability. My job was just to persuade them that they could consider me, even though I didn’t exactly match the profile.

Laura Green [the outgoing CEO] put her heart and soul into Nutmeg Big Brothers/Big Sisters, and she’s a tough act to follow. My goal is to build on the great work she did and expand the number of children that we serve. Right now, we serve about 1,500. We could serve 10 times that many and still not reach all the children who I believe need us.

How do they come to you? Who asks you to befriend them?
Many are identified by schools, some by the Department of Children and Families, some through the juvenile justice system. We have a program for children whose parents are incarcerated. There is no lack of children in need.

Finding the children is easy. Finding the adults who are ready to give the time and care, and the adults and corporations who are ready to step forward with the funds that are needed, that’s the challenge.

Do you also need more Bigs?
Yes. [We especially need] Latino, West Indian and African American men to step forward. We have a lot of Latino, West Indian and African American boys who need Big Brothers.

And we need more donors to step up. It costs $1,800 for the first year of a match between a Big and a Little, because we have enrollment coordinators who interview the family and the volunteer to get a sense of what they are like, and then make a good match.

Then we have support coordinators who are in constant touch with the Big Brothers/Big Sisters to help them understand here are some good activities and here are some things you can do to address challenges you may be running into.

And of course we have background checks to make sure every person who volunteers is appropriate. Who are you looking for?
I was at a forum recently where someone said they thought there was an expectation that people who volunteer have certain credentials. The credential that we look for is that the adult cares about children. I don’t care if the person has a college diploma; I don’t care if they have a high school diploma. I care if they can go ahead and say to that child: “I am so glad to see you, I missed you.”

How much time should they give?
We ask them to commit to at least one year and to give six to 10 hours per month, which typically amounts to three or four visits. The first six months are when the relationship is being formed. If a family buys in, that goes along pretty smoothly. If the family has mixed feelings, that can be difficult. When the relationship is past that six-month period, it typically extends two or three years and, often, far beyond that.

Many of our board members have been Big Brothers or Sisters. When I meet them, I say, “How old is your Little now?”

And they might say, “My Little is 27 years old, and just graduated with an MBA.” It becomes a lifetime relationship.

Where do Bigs and Littles go together?
They could go anywhere. Imagine you had a Little Sister who is seven years old. Go to the carousel at Bushnell Park. It costs a dollar per ride. That experience for that child will be treasured for a lifetime.

It doesn’t have to be anything fancy. Go to a library, where you can play computer games, chess, checkers, read books. A Big Brother or Big Sister spending two hours at a library with a child can be transforming.

We are fortunate in that a lot of organizations donate tickets to events. The Rock Cats. The Hartford Stage Company. [However,] the critical factor the Big Brother or Big Sister brings is that attention, the caring and affection. So that child knows that if they skip school, there is an adult who cares about that. If they start hanging out with the wrong kids, there is an adult who cares and will hold them accountable.

Do you also create events for them?
We host a major picnic for all Big Brothers, Big Sisters, Little Brothers and Little Sisters who’d like to come.

We celebrate exceptional Big Brothers and Big Sisters every spring. And we’re looking at some new events to which we can invite all the children we serve.

To fund-raise, we traditionally hold a Bowl-for-Kids’-Sake event in March, an Invitational Golf Classic in June, and a fun gala in November.

Serving as a Big has a profound effect on the volunteer, too.
Yes. The Big Brother/Big Sister is just as affected by this process as the Little. I have yet to meet anyone who has been a Big Brother who hasn’t said to me, “I got more out of it than I put into it. It helped open my eyes, open my heart.”

Do you have more goals for the future?
I see a lot more that needs to be done. Nutmeg Big Brothers and Sisters like every organization in this country was profoundly affected by the downturn of 2008. Giving started to drop. So we serve fewer children today than we did five years ago. That troubles me deeply. I don’t know if I will ever be satisfied, but if I were, it would be because I know every child identified as having need of mentorship is getting a Big Brother or Big Sister.

And what about your work at the Education Committee in the legislature?
At the Education Committee, we have tens of thousands of children who are not adequately served by our public education. They either don’t graduate from high school or graduate with skill sets that don’t match up with what’s required for success in college or in the work place. We have to do a better job for all of our children in our educational system. I see major challenges in both of the areas I serve.

Is there anything else you’d like to say?
Big Brothers has collected data that show that children [who have a Big Brother or Big Sister] are less likely to skip school; less likely to skip class; more likely to improve their grades; less likely to start drugs or alcohol; less likely to join a gang; more likely to graduate from high school.

This is not just about feeling good, though everybody who gets involved does feel good. This is about changing lives – and it does change lives, changes hearts, changes minds. HM

Nutmeg Big Brothers/Big Sisters
30 Laurel Street, Hartford
(800) 237-5437 (KIDS)
nutmegbigbrothersbigsisters.org
facebook.com/NBBBS?ref=ts

“This has been the town, the state, corporations and individuals all working together to make this project come true. It has truly been a total community effort,” said Bye (D-West Hartford).

“Every child should have the opportunity to participate in sports,” said Fleischmann, House Chairman of the General Assembly’s Education Committee. “I’m pleased that, working as a team, the West Hartford delegation was able to secure this funding for Miracle Field at the corner of Asylum Avenue and Trout Brook Drive. This field is the first of its kind in New England; now all of our children will have a chance to play ball and unleash their full potential.”

Organizers broke ground on West Hartford’s Miracle Field—a baseball/softball field for children with disabilities — last month. Located at the University of Connecticut West Hartford Campus on the east side of Trout Brook Drive, the field will include rubberized surfaces to provide better access for those who use wheelchairs and walkers.

“West Hartford's Marcus Apter, an avid sportsman, was instrumental in raising thousands of dollars for construction of the field,” said Becker. “In addition, Mike Michaud, Ronit Shoham, and Scott Franklin, principal founders of the Miracle League of Hartford, were tireless supporters and advocates that brought the idea of a 'boundless' wheelchair-accessible field to reality. It was great for us to be able to help move this project forward.”

“This field will change the lives of children with disabilities,” said Verrengia, who was on the Town Council in February when $50,000 was allocated for the project by the town. “I’m honored to carry on my support for the project at the state level.”

The state funds will pay for play areas and rest facilities that are fully accessible to all— as is the case with every path or building connected to Miracle Field. Organizers hope to have the field completed next spring.

“It is crucial that the state medical board include a patient advocate,” Fleischmann told the Public Health Committee. “Virtually every case that comes before the board for review is one where patients have been injured by doctors. Patients currently have no voice, and that must change.”

Fleischmann’s legislation would require that at least one of the 15 members of the Connecticut Medical Examining Board be a patient advocate who is not a physician, and one member be an attorney with knowledge of criminal law. The bill would also require that the board to investigate and take action within six months after a complaint is filed and contact the Chief State's Attorney if it appears that a doctor has violated any laws.

The proposed bill would also shake things up by shifting how the members are appointed to the board. Currently all members are appointed by the governor. Under Fleischmann’s proposal, the governor would only appoint six members, the legislature would appoint six members and patient advocacy groups would make three appointments to the board.

Fleischmann cited a number of recent cases where doctors were allowed to continue practicing medicine in Connecticut after being sanctioned in nearby states; including a Fairfield County ob-gyn who inseminated the wrong sperm into a patient and another ob-gyn who had sex with a patient.

“The state medical board moves too slowly and they impose sanctions that are far too weak. Adding a patient advocate to the board would help remedy this problem,” said Fleischmann

Fleischmann, who serves as House Chairman of the Education Committee, has been a leading voice for health care reforms to protect patients. He led the fight to make hospitals and doctors offer the public greater transparency of information regarding lawsuits and medical errors. And in 2010, he drafted the new law that requires insurance companies that deny patients coverage for health-care benefits to supply contact information for Office of Health Care Advocate, and to let them know that they have the right to appeal denials of coverage.