Newsroom - 2003

December 16, 2003

OLSON RIGHT TO PRESSURE DOT TO ACT
Tonight's hearing a key step

Norwich Bulletin Editorial

Mayor Arthur L. Lathrop occasionally likens governing to swimming through glue.

It sometimes seems that way, certainly in the long-awaited improvements at I-395's Exit 80 in Norwich, by the former Ames Plaza.

"It's been around too long," acknowledges state Rep. Melissa Olson, D-Norwich, the freshman legislator who has adopted the issue as her own. Last Friday, she held a briefing in City Hall for the Chamber of Commerce's Norwich Division.

An important step in the needed improvements happens at 7 p.m. today in City Council Chambers, when Project Engineer Hugh Hayward describes the streamlined interchange and road widening aimed at easing congestion at I-395 and Route 82.

Among those in the audience may be folks from Maple Leaf Court, Salem Turnpike (Route 82) neighbors concerned about easements, and people in the condos behind the Ramada, as Laurel Boulevard, which serves the hotel, will be combined with the DMV driveway.

This is the final hearing, Olson said. Then, easements and funding can be sought; then, work would begin.

*****

While she is eager to see the first spade turned over, Olson is "realistic" that it may not happen until the spring of 2005. Let's hope that can be fast-tracked; after all, state surveyors were reported in the neighborhood the other day.

She hopes that "building a coalition" with the most effected property owners will minimize disputes -- primarily related to rights-of-way -- that can hold up road projects for years.

Whatever happens, this project is just the beginning -- you can't just ease part of a bottleneck, and improvements are needed on both the Salem and Norwich sides of this project.

The next step is adding that fifth lane between the I-395 interchange and New London Turnpike, which will be made even more critical by the consolidation of Three Rivers Community College at Thames Valley.

That fifth lane is necessary all the way downtown if Route 82 is to lose its "crash alley" reputation.

Olson's advocacy is welcome, and she needs to keep up the pressure. To see this through will be a years-long swim.

December 13, 2003

LAWMAKER ASKS PUBLIC, BUSINESSES TO SUPPORT ROUTE 82 CONSTRUCTION HEARING TUESDAY ON ‘CRASH ALLEY'

By CLAIRE BESSETTE
Day Staff Writer

Norwich - Residents and business leaders should express support for the state's plan to reconstruct the Route 82 interchange with Interstate 395 to make sure the project remains a top priority, state Rep. Melissa Olson told about 30 city business representatives Friday.

Olson, a Democrat, described the project and early projected time schedules at Friday's meeting of the Norwich Division of the Eastern Connecticut Chamber of Commerce. The estimated $6 million to $7 million project calls for the redesign of the interchange and the area of Route 82 running from the Ramada Hotel entrance to Old Salem Road.

Once that plan gets under way, Olson said she would push for traffic improvements along the entire stretch of Route 82 to downtown, a strip commonly called "crash alley" for the number of accidents. Olson said a state map with pinpoints showing accident locations shows up almost as a solid black line because of all the pinpoints.

The state Department of Transportation will hold a public hearing on the interchange plan Tuesday at 7 p.m. in the City Council Chambers at City Hall. DOT Project Engineer Hugh Hayward, who led a public forum a year ago, will give the presentation of the project. DOT officials expect to approve the plans soon and begin work on state environmental permits.

The project would be funded with 80 percent federal funds and 20 percent state funds. Despite the growing state budget deficit, Olson said the state money is in place. She also is confident the federal money will be placed in the next federal transportation funding bill in Washington.

The project calls for eliminating the Exit 80 West ramp and widening the Exit 80 East ramp into two lanes to allow cars to turn left onto Route 82 under the highway. There would be a new traffic light at the end of the ramp. Maplewood Court residents no longer would have to compete with ramp traffic trying to get onto Route 82. Instead, Maplewood Court would dead-end before reaching Route 82, and a new frontage road would be created to connect to Clamed Court with another signal light at Route 82.

Olson said the interchange plan is close to winning final approval at the DOT. Support from the public at Tuesday's meeting could seal the project.

But she asked for support from chamber members and business owners along Route 82 to make sure the state keeps Route 82 as a priority. Olson hopes to get the DOT to designate the interchange project as phase one of the total project, with the entire strip of Route 82 as the second phase.

"You, as a voice, have a lot of power in this community," Olson said. "Traffic on that roadway hampers business development."

November 24, 2003

ALWAYS ROOM FOR GOOD VALUES

New London Day Editorial

Congratulations are in order for State Rep. Melissa Olson, D-Norwich. The up-and-coming legislator, in the middle of her first term representing the 46th district, is one of just 30 legislators selected across the country for the 2004 Fleming Leadership Institute. The institute emphasizes teaching lawmakers how to use shared values to build consensus, no matter what political party one is affiliated with. Those chosen go to two separate seminars over a period of one year to focus on this topic.

And heaven knows we need more values-based leadership, and fewer actions based on special interests, connections and favors. That doesn't help the voters.

November 19, 2003

REP. OLSON SELECTED FOR PRESTIGIOUS FELLOWSHIP

State Representative Melissa Olson (D-Norwich) was recently selected as a 2004 Fellow by the Flemming Leadership Institute, a program that trains emerging state legislators from across the 50 states.

Rep. Olson joins a diverse, bipartisan group of 30 legislators in their first or second terms in office who have demonstrated superior leadership ability, dedication to public service, and a commitment to use government to implement practical policy solutions.

"I am honored to have been selected as a Flemming Fellow," said Rep. Olson. "I’m looking forward to learning new techniques to forge strong alliances and develop innovative policy solutions."

The Flemming Institute was established in 1994 by the Center for Policy Alternatives (CPA), a progressive policy institute based in Washington, D.C. The program is named for the late Dr. Arthur Flemming, a top-level official for eight Presidents of both parties, president of four universities, and a decade-long member of CPA’s Board of Directors. More than 300 state legislators from all 50 states have graduated from the Flemming program.

"Joining the Flemming program has become a mark of prestige among state legislators, and this has resulted in a very competitive selection process," said CPA Executive Director Tim McFeeley. "We are very pleased to welcome Rep. Olson to the 2004 class of Fellows."

Alumni of the Flemming Institute include: Missouri Governor Bob Holden, California Congresswoman Grace Napolitano, Florida Congressman-elect Kendrick Meek, Alabama Lieutenant Governor Steve Windom, Oregon State Treasurer Randall Edwards, as well as a number of speakers, majority leaders, and dozens of committee chairs.

The 2004 class of Flemming Fellows will participate in two retreats over the course of the year. The program focuses on "values-based leadership," and how legislators can use shared values to build consensus across party lines for practical solutions to the problems facing America today.

The Center for Policy Alternatives is the nation’s only nonpartisan progressive public policy organization serving state legislators. CPA provides values-based leadership training, develops user-friendly policy tools, and builds progressive networks across the states. Founded in 1975, CPA is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation, supported by foundations, unions, corporations and individuals. The Flemming Institute is supported by a grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.

The 2004 Class of Flemming Fellows.

May 7, 2003

REP. OLSON WELCOMES RESTORED FUNDING FOR WILLIMANTIC DMV

Representative Melissa Olson (D-Norwich) welcomed news that the General Assembly’s Appropriations Committee has restored funding for the continued operation of the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) office in Willimantic.

Governor John Rowland’s budget proposal eliminated funding for the Willimantic office. The Appropriations Committee voted to restore an estimated $1.4-million to prevent the closing in Willimantic and other offices in the state.

"This was the right move by the Appropriations Committee," Rep. Olson said. "The Norwich office cannot continue to handle the traffic with the Willimantic office closed."

Rep. Olson warned that the future of the Willimantic DMV has not been set in stone - the state budget battle is just beginning, and the budget will evolve over time. Rep. Olson said, "Closing this office doesn’t make much sense, so you can be sure that I will continue to advocate for this funding as the budget process moves forward."

Rep. Olson is serving her first term as State Representative in the 46th District. She is a member of the General Law, Judiciary and Labor committees.

March 24, 2003

REP. OLSON URGES ELIGIBLE RESIDENTS TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF FEDERAL CHILD TAX CREDIT

State Representative Melissa Olson (D-Norwich) today reminded residents that both the federal Child Tax Credit (CTC) and Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) are refundable. Eligible residents can claim the credits even if they owe no federal income tax.

According to the advocacy group Connecticut Voices for Children, parents who earned at least $10,350 last year may be eligible for a refundable CTC of up to $600 per dependent child. Parents who earned less than $34,178 in 2002 may also be eligible for a refundable federal EITC of up to $4,140. Certain people without children may also qualify for the EITC.

"IRS figures show more than a half-million dollars in unclaimed Earned Income Tax Credits in Norwich alone," Rep. Olson said. "If you qualify, this is your money. You should not just give it to the federal government. Take advantage of these valuable tax credits."

More information is available at www.ctkidslink.org.

Rep. Olson is serving her first term as State Representative in the 46th District. She is a member of the General Law, Judiciary and Labor committees.

February 4, 2003

NORWICH HIGHWAY REDESIGN PROJECT STARTS ON LONG ROAD IN LEGISLATURE

By RAY HACKETT
Norwich Bulletin; rhackett@norwichbulletin.com

HARTFORD -- State Rep. Melissa Olson, D-Norwich, received a warm welcome from fellow lawmakers Monday when she appeared for her first public hearing in support of her legislation regarding a proposed Interstate 395 and Route 82 project.

Olson, a freshman legislator, submitted legislation seeking an unspecified amount of state money for the project. The Legislature's Transportation Committee held a hearing on the bill Monday.

"This is a very important project for the city of Norwich," Olson said in her testimony. "That intersection is a public safety disaster. Every time the people of Maplewood Court try to leave their homes, they take their lives into their hands."

The state Department of Transportation has proposed redesigning the entrance and exit ramps of I-395 and Route 82, a $6 million project that could take as long as eight years to complete.

Olson told committee members that the city and neighbors of the intersection have waited 15 years for a resolution to the traffic problems and that this project needs to become a priority. She urged lawmakers on the committee to approve her bill.

"This is an excellent piece of legislation," said state Sen. Edith Prague, D-Columbia, who spoke in favor of the bill at Monday's hearing. "That intersection is quite dangerous and if we can add some money to the project, that would be most helpful."

No one from the city or the Maplewood Court area attended the hearing. Olson said she called several people but because the hearing was scheduled only Thursday, it was difficult for people to make arrangements to attend Monday.

The proposed legislation is expected to win committee approval and be forwarded to the Legislature's Revenue Committee for further study. State Rep. Andrea Stillman, D-Waterford, is the chairwoman of the committee and a member of the Transportation Committee.

"I've already spoken with Andrea and I think it will get a positive review before her committee," Olson said.

Olson told the Transportation Committee that funding the project would help prioritize the project, providing some relief for residents living near the intersection -- especially those whose homes would be taken by eminent domain to complete the project. Six homes would be razed to make way for the new entrance and exits ramps under the DOT plans.

"More importantly," she said, "these people need immediate relief, whether it be a traffic light or something. I realize that would be only a temporary solution, but they've waited 15 years."

February 3, 2003

REP. OLSON SECURES COMPUTERS FOR NORWICH SCHOOLS

State Representative Melissa Olson (D-Norwich) announced Norwich schools have received 100 computers as part of a competitive program to outfit Connecticut towns with updated technology. Stamford-based UBS Warburg donated the computers.

Rep. Olson worked with Speaker of the House Moira K. Lyons (D-Stamford) to facilitate the donation.

"This is a perfect example of how our corporate citizens can assist municipalities during tough times," Rep. Olson said. "Like most Connecticut towns, Norwich had to make some hard budget choices this year - we would not have been able to afford 100 computers."

Rep. Olson continued, "It is an endless race to keep up with technology. This donation provides Norwich the ability to keep up the pace."

Rep. Olson is serving her first term as State Representative in the 46th District. She is a member of the General Law, Judiciary and Labor committees.

January 31, 2003

'YOU CAN TELL I'M REALLY A FRESHMAN'
New state Rep. Melissa Olson says her first goal is property tax relief

By RAY HACKETT
Norwich Bulletin; rhackett@norwichbulletin.com

HARTFORD -- Melissa Olson stood on the Speaker's platform in the House of Representatives chambers prepared to lift the large wooden gavel to call the House into session. But the freshman Democrat's debut as the "acting Speaker of the House" was derailed when state Rep. Louis Esposito, D-West Haven, arrived late, accompanied by a handful of guests. At his request, Olson turned over the gavel, allowing him to serve as Speaker for Tuesday's "technical" session.

It's all parliamentary procedure, designed to refer bills and correspondences to appropriate committees and lasts less than 10 minutes. It also takes only two lawmakers from the majority party to perform the duty, but Olson, of Norwich, had been looking forward to it. "You can tell I'm really a freshman," Olson said with laugh. "I like doing this." Volunteering for the technical sessions has its perks. It provides lawmakers with the opportunity to serve up a nice souvenir for their guests who can serve as "guest chaplain" to deliver the invocation or lead the "assembly" in the Pledge of Allegiance. Their participation is noted in the daily House Journal, the printed record of the General Assembly.

"I owe you," Esposito said to Olson as she left the chamber.

Olson, a lawyer specializing in workers' compensation, is maintaining her legal practice with the support of her office, allowing her to balance her two jobs.

"I'm very lucky in that regard," she said. "The law firm has been extremely supportive and it hasn't caused any problem. We typically work closely with each other on all cases and I have a paralegal that is keeping a close eye on things for me."

She began her morning this Tuesday with a stop at Dixie Donuts in the Yantic section of Norwich to talk with owner Laurie DiGangi about using the restaurant as a meeting place for a monthly "office hours" gathering with constituents. The first of the monthly sessions will probably begin in mid-February.

A quick phone call from her legislative aide Vinny Russo, a check of the Palm Pilot -- updating with the new information Russo passed on -- and it was into the green Honda Civic bearing the legislative license plates with the number 46, and down Route 2 to Hartford. It was exactly three weeks to the day that Olson, 32, was sworn in as state representative in the 46th Assembly District.

"I still get a thrill every time I drive up to the Capitol and see the dome," she said. "It's quite a feeling knowing that you work there, that you're part of something that is so important, that has so much of an effect on people's lives."

From the House chamber it was back to her office on the fifth floor of the Legislative Office Building to answer e-mails and make phone calls before the start of her committee meeting that afternoon. It is, she said, the most important thing she does every day.

"I'm waiting for a paint job," she said as she opens the door to the unadorned corner office with the stark, bare cream-colored walls, only a framed campaign lawn sign hanging behind her desk. A television on the upper shelf of a cabinet in the corner broadcasts the closed circuit showing of the Public Health Committee meeting getting under way.

In her mail was a copy of one of seven bills that she introduced this session, co-sponsoring legislation with fellow Norwich lawmakers, Rep. Jack Malone, D-Norwich, and Sen. Edith Prague, D-Columbia. Malone and Olson filed joint legislation relating to Education Cost Sharing and a bill mandating communities to spend education money for educational purposes. The legislation with Prague -- that Malone has also co-signed -- is related to toughening the state's drunken driving laws.

"Jack and Edith have both been terrific," she said. "And so has Vinny, my legislative aide, in making sure that we met the Jan. 17 deadline for submitting legislation."

One of her goals this session is property tax relief. She has sponsored two bills aimed at allowing municipalities to collect some of the hotel tax now paid directly to the state, money that could be used to help fund municipal budgets.

At this stage of the legislative session, committees only now are starting to raise bills for public hearings. Most committee meetings -- except for the public hearings -- are short. The Public Health Committee meeting being broadcast on the television ended in less than 15 minutes, as did her own General Law Committee meeting that afternoon.

But the shortness of her meeting was offset by only a 20-minute break before the committee reconvened for its first public hearing on its bills. There were 10 bills on the agenda, most of them consumer-related issues submitted by Department of Consumer Protection Commissioner Arthur Fleming and Attorney General Richard Blumenthal.

"I like this committee because it deals with issues that directly affect people," said Olson, who also serves on the Judiciary Committee and Labor Committee.

Fleming dominated the first hour of the hearing as he argued in favor of the five bills his department submitted as its legislative package for the year. The half-filled room is occupied mostly by lobbyists. They are there to gather information and will make their points known later in the session. Before Blumenthal spoke, Olson was called out of the hearing for a private meeting with representatives from the Office of Victim's Advocate to discuss implementation of regulations. Seated at conference table in the atrium outside the hearing room, Olson listened intently to the dialogue.

"These meetings are the ones I really appreciate," she said afterward, "because these are the meetings where you learn. It's impossible to know everything so I really appreciate having these kinds of opportunities to hear directly from the people who are involved in the issues."

The public hearings continue into the late afternoon, ending around 4:30 after hours of testimony. Olson heads back to her office for another two hours to respond to constituents' calls and requests, before walking out to a now darkened sky and the 45-minute drive home. There is nothing on her schedule for the evening.

"I'm up here about four days a week," she said. "You have to be. E-mails and cell phones are good for staying in touch, but you need to be there to really know what's going on."

Olson said she tries to set aside at least one day a week with no nighttime meetings. Tuesday would be the day this week. Wednesday she had an early start with a morning meeting with Norwich's Safe Community Coalition to discuss tougher drunken driving legislation she co-sponsored with Prague, followed by a legislative gathering at the Mohegan Sun casino before heading to Hartford.

A Democratic caucus on the state budget crisis was held Wednesday, but a planned vote on a Democratic alternative budget proposal scheduled for Thursday was canceled. Olson, however, didn't get the day off. The Judiciary and Labor committees met -- and there was the continuing round of e-mails and phone calls from constituents that she would answer.

"They say this is a part-time job, but it isn't," she said, a smile slowly crossing her face. "But, then again, you know that going into it. And I'm enjoying it."

January 8, 2003

MELISSA OLSON TAKES OATH OF OFFICE

Melissa Olson (D-Norwich) today was officially sworn in as the state representative from the 46th House District. Speaker of the House Moira K. Lyons presided over the 10:00 a.m. ceremony in the hall of the House of Representatives.

"Melissa has impressed me with her ability to absorb and process the nuances of the legislative process," Speaker Lyons noted. "She is dedicated to the people of Norwich and the entire state and will make an excellent lawmaker. I am very glad to have her aboard."

"It is an honor to represent the people of Norwich in the Connecticut General Assembly," Rep. Olson said. "My predecessor, Peter Nystrom, always worked hard for the 46th District. I plan to continue that tradition. We have a lot of work ahead of us, and I am ready for challenge."

Rep. Olson has been named to the General Law, Judiciary and Labor committees.