So we are in the process of renovating our schools in Manchester. One of the projects in particular is my "baby". I came up with the plan, I advocated for it, and I got what I wanted. The plan went to referendum and it passed. So I'm really happy...

Except that a year later, the plan starts to smell bad. A green haze is now eminating from the site. It is looking less and less desireable. How could this be? How could I have thought up something that isn't working out?

Well, the answer is simple, really. Nothing ever goes to plan. The plan was to refurbish an indoor pool, buy some houses and knock them down to make green space, and add parking adjacent to the site. But the plan won't work. There isn't enough money to buy the houses. So they decided to try knocking down a building on the site that we were not going to use instead. But the Historical people don't want to let us. And the project is over budget. They want us to cut our scope. In short, the project is smelling worse and worse.

So what do you do? Do you keep on pushing a bad position? Do you see it through no matter what? Or do you cut and run and delay everything?

At the end of the day, I'm going to watch and wait. I want to wait and see how bad it smells and how thick the green haze gets. At some point, I will have to decide. But I will "take my name" off this thing if it stops being okay for the kids.

Today there was a news article in the paper about a 15 year old kid who was standing on the corner in his neighborhood. He is a gang member. So he's standing there, and 4 other kids, also gang members, hit him in the face with a shovel. They stole his gold chains and a $700 diamond ring. And here's the rub - they are all in the same gang!

Needless to say, we have a gang problem in our town. A lot of powerful people want to deny that we have a gang problem. "It's not an organized gang" some say. "They don't have guns yet" others say.

Think about that for a minute... Do we have to wait until they are organized and have guns before we crack down on it? Do we have a gang violence problem, or just a gang problem? Is is acceptable to have unorganized, gunless gangs in our town? Is that okay?

And one final petty thought. What do you think the chances are that the kid with $700 worth of bling is on free and reduced lunch at school?

Last night we had a Board of Education meeting. My good friend and collegue was elected to be the Secretary of the board after the current secretary resigned. What was really cool about it was that we are both in the minority - Republicans in a sea of Democrats.

But over the years, both sides have worked hard to try and find common ground, cooperate, and act in a bi-partisan way. Last night's meeting was yet another indication that we are on the right track in this regard.

After we voted him into office, we dealt with a VERY contentious issue. There were 8 individuals there that night, not 5 Democrats and 3 Republicans. One person disagreed with a resolution that I had proposed. There was a heated debate, but not a partisan one. This is very important. I want to see our board make decisions in public, and debate the issues in public. I don't want to see the majority caucus decide the issue behind closed doors, as is far too often done at the State and Federal level. Nor do I want to see the minority caucus "take their ball and go home" and simply become an obstacle to real progress.

At the end of the day, I think we've set a fine example of how government can work - why it doesn't have to be filled with petty partisan bickering. Both sides stood up and made sure that didn't happen last night.

It is meetings like last night's that make up for the other meetings that drag on all night. I'm proud of the body I've been elected to! And I'm proud of what we did last night...

This is my first "real" post and it will be short. I am in my second term as a Board of Education member. It is an interesting job, and is a lot of work, a lot of frustration, and the pay is lousy. So why do I do it? Well, I have two daughters and they are both in the schools. So I want to see our schools improve. I want to see the facilities updated, I want to see them, and all the other kids in town, get a decent education like I got. And I like to argue, so it is often fun to have a controversial issue to debate.

I'll spend more time in the future talking about just what we are up against. It is a difficult time for our town. We have a lot of construction going on to update schools that were neglected over the last few decades.

I'm also a conservative, I have a "W" sticker on my car, and I am representing the people of a very blue state. But I'm not an ultra conservative, and most of the Republicans that I see think I'm not a very good one. I am more like a McCain Republican than a Bush Republican. So nobody likes me. Poor me!

Enough of that whining... I'm also an Assistant Scoutmaster of a Boy Scout Troop in town. I joined the troop at age 11 and I'm still a scout at age 41. Three decades as a Scout and leader. Lots of fun, and lots of work as well. Incidentally, that troop is where the "moose" comes from.

I have a wife and two daughters. I love them so much. I'm sure they will figure prominently in this blog, and so you'll learn about them as I go on.

It is my intent to publish every day or so, and I reserve the right to rant on any topic I want. I also am a faithful reader of both Townhall.com and the Hartford Advocate. So I get exposed to a wide range of opinion. Maybe some of mine will pop out here.

So if you are looking to get an insight into what it's like for a conservative to live in a blue state, here's your chance to see it.