Madison News Roundup

Fillmore McPherson, a veteran of the Board of Finance and the board of directors of the Madison Land Conservation Trust, will run for first selectman, he announced Monday. The 71-year-old Republican told the New Haven Register’s Amanda Pinto that Madison is like a ship that has gone adrift and needs “a new captain at the helm.” McPherson said his qualifications include an “outstanding understanding” of town finances.

You may recall seeing a movie being shot in Madison, CT last September (2008) at venues that included West Wharf and the Madison Art Cinemas. “Harvest,” which was written and directed by Marc Meyers and produced by Meyers and Jody Girgenti, is just now starting to make the rounds of independent film festivals.

The movie stars Academy Award-nominated Robert Loggia, Jack Carpenter, Arye Gross, Tony-winner Victoria Clark, and Academy Award-nominated Barbara Barrie, with Peter Friedman, Adriana Sevan, Kel O’Neill, Christine Evangelista, and Daniel Eric Gold.

Harvest tells the story of three generations of a family coming together one summer, around the eventual passing of the patriarch of the family, a WWII veteran. Gathered at the family home and in and around their beautiful shoreline town, years of resentment and betrayal surface, and the grandson does his part to hold them all together.

Harvest is advertised as a poignant story that is ultimately uplifting, with moments of humor anchoring this realistic portrait of a family hanging on to what was, what is, and to each other.

The movie’s official blog states that, “Different movies get made for different reasons. In the end, the people who rally around and ‘will’ a film forward, quite simply, like it. For all different reasons of course. In the independent film world we inhabit, there’s a sort of love affair that happens. It’s too hard for it to be anything less than that. The recognition can be slow. The sacrifices are many. But the love of it is the thing.

“With HARVEST, we felt strongly about its creative merits and cultural relevance. And now that it’s complete, we’re proud we stayed focused on the mission to make this movie, and to make it now. … HARVEST isn’t quirky, doesn’t deal with marginalized communities, and is certainly not your high concept Hollywood movie. It’s a story about an American family dealing with some universal themes — relationships, conflict, illness — and dealing with these things with a range of human emotion. Funny enough, in this day and age, a movie that falls in the middle of this spectrum is a rare thing. The authenticity and honesty of HARVEST make it worthwhile — for us, and we hope for you too.”

If you are interested in keeping up with news about Harvest, the producers have provided you plenty of ways to do so. They include:

• Raising HARVEST: The story of one indie film from seed to screen
• Harvest Facebook page
• IBID Filmworks
• Harvest writer/director Marc Meyers on Twitter

It hasn’t been a particularly smooth 2 years in Madison town government. Still, First Selectman Al Goldberg says Madison is now “more united and less fractured than in the past,” and the New Haven Register’s Amanda Pinto reports that he pointed to a record of accomplishments in announcing that he will run again as the Democratic candidate for the First Selectman’s seat.

Madison Police Chief Paul Jakubson headed up a department tainted with scandal that drew unwelcome national publicity for the transgressions of a handful of officers. So it only makes sense that he would receive a hefty retirement and benefits package, right? Josh Kovner of the Hartford Courant reviews the department’s recent troubles and the details of Jakubson’s retirement deal.

Coffee lovers arriving for their morning fix were recently greeted with a different kind of wake-up call — a sign on the front dooor of the Madison Gourmet Beanery announcing that the cozy spot had closed its doors after 17 years of helping residents start their day (or get a midday pick-me-up). The Source’s Jen Matteis reports that financial problems caused the closing, but the owners are hoping that a new buyer may reopen the landmark.

Madison resident James Warner is chair of this Sunday’s Taste of the Shoreline in Guilford, but that’s hardly more than a footnote to what he already has accomplished in his young life. This spring he was honored with the Young Alumni Leadership Award from his alma mater, Bryant University. Read about Warner’s many accomplishments in this account by Jen Matteis, The Source’s community desk chief.