With a sense of real regret the League of Women Voters of New Canaan has cancelled its long standing annual Candidates’ Debate. The decision to cancel was advised by the State of Connecticut League of Women Voters as a result of the League’s strong policy to remain non-partisan. With only one candidate to be featured in the First Selectman spot and only Republican spots in contention for Town Council, the debate did not meet that criterion.
The mission of the New Canaan LWV is to encourage the informed and active participation of citizens in government. Our Candidates’ Debate is intended to benefit the citizens of New Canaan. It is not held for the benefit of the candidates. This year, we believe that the best way we can pursue that goal, and maintain our policy to remain non-partisan, is through wide distribution of our Voters’ Guide.
This has not been a typical political season for New Canaan. The collegial atmosphere of the past has been replaced with threats of lawsuits and legal proceedings. Although this is not the reason for the cancellation of the debate, residents have expressed their concern that the atmosphere is so negatively charged that they would not feel comfortable participating in or attending the political debate for this year.
We are fortunate to live in a town that offers an extraordinary quality of life. It is important to value what we have here. Please take the time to learn about the issues and about the candidates—and above all, please exercise your valuable right to vote.
Kit Devereaux, President
And the Board of Directors
League of Women Voters of New Canaan
I respectfully disagree with your assessment of the election scene in New Canaan. Based upon your cancellation, attempts by the Advertiser to resurrect the forum failed. The league holds a special place in New Canaan elections. The absence of the leagues influence may very well mean the end of a townwide non-partisan forum. As stated earlier, the cancellation denies the public their only chance to assess the candidates in person. It also fails to recognize the rest of the candidates, from both parties. The election process in New Canaan has been deminished.
There is an element is town composed of “haters”. These people are not constructive, they are destructive. They sue or threaten to sue every time they are challenged. They eat away at the collegiality which makes government work in a small town like New Canaan – a place where partisan politics usually is civilized and virtually non-existent at the administrative level. Our town is mostly run by volunteers who can’t afford to take on a well-financed evil minded individual. We all know who I am talking about.
You know their are some people who call other people
haters — I hate no one — dislike a few but hate NO
I do hate people BOE lying to us taxpayers
They just sent a bogus FY 2015 final report to the BOF and TC were $700,000 of our fund s are unaccounted for — I guess they didn’t think anyone would check — the BOF and TC has the documents to prove their Bernie Madoff accounting standards
So JR don’t kill the messenger — we look after you even if you bury your head in the sand
The author demonstrated everything that I wrote about. Comparing our town representatives, who generally are not paid a penny, to Madoff is reprehensible. There is no $700,000 that is unaccounted for – it is just accounted for in a way that the author did not like. The author uses that to besmirch everyone on the BOF and TC as using “Bernie Madoff accounting standards”. I am truly sorry that our elected and appointed representatives have to endure this nasty and unjustified criticism and pettiness.
KR — no one said the TC or the BOF used Bernie Madoff accounting — I said the BOE — get it straigth — How did the BOE hide 5 million from the TC and BOF — before the auditors found it — They have not changed Yet — did you know that the NCPS paid over $82,000
for Cell phone rentals last yr — nice perk — I guess that help to educate the children– again get your head out of the sand
BY the way KR who are you — you know who I am
are you a hater calling others you don’t like haters
the BOE is there to safe guard our Tax dollars not to build an empire
— Read Armand A Fusco — former superintendent of schools
in Ct — 35 yrs of experience in education his Book
School Corruption : Betrayal of Children and The public Trust
read chapter four –Waste and Mismanagement
then get back to me — we can talk
Gold toilets or limo service — KR — were did you go? — when you come back maybe you can answer this simple question — The TC and BOF had a vote to MAKE the BOE give the money back —
here is the question
what was the BOE going to do with that money ? — no one knew they had it –were they going to build a new school — the BOE
doesn’t spend a dime unless they ask the TC and the BOF
for the money first — do you think it odd they ask for a increase in their budget of over $2,800,000 that year while sitting on $5,000,000 again what do you think they were going going to do with it put GOLD toilet in their Headquaters — They feel entitled to it our money even if they don’t spend it — they say what will happen to the children — they could have spent $1,200 on each student with that money — but did they — NO it’s theirs
again get your head out of the sand