NewCanaanite.com (https://newcanaanite.com/tag/election-2017/page/14)
Five percent. Almost any organization has at least 5 percent of its budget it can cut. In fact, it can usually do an even better job with the remaining leaner organization. That is one of the many reasons why I support Rich Townsend for New Canaan Town Council. He is focused on protecting our property values through fiscal discipline, including a 5 percent spending cut as a baseline for government spending.
September has been designated Voter Registration Month, with Tuesday September 26 as Voter Registration Day. The Registrars of Voters encourage all current and potential voters to review their status as to current address and other related voter information. Anyone wishing to register or update their address or other information may do so by mail or in person with either the Registrars of Voters or with the Town Clerk, both located in Town Hall. Anyone wishing to register, or to check their current information on-line, may do so at www.voterregistration.ct.gov , or by calling the Registrars at 203-594-3060. It is important that residents correct their voting status in advance of the November 7, 2017 election.
I was discouraged to read the article about the New Canaan High School fields projects. As the past chair of the Town Council’s subcommittee on the Lakeview Avenue Bridge overruns, I had hopes that our days of “surprise” cost overruns were behind us—that we had come to understand the importance of process, communication, and transparency. The idea that the information about pending cost overruns was available in June but not made public until September is deeply disappointing. Had the town’s governing bodies known of the true costs of the projects, those projects might have been configured differently. By not making the information public, that prerogative was preempted.
More than 100 local Democrats gathered at Kiwanis Park on Sunday to connect with each other ahead of November’s election, hear from and support their party’s candidates and mingle with Connecticut’s delegates in Congress. The New Canaan Democrats’ 14th annual BBQ was hosted by Democratic Town Committee Chairman Bob Smith and attended by U.S. Sens. Richard Blumenthal and Chris Murphy, Connecticut Attorney General George Jepsen and Secretary of the State Denise Merrill. The three-hour event—in addition to raising campaign funds at $40 to $50 per ticket—shed light on local candidates’ plans for the town’s future, encouraged residents to get further involved in the town’s election process, and put a spotlight on some of those stepping down from their elected offices. As attendees dined on a buffet of BBQ ribs, pulled pork sandwiches, and assorted sides courtesy of Dinosaur Bar-B-Q, both elected officials and candidates shared their thoughts on the political landscape on the local and national levels.
To the Editor,
We are all concerned about our property values, but perhaps less aware that an important component of those values is a vibrant town center. We need to do what we can to help create a business-friendly environment. First, our current Main and Elm parking situation is not optimal. We have approximately 300 people working in the business district. Many of them compete for parking spaces on Main and Elm.