Windsor Democrats

For the first time in 30 years Windsor has a Democratic Party nominee that has a great shot to win a seat in the State Legislature.

Leo Canty is the Democratic Endorsed Candidate selected  to fill the State Representative seat in the new 5th House District that includes Windsor and Hartford.

“I am thrilled to be a part of Windsor’s rich history of involvement in Connecticiut politics.  I am also looking forward to working with my many friends in Hartford on some good issues and I know they will be pleased with the kind of representation I can give,” says Canty

Windosr’s Democratic Party lost access to the legislature in 1983 when the town was redistricted out of a majority position in 1982.

John Pier was the last Democrat to hold a seat in the Legislature.  He was caught up in  a nasty political move as he supported Ernest Abate for Governor in 1981 and Gov. Bill O’Neill coincidentally happened to have more control over the redistricting commission at the time.  That’s all history now – but for 30 years Windsor had no Democrat in the Legislature – shut out of the process.  And that didn’t change as 2 redistricting opportunities passed Windsor by – in 1991 and 2001.

“We actually made up our minds to put up a real fight in the last 3 years to get Windsor back on the Legislative radar screen. Our efforts in the 2010 Primary, testifying at the Redistricting Commission hearings, writing letters, lobbying legislators and exposing the democratic  injustice in the media all backed up the issue as we submitted a plan that could help Windsor get a majority  ditrict - it worked and  now it’s up to us to win it.” he said.

Canty got the nomination of the party and is the official Party endorsed candidate. Challengers  Brandon McGee from Hartford  and Windsor Mayor Don Trinks  both qualified to be on the August 14 Primary ballot.

“It will not be easy for Windsor to get back the seat that bad politics has stolen from us and this is a race that could be spoiled again for our town if we don’t work to win.  But  I expected a lot of engagement in this Primary and making up for 30 years of a political drought was never supposed to be easy.” says Canty.  ” I have few doubts that the team we have that has come together to suppport me, my Windsor co-chairs especially – Vivian Cicero and Tim Curtis, our very active and engaged Democratic Party in town that knows how to campaign, especially in primaries, will work hard to get us a win.  And add to that the huge number of volunteers who are ready to get out to doors, talk to the voters and make sure they know what I am all about – that is a great crew at work to help bring a big push to victory on August 14,” he added.

“I have a great deal of experience with the issues – I’ve lived in Hartford and Windsor most of my life. I know how to bring people together to do great things and I am committed to make our towns, Windsor, Hartford and all the others along with our state and our nation, in any way I can, better places to live, grow, work and prosper – all of us – doing better – because we worked together to make it happen,” says Canty.

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While about 88% of Windsor voters stayed home from the polls on Budget Referendum Day, the near 12% that did take the time to express their views about the 2013 Town Budget approved the plan.  The final tally from the 2261 people who came out was  1184 YES  1077 no.

The budget was approved by larger margins than last year in 6 of the 7 districts in town but in Rainbow there was a lopsided no vote on the budget for our town.  It appears that voters angry over the outcome of the Dollar Tree warehouse decisions, which will bring economic development dollars into the town budget and help pay for services for everyone, pushed for the no vote to became  the only district to do so.   That issue was very local in Rainbow and did not appear to have any impact with voters elsewhere.

Now with the budget in place for next year – the town moves on….All day kindergarten and curriculum improvements will get back on schedule – services and repairs will go ahead.  Things our town needs and people can enjoy will find their ways into Windsor everyday life.

The question still lingers – why did 16,966  skip the vote?   Everything must be good for them.
More to come on the matter of participation and voting – stay tuned.

Mayor Trinks and Deputy Mayor Simon give a   
big thumbs up to the BUDGET YES outcome…                               The final tally  -

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On May 15,2012  6:00am – 8:00 pm Windsor voters can express their view on our Town Budget and support our town with a resounding YES. Windsor Democrats are encouraging participation and a YES vote on the budget.  “We have a good system in our town that makes sure we have very efficient and effective spending,” says Dem Town Chair Leo Canty.  “Our Council and Board have done a great job to provide lean budgets that deliver good services and keep our tax rates reasonable by any comparison. Good reasons to support our town and this budget,” he added.

ON THE REVENUE SIDE
Windsor’s four major economic development projects have benefitted the town on the income side by bringing in $17 million in taxes over the last 5 years along with 4,500 jobs.  This translates to an approximate $935 tax savings over that period of time on a $200,000 home.

Add our budget savvy planning and implementation on the spending side to the mix and we  end up slotted in the 5th lowest spot of all 169 CT towns for tax increases over the last decade.   All that while providing services people really need and want for our children, seniors, homeowners and all who live, work and grow in Windsor.   Makes a  BUDGET YES! vote a vote for a better Windsor.

ON THE SPENDING SIDE
Every year our town government:
- Responds to more than 9,500 Emergency 911 calls, 1,400 fire calls, and 3,400 medical calls
- Offers more than 700 recreation programs
- Provides 12,000 meals to elderly residents
- Loans more than 300,000 library items
- Maintains 136 miles of roads
and so much more….

This budget will maintain those services for when we need them repair and improve where necessary AND invest in our much needed early childhood education by implementing full-day kindergarten and important curriculum changes.

Most people agree that we do have good services for our town and a solid program to keep them working well – for everyone.

2013 BUDGET
An appropriate budget for these times – 2.8% increase that includes a mere .79% increase from Board of Education, 1.2% town government operations increases and .82% adjustment for lost revenues.  We also have the impact of our revaluation phase-in.  So most people will have a total tax increase of less than 4% – you can go here to check out your tax increase by looking up your address at …
http://townofwindsorct.com/database/budget/fy13/search2.asp

MORE INFORMATION
If you need more information, specific details on the entire budget can be found at http://townofwindsorct.com/budget/

YOUR POLLING LOCATION
Voting will take place at ALL 7 Windsor polling locations 6am-8pm May 15 only – most people will vote at their usual poll location – but redistricting has moved a few people. If you are unsure where to vote – go here, http://www.townofwindsorct.com/registrar/index.php?page=112
enter your street and find your voting location  -

VOTE BUDGET YES MAY 15, 2012

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Windsor democrats and supporters and candidates and elected officials all converged at Tradition Golf Course at the club house for a relaxing evening filled with good comapny and good friends.  Windsor Democrats annual Spring Fling Fun-draiser brought them all together and gave good reason to talk politics and visit with folks in a relaxing setting with minimal political speeches.

Windsor’s Judge of Probate Candidate, Jim Welsh was one of the few to greet the whole crowd and make sure everyone was getting geared up for his Democratic Primary that will be held June 26.  All in attendance were also reminded to get on the phones and call friends and neighbors to get them to vote BUDGET YES on May 15.

 All in attendance got to say hi and chat with Governor Dan Malloy,  AG Gerorge Jepsen, US Senate candidates Chris Murphy and Susan Bysiewicz making for a relatively “speechless” event.

Funds raised by this and other events help suppport the high level of campaign activity that 2012 has already brought and will bring in the coming months.  And it offers a chance for great Windsor friends and others to get together and have a delightfully relaxing Friday evening— at the clubhouse.

Many thanks go to Tradition staff – they were terrific.

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This week there is a special Convention to select the Democratic nominee for the Special Election for Judge of Probate.  Windsor’s Jim Welsh is one of 4 Democrats currently seeking the position created by the untimely passing of Judge Brian Griffin.

The Town Committee meets Thursday and Friday is the WDTC Spring Fling Fundraiser at Tradition Golf Course Club House from 5:30-8:30.  Governor Malloy and Comptroller Kevin Lembo will be visiting.

May 12 is the Democratic State Convention, May 14 is the 1st Congressional District Convention and May 21 and 22 are state Senate and State House Conventions – For the 1st time in 30 years Windsor’s Democratic Party will choose a nominee for State Representative in the all new 5th House district that will have a good chance to win the seat. More to come on that.

May 15 is Budget referendum Day – don’t forget to go to the polls and support our Town Budget.  It is a tight budget with little room to move and has a minimal increase.  Windsor, with the efforts of our Council and Board have held the line on costs and made sure we still have good services.  Our town is in the bottom 10 of CT’s 169 towns when it comes to tax increases over the last 10 years – CHEERS to the good work of our Democratic Team!!!   And visit with all the dems as we all find time to enjoy Shad Derby Day on May 19 -  

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The Saturday election to vote on the roof repair resulted in major support for the repair – by a very low turnout of voters.  The Saturday election – utilizing one polling location – brought roof repair support by a vote of 606-43.  There are over 19,000 voters in Windsor and while turnout was meager – support for the bonding to fix the roof was proportionately very large.

The Saturday election was  run as an experiment to see if people would be more interested in participating in an election if it was held at a more convenient time instead of the usual Tuesday election day.  Not sure that worked.  Windsor is a good sized town and there was very limited exposure to the concept – by many measures – so most people were truly unaware of the event.   The most direct contact was from the 3200 or so calls made by the Windsor Democrats to voters urging their participation and yes vote in the Saturday referendum.

The issue was not a huge motivator, in that, it was more form over substance.  A referendum is needed to approve the bond for the repair even though the vast majotity of the costs will be paid by an insurance claim.  That says more about bad charter rules than anything – why should we have to spent a few thousand dollars on a referendum that will only cost the town $180,000 or so as they bond and get reimbursed for a couple million in expenses.  Thats the rule – so we must comply.

And the issue itself – fix the roof or waste the High School space – as it would be unusable – is a no brainer vs a controversial issue by its substance.

The jury is out on the Saturday election thing.  Congressman Larson has proposed a bill for Saturday elections. Probablly not wise to use Windsor’s test to support the concept.  Who knows how it would work in a more voter motivated environment.

Meantime – the town will go ahead and fix the roof.  Thanks to the voters who did come out and participate and approve the plan.

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ONLY ONE POLLING LOCATION – SATURDAY MARCH 10 2012  -9 am to 8 pm

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After 30 years Windsor will finally have a majority House District.  The Redistricting Commission adopted a plan November 30 that gives back to Windsor the ability for the town to be truly represented in the Legislature with a State House district that has a majority of Windsor residents within its borders.

Windsor was politically punished in the 1981 redistricting cycle and banished to political Siberia as it was carved up into 3 State House districts none of which had a majority of Windsor residents included in the district.  The nasty punishment of this political retribution has been overturned by the 2011 Redistricting Commission as they created a new district boundry for the 5th House District that includes the north end of Hartford and the southern half of Windsor. Windsor will have a majority position in that district.

The town will now have a somewhat more complicated position as it moves from 3 State House distrits to 4– 5th, 15th, 60th and 61st. The previous 3 districts will have smaller portions to accommodate the larger portion in the new 5th.   But the new 5th District affords Windsor its rightful and better opportunity to have a local Windsor person elected in the district.  People from Windsor, since the invention of CT in the 1630′s, have played a role in shaping and deciding the focus and direction of the state.  That role was stripped away with the retirement of Ruth Fahrbach in 2009 – A 375 year streak of windsor inclusion in state legislative decisionmaking was ended as a consequence of the political hacksterism that was inflicted on the town in the 1981 redistricting carve up of the town.

Fairness and district justice has been restored – and it took a good deal of effort.

The Windsor Democrats were leaders in the charge for that change. The Town Committee endorsed and allocated resources to support the new district fight.  The Town Council made a majority district for Windsor a legislative priority.  People testified at hearings, wrote letters, contacted legislators and made it a high profile media issue.  Leo Canty WDTC Town Chair invited comments and suggestions and developed a proposal that was submitted to the commission in August - much of which ended up in the final district plan that was approved November 30.

Bottom line – all the aspiring politicians who knew the process left them out and saw no fuure prospect for legislative election for the last 3 decades  are now free to compete in a district that will very likely elect a Windsor Democrat to the State House of Representatives to be sworn in January of 2013. 

Interested politicos start your engines – The race to continue the slightly interrupted commitment to be apart of Windsor’s 375 year historical contribution to our state is about to begin – anew. 

This is truly a BIG DEAL – We’re back in the game – let’s get to work.

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Voters made their choices on Tuesday November 8  and put the Democratic Team back to work.   There is a lot to do and we are confident our Town Council, Board of Education and Constables are up for all the challenges ahead.

Add to those challenges a dose of civic duty and igniting some democracy.  An 18% turnout is about as low as it’s ever been – 82% of the voters opted not to participate.  That really needs to change. and We will work on that.

Mean time – managing the after effects of a lousy economy – making sure our kids have good schools and our seniors have appropriate services – police, fire, roads and making sure we keep the great service structure that helped get us through the after effects of Storm Albert are all on the list.

Let’s get going – we all have a lot to do to make Windosr a better place to live, work, grow and prosper.  And thanks to those who understand it all starts with picking the right leaders with a good plan and commitment to make it all work…for all of us.

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This will be an election for the records.   Turnout for municipal elections is often embarassingly low – but with power outages and a big chunk of campaign time lost – who knows what will happen on Election day.

The last bit of effort has been focused on reminding people to vote – and DEMOCRATS ARE ON ROW A for the first time in 20 years, adding to the drama of the outcome.

Polls are open 6am – 8pm – all locations have power and will be open for the voting buisness.  Need a ride or more info call 860-794-6075

Need candidate info – plenty right here – just click away at the pictures and links

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