What a rough week for everyone! Never before have we faced such inconvenient, widespread, life threatening and sustained power outages. It’s times like these that show us how well local government can perform, when it’s needed most. And, Windsor Town Government has performed admirably.
It didn’t happen by accident. Deliberate decisions by the Democrat-led Town Council over the years focused on preserving services in our town. While some may chant “Cut, Cut, Cut”, the Democrats strongly believed that keeping the right level of public employees on the job working on critical programs and services helps improve our quality of life in town, and in situations like these, critical in preserving life in our town.
Anyone who may have observed first hand the 24 hour operation at Town Hall would have seen our employees and volunteers as the first resource for Windsor residents needing to report downed power lines, blocked streets, or needing information on where they could buy gas, or groceries, or if the schools would be open. Our police and fire departments were fully activated to keep us safe. Our public works crews did a great job clearing the public streets so power line work could start. And over at LP Wilson Community Center, our shelter was set up to care for hundreds of our neighbors, particularly our more vulnerable elderly population. Our Social Services staff actively contacted residents they felt were the most vulnerable to check on their safety or arrange to bring them to the shelter. That shelter was staffed with our employees and other volunteers around the clock. More than 250 people have routinely stayed the night. 3 meals a day was served to upwards of 400 people. The food was provided by the Board of Education, and some of their staff was critical to the smooth functioning of the shelter.
We can be very proud and impressed with the patience and composure of our residents, and with the focused dedication of our town employees. Our town government could respond effectively because, despite tight budgets, the Town Council did not pursue layoffs. Local government is about people, whether it’s the teacher who educates our children, the cop patrolling our streets, or the public works crew clearing and plowing our streets. They aren’t driven by profit, but by service. That’s what local government is.
Windsor Democrats highest priority remains preserving services in Windsor. I hope we are not tested like this again, but we should all feel confident that our local government can rise to the occasion, because we DID NOT cut away its ability to do so. The municipal election will be held as scheduled on Tuesday, November 8th. All polls will be open from 6 am to 8 pm. For more information or a ride to the polls you can call 860-794-6075
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