I feel Windsor needs to maintain the high quality of life for our residents with nice parks, great schools, services that people want and need and programs that enhance everyone’s well being.  I would like to keep taxes affordable by controlling how much money is spent on town projects but making sure we don’t hinder our children’s education or our town’s infrastructure.

Randy McKenney 
It has been my pleasure to serve on the Windsor Town Council over the past two years. I have learned so much about Windsor as we celebrated the Towns 375th year. I have learned much about the people of Windsor from the many conversations; at the grocery store, at the PTO, at school sporting events at the library and at the many events held on the town Green.  All that gained knowledge has been used to help me make better decisions for our town when it counts – at our Town Council meetings.

Due to the current economy there have been some difficult decisions to make. I believe that the democrats on the council have always tried making decisions that are best for the town’s residents.

Windsor is a great town, with a great school system that is continuing to improve. Windsor is a model town that speaks to what is positive about having a diverse culture. Windsor is making great progress in this difficult economy. We have some tough challenges ahead but our Democratic team is willing ready and very capable of meeting them head on and working to make our town even better.

William Herzfeld
I have held elected public office in Windsor since 1995, ten years on our Board of Education and the last four on the Town Council. My experience, what I have learned serving those years, together with strong ethics and a love for Windsor are what I bring to the table. There needs be equity, parity and fairness as well as fiscal responsibility in our decision making with all citizens and all parts of town receiving the same considerations and services. If reelected, I will continue working to maintain needed services within the town and our schools.

 Windsor, like most towns in Connecticut, is under constant economic pressure. How do we maintain an affordable cost to live in Windsor and adequately fund town services and our schools? The next two years will be extremely challenging for Windsor. My primary goal will be working to develop strategies to maintain town services and education funding at the acceptable levels while minimizing any increase in taxes. In addition, there needs to be continued economic growth, but with a greater emphasis on the effects of that growth on our citizens.

Mayor  Donald Trinks
I have served on the Windsor Town Council for the past 14 years, the past 8 years as Mayor. In addition to my duties as Mayor, I am a member of the Capital Region Council of Governments, Riverfront Recapture, Capital Area Workforce and served 7 times as Shad Derby Chairman.  As a small business owner, I am very much aware of the struggles businesses have in this difficult economy.  I still have the passion and enthusiasm to serve the residents of Windsor now that I had when first elected 14 years ago.  I’ve been able to use this experience to form relationships with State and Federal Legislators to better serve Windsor.  My memberships in regional organizations has been beneficial in keeping Windsor on the forefront for economic development and funding

 The region continues to struggle through difficult economic times, which will require strong leadership, which I feel we have shown through passage of responsible budgets.  These budgets have maintained safety and services to the Town.  I also intend on holding our State Legislators accountable to pass responsible budgets and not overburden Windsor with unfunded mandates.  Lastly, I intend to continue working with our Legislators towards redistricting the boundaries to establish Windsor’s own representation after the 2010 census

Deputy Mayor Alan Simon
I have 10 years of experience as a councilman , 8 as Finance Committee chair. We have maintained services despite the recession, and produced town budgets with no tax increase for 3 of the past 4 years. Democratic leadership in Windsor has been accountable and responsible. We work hard to hold the line for our residents while making sure needed programs and services are preserved.  As hard as we try to form the best gbalance it is disheartening to witness budgets, even those with no tax increase, have been opposed by the Republicans on the Council. Efforts to be inclusive and gain bipartisan decision-making have too often been rejected but we continue to try. I along with my Democratic colleagues have the right values for Windsor, and we provide the right leadership for tough times.

 The biggest problem facing us today is to find the ways to properly fund and maintain public services that most people need, want and enjoy, including education, in a time of recession. We will continue to protect core services until the economy turns around and our citizens are in a better position to support town services and implement the improvements we all want to help make Windsor a better pace to live and work.

 BOARD OF EDUCATION

Board President  Milo “Rusty” Peck   
As an educator for over 20 years and as a two term member of the Windsor Board of Education I have gained the experience and perspective necessary to examine the wide reaching issues that present themselves in the 21st century. Growing up in Windsor, I recognize the value of the quality education that I received from the Windsor Public Schools and how it made a difference in meeting the demands of college and post graduate work.  As a parent of six children I can see the difference that engagement in the classrooms of Windsor has made for them in readying them to meet the demands of today’s society.  All children can learn and it is our responsibility to see that we provide both the resources and environment that they cannot only succeed but thrive.

The cost of education and finding ways to pay for programs, rules and structure that is mandated by state laws and policy passed down to towns provides an increasingly daunting challenge as we move forward.
The use of property tax to fund education can put unreasonable burdens on the taxpayers. To lessen this demand it is incumbent upon us as educators and town leaders to provide strong stewardship of Windsor’s resources.  Long term planning for the utilization of our existing schools and how we will deliver program becomes vital in order to maintain tight control of our finances.  Maintaining the infrastructure as well as consolidation will reduce long-term costs.  We have started the process of long term planning and through two community task forces over the past two years and continuation of this long-term perspective must be continued.

We also must be diligent in our efforts to push for the appropriate tax restructuring that will ease the over reliance on property taxes to fund our valuable and needed education programs.

 Lucille Browne
I was elected to the Board of Education in 2007 and currently serve on the BOE Policy and Long Range Planning Committees.  My career has brought me to the state of Connecticut at the Children’s Trust Fund as a social work program supervisor for Community Based Services. With the background from my BA in psychology from Fairfield University, a masters degree in social work (MSW) and a Master’s of Science in Urban studies both from Southern CT State University, I will continue to bring a tremendous knowledge base and level of experience to the Board of Education and issues facing Windsor. 

 I will continue to work with a great team on the Board of Education on some of the initiatives that have been evolving over that last few years such as block scheduling for example. It would be extremely important for me who supported it as PTSA President to see that the change is benefiting students. 

We also need to review the middle to High school transition process and make it a smooth coordinated transition for incoming freshmen their parents and teachers. As a member of the long range planning committee I am very interested in the elementary task force recommendations that will help give the board guidance to meet the needs of our children and families.

 Chris Watts
Windsor’s school system faces a challenge of continuing to provide a quality education for our students while balancing the demands of the taxpayers. With declining student enrollment, the next two years will be pivotal for restructuring our school system to be a leader in educational excellence while controlling ever-rising operating costs in a challenging fiscal environment.

Our Democratic team has a track record of working with the school administration to keep yearly cost increases low while at the same time affording our students all of the educational opportunities they need to succeed in the 21st Century. It takes a strong, seasoned, talented and committed team to work together to take on the huge challenges that will be before us in the coming term.  We want to continue to work together to serve the taxpayers, parents and students of Connecticut’s first town.

Board Secretary  Doreen Richardson
I believe that my educational philosophy, the core of which, is that all children can achieve at increasing levels of excellence, my commitment to high quality schools within the community and demonstrated leadership over the past four years on the issues that matter to our children.  The Windsor Public Schools have successfully tackled many structural and qualitative issues with respect to our delivery of education to all our students yet we remain a system where student achievement can be predicted by race and class. We want to improve and redouble our efforts to ensure that the district’s system, capacity and culture are focused on high-quality teaching and learning for all our children.

  CONSTABLES

Vivian Cicero
 I have lived in Windsor for 32 years and serve in many of our community organizations. I have served one term as Constable and have fulfilled all of the duties and obligations that have come with the position.  The Town Charter provides for the Constable positions and people elected to those positions are available to serve the needs of the town when called.  In recent years the Constables have not been called very often.  But we will do all we can to support this town make it a great place to live and work.

Norman Nadeau
I have served in the position of Constable for over 22 years, a member and President of Windsor Kiwanis Club and a long-time member of the Windsor Democratic Town Committee.  Palisado Avenue was the location of my auto repair shop where I’ve spent more than 30 years in my own business servicing cars for many Windsor patrons after I left my business in Hartford.

   The biggest challenge facing Windsor’s Constables is to find a role that can be filled by the Town Manager.  If there is no longer a need for the services a constable could provide, the Town Charter should be changed to eliminate the position.  There really is no need to elect people in a position that may have had purpose in years past but no longer does today.

   All that said –we stand prepared to do the best job we can – when asked.