Enfield Prepares for a Second Attempt at Charter Reform

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Enfield voters sent a clear message in November: they did not want automatic budget referendums. Now, with Democrats newly in control of the Town Council, the town is preparing to try charter reform again. The council will consider creating a new Charter Revision Commission at its meeting Monday. Collateral Damage: Bipartisan Reforms Lost in the Defeat While the budget referendum dominated the debate, several other reforms were swept away when voters rejected the entire package. Voters couldn’t “slice and dice” the proposal — there was only one up-or-down question on the ballot. What Happened in November The defeat centered largely on one controversial provision : an automatic referendum requirement whenever the town budget increased by more than 5% over the previous year’s general fund expenditures. This “trigger” would have taken budget approval out of the Council’s hands and sent it directly to voters whenever a spending proposal crossed that threshold. The charter revision question...
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Will Enfield vote for Trump again?




Trump in Enfield Connecticut
Signs on Hazard Ave. near the Eastern intersection of Middle Road. The "Love will always win" sign speaks to the Enfield's socially liberal values, which may way heavily against Trump this time around. 


Voting lines are long, with an hour-long wait at polling places, say social media reports. Connecticut will vote for Joe Biden in this race, as it did for Hillary Clinton in 2016. But Trump won Enfield in 2016, 9,238 to 8,548.

Will Trump repeat his 2016 Enfield victory? It's possible. There is one big local issue in play: Defense spending.

Connecticut ranks 7th in the nation on defense spending. Trump increased defense spending, as promised, and Connecticut has benefited from the increases. Residents here are aware that many jobs are defense-related.

But if Trump loses in Enfield, it might be around social and character issues.

The town carries the New England traditions of live and let live tolerance, for all its conservative leanings.

Enfield is generally socially liberal but fiscally conservative. This election will test the power of Enfield's social liberals. 

People feel they pay too much in local and state taxes, which helps local and state Republicans. 

Republicans here tend to skew liberal on social issues, which keeps some of the Democrats in their camp. One thing to note: The town is heavily Catholic and Trump's abortion stance may be appealing to some. 

Connecticut responded aggressively to the pandemic and had one of the best records in the nation. With the virus infection rates surging, people here may blame Trump. This could be a factor in today's vote. 

The election turnout in Enfield may be heading to a record level. Does this foretell a Trump or Biden victory in Enfield? That's too hard of a call to make.



Location: Enfield, CT 06082, USA

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