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Showing posts from February, 2024

The Public Deserves to See the Trash Outsourcing Report

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Art generated by AI following author's prompt: Report locked in safe The Enfield Town Council is considering a consequential issue: outsourcing our public works trash removal service. However, the town has not released the consultant's report, which likely examines the pros and cons of such a move, even as the Council begins its budget deliberations. The town council authorized the hiring of the consultants in November, 2024. On April 7, 2025, the Town Council discussed the report in executive session. I submitted a Freedom of Information Act request for a report copy this week. The Town Manager's office responded that the report is still in draft format and is not eligible for public disclosure under the Connecticut Freedom of Information Act. I was also told: "The contract has not provided us a completion date at this time." That means the report could be withheld from the public indefinitely. Draft is not an automatic exemption This was my response: "My un...

Enfield Democrats are in big trouble

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Despite leading in voter registrations, the Enfield Democratic Town Committee seems to lack a winning election strategy. Until the 2021 election, the Republicans had controlled the Town Council for 14 years straight. But in that year, the Democrats secured seven of the 11 council seats, a significant victory. However, last November, voters reinstated the Republicans to control the Town Council. The Democrats have not fully come to terms with the magnitude of this loss. Some Democrats claim they lost the election by about one percent—a figure apparently obtained by aggregating all votes cast for every candidate, from Council to Constable. This perspective, however, amounts to self-deception. The Democrats were decisively defeated in the Town Council election, with a voting margin exceeding 8%. In essence, they were soundly beaten, but the situation is even more dire. In their most recent campaign finance filing, the Democrats reported contributions totaling $12,485. In contrast, the Rep...