Town Leaders and Historical Society Face Off Amid Deep Budget Cuts

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  Peter Sorenson, president of the Enfield Historical Society, examines a historic glass slide in the museum’s archive room. The Society’s collection includes thousands of items documenting Enfield’s past. An 80% cut in town funding may force the Enfield Historical Society to do what town leaders most want to prevent: sell historic properties. The Society expected about $26,000 from the town budget that began July 1, but President Peter Sorenson received just $6,000. There was no explanation for the reduction. The town has tied its future funding to new financial disclosure requirements. Mayor Ken Nelson also called for a full meeting with the Society's board—not just Sorenson. Nelson’s demand reveals a deep mistrust and suggests that personal tensions are fueling the dispute as much as policy differences. The Society , founded in 1960, is a private, nonprofit organization that operates the museum in the Old Town Hall and owns the Martha Parsons House at 1387 Enfield St. and W...

Enfield's charter revision: What will they do?



Enfield Conn., Middle Road

On Monday, the Town Council is expected to form a Charter Revision Commission. What little screaming nightmares will this group deliver?

A direct election of mayor

There are arguments for this. It might improve elections. We could see mayoral candidate debates, each sharing a vision for Enfield. Someone would now be responsible. Manchester made that change but limited the mayor's executive authority, retaining its town manager, which is probably best.

Budget referendums 

There's a little support on the council for this, but it would be a disaster for Enfield. Our community is too big and too complex to adopt a system that could lead to dramatic increases and decreases in spending, as polarized special interest groups battle it out. Referendums of this type usually get small turnouts. They also undermine the accountability of elected officials. Hopefully, the charter commission won't push this self-destruct button.

Charter in balance

The new Charter Revision Commission has the potential to reshape the structure of Enfield’s government. There may be a temptation for radical reform, or the Commission might opt to limit changes to administrative updates to the town’s charter. However, this could become politically dangerous if partisan interests begin to influence the revision process. Some of the appointed members are frequent speakers at Town Council meetings and have strong views on a range of issues. So, it's likely that the Commission will propose some major reforms, if a consensus emerges. Whatever this Commission proposes has to get Town Council and voter approval, likely during the November 2025 town election.

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