Editorial: A legal victory with complications

The Connecticut Superior Court ruling Tuesday validated State Rep. John Santanella's complaint. This is a clear win, and allows him to avoid an August 11 Democratic primary against his challenger, former town attorney Tom Tyler. Tyler can appeal, but absent that, Santanella can shift his focus to November. But a winning legal outcome is not the same as a winning narrative outcome. This was an honest mistake by the Tyler campaign, a consequence of some flawed official guidance and a decision to rely on that guidance. The court found that the Democratic registrar provided petition sheets four days before state law allowed, and that the state-supplied forms lacked a legally required statement from circulators on the number of signatures gathered — a defect that invalidated all of Tyler's petitions. The ruling also notes that there was no evidence the Tyler campaign exercised due diligence to confirm the official guidance. Connecticut election law doesn't allow for honest mista...
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Fewer kids, fewer costumes: What declining school enrollment means for trick-or-treating



Enfield has experienced a significant and ongoing decline in public school enrollment over an 18 year period. When compared to four nearby towns of similar population size, Enfield and Middletown show the steepest declines.

Many factors may be contributing to this trend. These include smaller family sizes, lower fertility rates, job market, cost of living including housing costs, an aging population across the state, and an increase in families choosing alternative education options, such as homeschooling.

The data is available at EdSight. The enrollment data only covers the last 18 years.

Update: After reading some of the insightful Facebook comments, more data is needed to show how population changes are contributing to the school population decline. The comments about an increase in homeschooling were thought-provoking. I wish there was a way to quantify that shift; I suspect the school district may have some estimates.

Enfield has experienced an approximate 8.76% decline in population from 1970 to 2020.

1970: 46,189

1980: 42,695*

1990: 45,532

2000: 44,212

2010: 44,654

2020: 42,141


Enfield's Plan of Conservation and Development (2022–2032) reports a substantial decline in Enfield's young population, specifically those under 18 years old. Between 2010 and 2020, Enfield saw a 14% decrease in this age group, dropping from 8,787 to 7,559. This contraction in younger residents reflects a broader trend of population aging within the town.


*The sharp decline in population from 1970 to 1980 was likely driven by the exodus of Baby Boomers leaving town to start their own lives. During this time, family sizes were also shrinking, which compounded the impact on the local population
Location: Enfield, CT 06082, USA