Council sends $511 million school rebuild to November voters

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  The Enfield Town Council voted unanimously to approve a $511 million school project, supported by an $89 million town share. Voters will have final say in November.  The Town Council voted Wednesday unanimously to send a $511 million plan to Enfield voters to rebuild the town's elementary school system. The town's cost is $89 million, and that's what voters will be asked to approve in November. The plan builds four new PK-5 schools on the sites of Hazardville Memorial, Prudence Crandall, Edgar H. Parkman and Henry Barnard, and converts Eli Whitney into a new home for Eagle Academy. Work runs in two phases. The entire project will take seven to eight years. Mayor Gina Cekala said Enfield doesn't have much choice. "$89 million is a lot of money. It sounds like a lot of money. It is a lot of money," she said. But she put the town's share in proportion. Of the $511 million, "Enfield is going to be responsible for a maximum of 17% of this project."...
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Enfield Republicans Have Big Cash Advantage in Election, But No Guaranteed Win

 

Signs near Enfield Town Hall

With only 23 days left until the Nov. 4 election, Enfield Republicans hold a substantial financial advantage over Democrats — and far more money for last-minute mailers and advertising. But Democrats have come from behind before.

Fundraising Totals Show GOP in the Lead

According to the latest campaign filings for the period ending Sept. 30, Republicans have raised a total of $47,022, compared to $32,014 for the Democrats.

Early voting begins Monday, Oct. 20.

Cash on Hand: A Critical Gap

What may hurt Democrats in the final days is cash on hand: they report just $3,263, versus $24,418 for Republicans.

These figures come from official state campaign-finance documents (Form 20), using:

Line 17 – Total Monetary Receipts

Line 19 – Expenses Paid by Committee

Line 20 – Balance on Hand

Different Donor Bases

[Correction] An earlier version of this post stated that the Enfield Democrats relied mostly on local donors, while Republicans had a broader regional base. 

That wording was imprecise. A closer review of the official campaign finance filings (Form 20, Oct. 10, 2025) shows that about 22% of Democratic contribution entries came from outside Enfield, compared with about 14% for Republicans.

However, when measured by dollar amounts, the opposite is true — Republicans received roughly one-fifth of their money from outside Enfield, compared with about one-tenth for Democrats.

History Shows Money Isn't Everything

The Republican cash advantage — while substantial — doesn’t guarantee success. In 2021, the last time Democrats won in Enfield, their balance on hand at this point in the race was just over $10,000, compared to nearly $22,000 for Republicans, according to filings from that year. Yet Democrats still prevailed.

National Politics May Play a Role

Democrats believe they may benefit from discontent with former President Donald Trump — and there’s reason to believe this could help.

In 2021, the year President Joe Biden took office, Republicans gained ground across Connecticut, flipping control of 19 local communities. Democrats flipped five — including Enfield. Political scientists call this the presidential backlash effect, where the party out of power nationally often performs better in local elections.

Enfield Democratic Town Committee for Quarter Ending Sept. 30

Enfield Republican Town Committee for Quarter Ending Sept. 30




Location: Enfield, CT 06082, USA