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Showing posts from January, 2026

Editorial: Enfield’s Revised Blight Ordinance Isn’t Ready for a Public Hearing

January 20, 2026

AI generated art via ChatGPT The Enfield Town Council tonight may set a public hearing date for a revised blight ordinance. In its current form, this proposal is not ready for public hearing and needs significant changes before moving forward. Anonymous Complaints While the ordinance itself still requires signed complaints, Enfield’s revised blight complaint form explicitly accepts anonymous complaints and signals that they may still be investigated. That represents a clear shift from the town’s prior policy, which discouraged anonymous filings and stated that the town was not required to investigate them. Historically, Enfield’s practice has been to reject anonymous complaints. For example, on SeeClickFix — the town’s reporting platform — a town official wrote in response to one blight complaint: “All complaints require a signature. Currently this complaint is showing anonymous. Please add your full name and contact information to this complaint.” That was the standard approach...

News Analysis: What Happens When ICE Comes to Enfield?

January 16, 2026

Freshwater Pond, Enfield CT Concern is high, generally, about what happens when ICE makes a concerted push in our community. Would we see something similar to Minnesota? That operation involved a saturation surge -- of more than 2,000 agents into the Twin Cities -- that overwhelmed local police capability. The question becomes do all communities face a similar risk, especially from agents that don't seem well-trained in de-escalation techniques. Enfield is too small of a town to get a massive ICE response. But it is the practice of ICE to operate independently from local police departments, which creates its own set of risks. Connecticut has a law, the Connecticut Trust Act, that sets some restrictions on what local police can do to help federal immigration enforcement. The Trust Act explicitly forbids local police from assisting federal agents unless specific serious criteria are met. But does the Trust Act protect residents, or does it just keep local police from helping in ce...

Residents Push Back on High-Density Housing in Thompsonville

January 13, 2026

South River Street, Thompsonville CT Doubt is creeping into the Planning and Zoning Commission about high-density housing development in Thompsonville. An impassioned defense by South River Street residents is triggering this reassessment. They live near a proposed 160-unit apartment complex on South River near the boat launch at the intersection of Main Street. This hearing, held last week, became a battle over preserving the neighborhood's character versus building apartments near the train station. But the neighborhood opposition was so strong that the PZC debated whether this housing would benefit Thompsonville. South River Street is a narrow street, tucked between the train tracks and the Connecticut River. It's not a through street, with barely room for two cars to pass, and most people in town are likely unfamiliar with it. About a dozen residents spoke in opposition at a PZC hearing, worried about how the project would change the character of their neighborhood. S...