How Much of an Increase?

The Hazardville Water Company has submitted a request through the Connecticut DPUC for an 18.4% rate increase for it’s customers. This is absurd. In an economy in which people are being laid off, having their hours reduced, getting pay freezes and cutting back on items such as groceries, an increase of this magnitude is ridiculous.

While I don’t disparage HWC for wanting to make a profit, the timing of this rate increase is terrible. Add to that the fact they have admitted that they will be seeking a further 5-6% increase in 2010, something does not smell right. We have already been told that our electricity rates will “liely skyrocket” if the cap and tax bill is passed; the state is in a fiscal mess, likely resulting in tax increases, and if government healthcare gets passed, it is likely that instead of 95% of Americans not seeing a tax increase, 95% of Americans WILL see a tax increase.

The fact of the matter is that residents, especially those on fixed incomes simply cannot afford a rate hike of this magnitude. It may not seem like a lot of money on it’s face (funny, they always talk about the “average” homeowner), but for some people, any increase is enough to tip the scales the wrong way.

I am hopeful that the DPUC either denies this request completely or puts it at a more manageable percentage.

Regional Cooperation

On August 7, I had the opportunity to ride with Sgt. Charles Grasso of the Enfield PD. He was participating in a METRO traffic detail being conducted in the Town of Windsor. This was another in a series of “DWI” roadblocks being conducted by this regional team. METRO is a joint collaboration between the police departments in Enfield, East Windsor, Windsor Locks, Windsor, South Windsor, Manchester, and Coventry. This team also has an Accident Reconstruction Team as part of their services.

I have been told from my sources that there are some members of the Enfield town council who question the need for such an alliance. I find their questions short-sighted and in some cases self-serving. When the Enfield Police Department conducted a survey of customer service, the largest complaint that they received was that of traffic violations. As a former police officer, I can attest that one of the more frequent complaints that I received as a shift commander was that of speeding vehicles.

If one was to look at the current manpower of the Enfield PD, along with the activity, the ability to provide on-going traffic enforcement without impacting the number of officers on the road available to respond to calls is problematic. In order to provide the level of enforcement that is available by using the METRO traffic team, it would cost a tremendous amount of overtime. In this economic climate, that is simply too much to ask of our current police administration.

That brings me to the current town council. Apparently, one of the council members wives was recently “delayed” in a traffic situation reportedly caused by one of these DWI roadblocks. As someone who has worked on these details previously, I can tell you that if traffic becomes an issue, the officers assigned to the roadblock are told to “free-flow” the traffic in order to relieve the congestion. So, my guess is that this particular councilman’s wife was maybe delayed by two or three minutes, hardly a large inconvenience. It is this town councilman who is now questioning the need for us to have out of town officers assisting Enfield  police officers with these details. This is short-sighted.

If one is to check the accident statistics for the Town of Enfield, since the inception of the METRO program, serious accidents have been reduced substantially. This is a testament to the effectiveness of having increased enforcement of traffic laws.

One would think that the town council would be doing handstands over the effectiveness of having accidents reduced as opposed to being concerned about self-serving interests. Apparently some are less than thrilled, and that is scary.

The Ride Begins

Yesterday, August 5 I submitted my paperwork to run for Enfield Town Council in District 1, having gathered enough signatures in order to get on the ballot. This morning I received a call from the Town Clerk’s office that my list had been certified and I was officially a candidate for Town Council. Now the journey begins.

I have been asked why I would want to run for town council. After all, I have two teenage daughters, am actively involved in their sports participation and am active in the Fermi High School music program.

To answer, I will say that I feel that public service is something that I have always been driven to do. From joining the North Thompsonville Fire Department when I was 19, then serving 28 years with the Enfield Police Department, coaching youth softball for 8 years, or helping out with the Fermi Instrumental Music Association, community service is something that I believe in. I’m not one of these self-aggrandizing individuals who feel that because I am in public office I am somehow entitled. I think of the town councilman in Glastonbury who, upon being arrested for drunken driving asked the police officer, “Do you know who I am?” Politicians like that make me sick.

In Enfield, we have some very good people serving in public office. I have tremendous respect for people who have the public interest first and foremost in their hearts. I will single out Scott Kaupin and Pat Crowley among those who put their constituents first and are not in public office for “the glory.” There are of course others.

In my press release, I stated that I am not running against Joe Bosco because I have anything personal against him. It is quite the opposite. I have tremendous respect for Joe and his family. They have taken a business that was started by their parents and continued the tradition. This is not about Joe as a person or as a businessman.

Where I have an issue is when it comes to a candidate running unopposed. Part of the beauty of our republic is the ability of people to vote for whom they wish to represent them. It is a right that we in America take for granted, and one for which much of the world would love to have. Unlike countries where governments are overthrown violently, Americans have the right, every 2, 4, or 6 years to change their leaders. In the case of the 1st Council District, why should voters in that district not have that right?

Running an independent campaign, without the benefit of a party’s financial coffers will be difficult. As someone who ran on the Republican ticket two years ago, I know precisely what I am up against. The Republican leadership ran a stellar campaign two years ago and the results from the election bear that out. As a beneficiary of that campaign, as well as a contributor to it, I know that I have a tremendous hill to climb.

What gives me reason for optimism is that with what I see going on in our country today, the time is ripe for an independent voice to be elected to public office. I do not believe that politics should be put above principles. In trying to conduct votes based upon my principles and not party politics, I was kicked to the sidelines by the Republican party. As the leading vote-getter in the 2007 municipal election, this was a bit surprising, although not totally so. That brings me to today.

Over the next three months, I will be posting on this blog various components of my campaign platform. Suffice it to say that with my public safety background, some of it will have to do with the safety of our community. Taxes, customer service, quality of life, and blight will also be among my concerns. While some of these issues are not prevalent in District 1, they adversely impact all taxpayers in town. These are the areas which I will explore.