Two potential candidates step forward

WINSTED — While the November town elections are several months away, current Selectman Lisa Smith has filed a petition with Town Clerk Sheila Sedlack to run for re-election.Resident James Roberts has taken out a petition to run for a seat on the Board of Education.However, according to Sedlack, Roberts has not yet returned the petition with the required 23 signatures from residents.Smith, who originally ran as a Democrat two years ago, said that she still has not fully decided whether or not she will run.“The reason why I filed the paperwork to run is because, if I do decide to run, at least I will have already filled out all the paperwork necessary,” Smith said. “I am choosing not to be endorsed by either the Democratic or Republican parties. I want to run for the town of Winchester. I want to feel obligated to them and not to a party. I feel too often that party politics plays a part in decisions made by elected officials. I choose to be obligated only to the taxpayers of this town.”Smith cited the controversy that erupted over the Board of Selectmen’s rejection of the Winchester Land Trust’s plan to acquire 360 acres of town-owned land as one of the reasons she is not seeking an endorsement from either party.While her Democratic counterparts voted to approve the plan, Smith voted against it.“I felt that my vote was in the best interests of the town based on the facts and the consultants I spoke with,” Smith said. “For the most part, I still hold a Democratic philosophy where I believe in helping folks in need. However, I also believe in fiscal responsibility, so I consider myself a conservative.”Roberts could not be reached by phone and he did not respond to emails for comment for this story.

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