Winsted Journal endorses mixed slate for Nov. 3

The last meeting of the current Winchester Board of Selectmen came this week, to the delight of many in town who have been dissatisfied with the board’s work, particularly in the area of unilateral decisions made by a Republican supermajority. In light of this discontent, along with the upcoming Nov. 3 municipal elections, it is the pleasure of this newspaper to offer general endorsements for the Board of Selectmen and the Board of Education.

First off, this newspaper agrees with the vocal opposition to the local Republican Party that has taken place during the past two years, particularly with regard to the GOP’s decision to remove Planning and Zoning Chairman George Closson from his seat in early 2008. A public meeting followed the decision, in which Closson and his attorney, Patsy Renzullo, made a strong case for restoring Closson to his position.

Winsted Republicans responded to criticism by behaving with impunity — ignoring legitimate concerns raised about their relationship with a proposed housing developer and turning a deaf ear to repeated questions about budget overages in the 2007-08 budget. The Republicans became widely known as the “Gang of Five� for ramming through a series of party-line decisions, often cutting off discussion while questions were still being raised.

The Democratic minority of Candy Perez and Michael Renzullo (Patsy’s son) has been turned away at every major step. Republicans have appeared to make their decisions prior to holding official meetings, leaving the minority members out of the process.

It is clear that a change of leadership is necessary. Thankfully, four of the five Republicans on the Winsted board have decided they have had enough of bullying their way through selectmen’s meetings. They probably realize that members of the public have also had enough. The lone Republican who is remaining on the board is Mayor Kenneth Fracasso, who opposed the majority on a few issues but essentially swam with the stream.

If voters want to send a message back to the Board of Selectmen in response to the past two years, they should overwhelmingly select Democrat George Closson for selectmen in this year’s election and make him the town’s new mayor. Closson deserves the position after having his record besmirched by the opposing party. Voters should also give strong support to minority members Perez and Renzullo, who tried many times to bring up budget issues during the past two years, only to be silenced by the majority. Fellow Democrats Art Melycher and Lisa Smith are also strong candidates who are active volunteers. All in all, the Democratic Party has presented the strongest group of candidates for the Board of Selectmen.

On the Republican side, Mayor Fracasso certainly has experience and name recognition, which will probably earn him another term. Former selectman and current Board of Education member Karen Beadle is the next-strongest candidate. The rest of the ticket is not as strong as the Democratic group.

With any hope, this will be the final year of the Winsted Independent Party’s tiresome whining. Candidates Cheryl Bartley, Russell Dutton Buchner and Ray Pavlak constitute a trio of residents who don’t play well in the sandbox. Thankfully, the majority of the public has had enough of all three of them.

For the Board of Education, it has also become annoying to watch the current board nitpicking minor details and micromanaging the school system. This past year’s restructuring of grades in the district made many parents angry and the jury is still out as to whether the reconfiguration worked. The three unaffiliated candidates, Chairman Rose Molinelli, Dr. Richard Dutton and Christine Royer, have all shown they are intelligent and dedicated board members who deserve your vote — if they promise to be a little less long-winded in the coming term.

Democrat Kathleen O’Brien, who has been cross-endorsed by the Republicans, is a worthy candidate with lots of experience. As a former chairman of the board, she may end up with the most votes this time around, and we wouldn’t mind if she takes over the position again. New leadership on the school board may result in business being conducted more efficiently. We also like Republican Carol Palomba, who works as an on-call nurse with the school system.

Good luck to all candidates, many of whom will appear in televised debates now through Election Day on Charter Community Television’s Channel 13.

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