Granby Drummer (https://granbydrummer.com/category/voice/)
Unsigned editorials are the consensus opinion of the editorial staff and publisher. Commentary pieces express the opinion of the writer and not necessarily the opinion of the Drummer.
As Connecticut takes bold steps forward on environmental policy, not all legislators are moving with the same urgency. Granby and its surrounding communities deserve a representative committed to safeguarding our air, water, land and the health of future generations.
The First Amendment was enacted to assure the freedom of conscience in speech, religion and assembly without coercion by government. However, we’ve forgotten the moral religious underpinnings of the Amendment, living in a day where all sides are trying to silence the other’s free speech with who can “shout” and “profile” the loudest for their cause.
Turnout for early voting in Connecticut started a bit slowly with the primaries in April and August of 2024, according to the Office of Registrars in Granby, but turnout took off for the presidential election, with a surprising almost 50 percent of residents voting ahead of Nov. 5 last year.
Thank you, Representative Anderson, for your efforts toward preserving our second amendment rights.
The Broadleaf Solar project proposed by the private equity firm the D. E. Shaw Group, plans to install solar panels on a majority of the 322 acres that the Shaw Group purchased from the Monrovia Nursery company.
The June Drummer ran an opinion piece by Michael Fitzgerald questioning my legislative agenda, specifically HB 5717. Fitzgerald cited the Sandy Hook tragedy that led to Connecticut’s restrictive gun laws, and the recent Granby budget that funds a School Resource Officer (SRO).
At the beginning of this year’s state legislative session, local Representative Mark Anderson sponsored House Bill 5717. This legislation proposed to eliminate capacity limits on firearm magazines, remove all requirements to register large capacity magazines, and would require the state to destroy any records accumulated that document the location of large capacity magazines.
Recently, I was invited by our state representative Mark Anderson to testify before the Connecticut combined House and Senate Energy and Technology committee. The objective was for me to provide technical information on utility-scale Battery Energy Storage Systems, BESS.
While Granby students look forward to spring break, the town’s budget process is in full swing. Superintendent Cheri Burke’s forward-thinking education budget includes investments in staffing and programming to meet the needs of students, staff and facilities now and in the future. Unfortunately, the Granby Board of Finance budget guidance does not align with these goals. The Granby Board of Education now faces tough decisions to balance educational needs with taxpayer concerns.