Granby Drummer (https://granbydrummer.com/category/voice/page/31/)
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 a member of Granby’s older generation, I can’t overstate how enthusiastic I am about Amanda Webster’s candidacy to be the 62nd District’s next State Representative.
As I’ve grown older over the last few years, I have noticed that the elders of our town are more and more forgotten by our state and local representatives. There are significant issues on the horizon for us, from health care to transportation to rising taxes and the end of our work life.
Our family is very excited about the proposed Kearns Community Center. We have spent some time with the members of the steering committee and the ideas they’ve generated are fantastic.
I recently heard a local talk show host suggest that most people cannot name their state representative or senator. If you live in Granby, your state representative and state senators have been in office for a very long time.
“The water is warm” were memorable words to us as we embarked on the journey of owning goats. It is time to acknowledge Granby 4H and all the families we have encountered during our journey with “barn life” and I figured a letter to the editor was the most appropriate venue.
Every fall, school districts receive the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC) and SAT test scores and use them to measure both the previous year’s success and the long-term trends of their schools. Sadly, Granby did not fare well again.
As a member of the Board of Finance, I know that investments in education and access to healthcare grow our economy and make our state attractive to businesses. As a father, I want my children to find opportunities in Connecticut that make them want to stay in our great state.
No matter who becomes our next governor or which party controls the legislature at the state capitol in Hartford, they will have their work cut out for them. While the bipartisan two-year state budget passed last year made some progress in helping to flatten the cost curve going forward, it is still the case that there are anticipated structural deficits of $2 billion and $2.6 billion respectively in the upcoming two fiscal years that will significantly test the mettle of state legislators and the executive branch.
Retirees want to see Connecticut do well and we want our children and grandchildren to love this state as much as we do. However, many of us are struggling with finances due to threats to our promised pensions and healthcare benefits.
Over the past several months, my husband Bill Regan and I have made written and oral comments, as well as commenting at public sessions, all directed to the Board of Selectmen relevant to various projects and their processes that impact the town’s economic and development future. The core of these comments and observations was to stimulate a marketing plan as recommended in Granby’s Plan of Conservation Development (POCD) instituted and submitted to the state in October 2016.
In 1972 my mother was elected to our state legislature (in Maine), and as a result, awareness of political issues has remained a constant for me. I remember campaigning with her and watching her listen to her future constituents.