It happens every two years after an election cycle, the town’s boards and commissions elect new chairman’s and vice chairman’s, obviously depending on what party has the majority…..
Since this past election saw every board including the Board of Selectman become Republican party dominated, new folks are going to be voted to lead these boards.
Mentioned above, Dana Bennett and Richard Matters are both new Republican members, rounded out by Democrat 3rd Selectman Todd Babbitt. The Board of Finance, same scenario. The previous chair, Democrat Scott Davis was replaced by Republican representation as Alexander Grzelak was named the new Finance Board chair and Republican Dan Webster as Vice Chair.
The Board of Education, which has already had republican majority, will elect new leaders at tonight’s meeting, but don’t expect anything to change. Mary Beth Malin, the current chair, will certainly get the nod to go another term. It would make sense since she garnered more votes than any other member of the BOE that ran in the past election.
What does this all add up to? Not a whole lot of anything. Griswold is a small town, and small town politics are mostly just that… politics.
After we all get over the fact that this one is a democrat, and this one is a republican… blah blah blah… it all comes down to the same thing, every election cycle. The people that are on our boards and commissions are also RESIDENTS. This isn’t Capitol Hill or even Hartford. It’s Griswold. Keep in mind that no matter what party they belong to, they want the best for our town which is also their town. The more you talk to the people that ran or will run in the future, have very close to the same views. There really isn’t a huge difference in between small town parties politics. I know, I know… how about the Senior Center? There are just as many people that talk that are for it as there are against it (that will speak publicly). Just because at that time there was a Board of Selectmen and Board of Finance with a majority of Democrats, it still went to referendum, it passed, that’s the way it should be. The process went as normal.
Anything of any size or magnitude has to go to referendum anyway, and not decided by any board or commission in town! You still decide. You still have the power, you always have.