A Message from the Chairman
Welcome
to the Easton Democratic Town Committee website! We hope you'll visit often,
as we update you on important issues facing our community.
It is an exciting time to be a Democrat. President Obama’s historic
election has set the stage for positive change on a national level: government
that is fair, pro-active, and unafraid to tackle the challenges Americans
face in these tough economic times. Locally, Easton’s Democratic leaders
continue to feel privileged to represent your interests, working hard to achieve
the goals that matter to our whole community: good schools, manageable taxes,
better town planning and services.
Full Story >>
Town
Budget Referendum:
Vote YES!
Tuesday, May 26th
New Staples, 6 am — 8 pm
The
DTC strongly recommends a YES vote on the Town Budget. Our successful effort
to defeat the first budget has resulted in increased funding
for educational and town services. Due to a savings of $187,000 in debt service,
the overall budget is lower than the one originally proposed—with a
projected tax impact of 0.32%—but it represents a reallocation of nearly
$100,000 to the Board of Education and town departments, allowing the schools
to maintain class size, avoid teacher lay-offs, and fund items like the needed
textbooks, and on the town-side, partially restoring the library book budget,
Senior Center operating budget, Parks and Rec fertilizer and seed for the
new fields, and other important items.
DTC Chairman Ron Kowalski further explains why the DTC is advocating a YES
vote in this letter:
To the Editor:
The Easton Democratic Town Committee would like to thank the community for
rejecting an underfunded budget that did not sustain our town services and
schools on May 5th. Because of your advocacy and commitment, the Board of
Finance voted to increase spending for education and town departments, while
lowering the overall budget due to a savings in debt service.
Full Story >>
2009
Neary Award Winner:
Marvin Gelfand
The
Easton Democratic Town Committee is pleased to announce the recipient of this
year’s John and Phyllis Neary Award: Marvin Gelfand of Easton. The award
was presented to Mr. Gelfand at an award dinner on Friday, May 1st at Roberto’s
Restaurant, 505 Main Street in Monroe, attended by a crowd of 130, including
State Comptroller Nancy Wyman and Democratic State Central Committee members
Susan Barrett and Liam Burke; gubernatorial candidate Jim Amann; Trumbull
First Selectman Ray Baldwin, Monroe First Selectman Tom Buzi, and Easton’s
own First Selectman Tom Herrmann.
The Neary Award is presented each year to an Easton resident with a distinguished
record of public service in the true tradition of John and Phyllis Neary.
Marvin Gelfand is a long-standing and active member of the greater Bridgeport
business community. A Certified Public Accountant, Marvin is presently a member
of Fairfield CPA Group, LLC in Fairfield. Marvin was an original incorporator
of Citizen National Bank, serving as a Director and Chairman of its Loan Committee.
A graduate of the University of Bridgeport, where he earned the E. Everett
Cortright Scholarship was listed in Who's Who in American Colleges and Universities,
Marvin served in the United States Army, and was Chief of the Cost Section,
Comptroller Division, at Fort Gordon, Georgia.
Today, Marvin's public service continues as Secretary of the Easton Police
Commission, and a member of the town's Senior Tax Relief Committee, Pension
and Employee Benefits Commission and Animal Shelter Committee. Marvin has
also been a valued member of Easton’s Democratic Town Committee and
has served as its Treasurer since 1989. Outside Easton, Marvin is a member
of the Connecticut Society of CPAs, the American Institute of CPAs, the Connecticut
Police Commissioners' Association and Congregation B'Nai Israel.
Marvin
and his wife Joann have lived in Easton for the past 30 years. Ron Kowalski,
Chairman of the Easton Democratic Town Committee, praised
Marvin Gelfand, “Marvin has served our community in so many valuable
ways, and has done so with grace. Everyone likes Marv. This night was a fantastic
celebration of all that he has done for Easton over the years.”
Prior winners of the award include John and Phyllis Neary, Verena Evans, John
and Jean Bromer and John Cunningham.
Recent
News
DTC Competes in ELF Trivia Bee
Held
May 14th, the Easton DTC's Vote Row B team, consisting of David Smith, Steve
Carlson, and Dan Underberger, outperformed their Republican counterparts by
50%! (The Democrats answered 6 out of 8 questions correctly, compared to the
Republicans' 4.)
DTC Community Service
The
Easton Democratic Town Committee rolled up their sleeves and contributed to
the clean-up efforts on a recent Habitat for Humanity acquisition on Peace
Street in Stratford. In addition to the work day, Easton Democrats raised
$3,000 in support of Habitat for Humanity of Coastal Fairfield County’s
mission to provide decent, safe, and affordable housing to people in need.
The Obama Victory
The
New York Times called it “The Year of Living on the Edge of Our Seats.”
It was a presidential campaign like no other in history, and it caught the
attention of every demographic, resulting in breathtakingly high turnout among
previously disenchanted voters—blacks, Hispanics, the urban poor, the
young—and a victory made all the sweeter by its scope and diversity.
By the time the polls closed on the night of November 4th, Barack Obama had
received the largest share of the popular vote (52%) of any Democratic nominee
in 44 years.
Throughout the campaign, pundits spoke of “the Bradley effect”—whereby
black candidates draw significantly fewer votes than the polls have predicted,
presumably because of latent racism. Maybe in the years to come, they will
speak of “the Obama effect”—whereby an unlikely candidate
wins an election against all odds by virtue of his competence, intelligence,
vision, and hard work. What can truly be said of the Obama victory is that
he earned it... and after the disappointments and abuses of the past eight
years, America deserved it.
Inaugural Gala
Local
Democrats and Unaffiliateds gathered to celebrate Obama’s Victory at
an Inaugural Gala in Norwalk on January 20, 2009. Top: DTC Chairman Ron Kowalski,
Elise Broach, Sue Smith, and Renn and Janet Gordon. Bottom: Amy McKeon, Sue
Smith, the new President, and Elise Broach.
The Climate Change Project
DTC Chairman Ron Kowalski with Nobel laureate and former Vice President Al Gore at a Climate Change training seminar in Nashville, Tennessee in January ’07, where Kowalski was selected as a national presenter for The Climate Change Project. He currently speaks throughout the state on the consequences of global warming and the many steps Americans can take, individually and in the international community, to safeguard the health of the planet. For more information or to schedule a presentation for your business or organization, call Ron Kowalski at (203) 615-3979.
Easton Needs You
Please consider volunteering your time and talents to serve the town. Local boards and commissions depend on the expertise of Easton's citizens for tasks as varied as town planning, decisions about educational spending, and oversight of building projects like the new animal shelter. For a full list of boards and commissions, click on Dem Officials in the sidebar, or contact Ron Kowalski at (203) 615-3979 to discuss openings.
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© 2002 - 2005 Easton Democrats. Paid for by the Easton Democratic Town Committee, Marvin Gelfand, Treasurer
Annual Town Budget Referendum
Tuesday, May 26th
New Staples School,
Polls open from 6am-8pm
*Note: The Easton DTC recommends voting YES on the Town Budget,
which includes increased spending for education and town services thanks to
your advocacy. See related article, this page.
Absentee
Ballots available from the Town Clerk’s Office, M-F,
9am–2pm; Special Absentee Ballot hours:
Thursday, May 21st, 6–9pm and Saturday, May
23rd, 8am–12pm.
Through fair, ethical government that is decisive, responsive, and inclusive,
the Easton Democrats will strive to serve the needs of all town residents,
from school children to seniors, by:
•
Planning responsibly for the town’s
future and addressing problems before they cause a crisis
• Maintaining
an excellent public education system
• Protecting open space and preserving the rural beauty of Easton
• Controlling taxes to keep our town affordable
• Advocating for improvements to town services and facilities
• Supporting no development that endangers the distinctive qualities
of our small town
We encourage the active participation of all Easton citizens in town decision-making. It is only by working together, in a spirit of mutual respect, that we will achieve the brightest possible future for the town we call home.
