THE BUDGET IS SET....GOOD JOB


Over the past few month's there have been countless meetings, long hours, and many pizza's devoured by the member's of the Enfield Town Council, but it was worth it all.

On Monday May 15 2006, after over an hour of voting on amendments to the Town Managers proposed budget, the entire Town Council voted with one voice to approve the 2006-2007 budget.

At the beginning of the budget season I suggested that the Town Council should attempt to work together. I spoke of the need that once a new Town Manager is chosen, that it would be great if the person received a unanimous vote. I also said that in such a tough budget year, the Council needs to work as one team, not two political parties. Well, they did just that and my compliments to both Democrats and Republicans.....Great Job!

So, back to the budget. What are some of the main points to the budget?

There are a few things that were done and I am sure not without a lot of blood, sweat and tears in the process.

The total budget for next fiscal year is $111.4 million dollars which is a 4% increase over the previous budget. This increase in the budget represents an increase in the Enfield School budget by 4.4%, along with a number of capitol improvement items above that, including the new boiler at Fermi High School.

The increase in the school budget fell short of the recommendation of the Budget Advisory Committee and the request of the School Board. But, it is the largest increase to education that we have seen in a number of years.

The Council also held the line on overtime on the town side of the budget with a decrease of 10% across the board. This was a prudent move on their part and it was one reason why education could make some advancement.

There was some disagreement though during the amendment and adjustment part of the meeting. No, it was not a brawl or a highly intense attack of words. It was mainly over the issue of creating a full-time I. T. leadership position. The opposition was voiced on both sides of the aisle with Councilman Kaupin and Edger's agreeing to vote in the negative.

The bottom line is that this was the most boring meeting I have ever been to in Enfield. No fights. No mean looks. No political party maneuvering. No long speeches so the press could quote you. No split votes along party lines. No shouts or grunts from the audience. It was simply a calm meeting with many things accomplished.

But, you know it was the way it should be if Enfield is going to be cared for by our elected leaders. So to our Town Council I say....thanks for the good work. You worked hard, kept education a top priority, and held the line on property tax increases to under one percent.

So, what's next?

Greg Stokes
Note: Christopher Bromson will soon complete his tenure as Interim Town Manager. I just want to say that he has done a fine job in this role for the past few months. Also we all need to say a big "well done" to Asst. Town Manager Dan Vindigni. Dan is a class act all the way and serves the Town of Enfield with great energy. He is not all about the title, but about the work...that's character!

LET THE RACE BEGIN
This weekend our local newspapers will be announcing all the candidates for State Office. This will include the State Senate seat and the two State House seats. I am holding off announcing who the Republican party is nominating to allow them to finish their process. They have a Caucus scheduled for Thursday night.

We already can count on Karen Jarmoc and Kathy Tallarita being in the race on the democratic side. It should be an interesting campaign season once the Republicans announce their candidates.

What I really want to talk about is what we as voters should be looking for in a candidate. Soon we will be hearing the issues as presented by each side and we will be asked to cast our vote in November.

But, what should we watch for as we research and study each candidate? What should we expect from the people running to represent us in Hartford? Well, here are a few things.

First, we should look for character. Above everything else we need honest and decent people in office. We all have heard the variety of jokes about the ethics of politicians. It is sad that this vocation has been damaged by law breakers on both sides of the aisle. Character counts. As it stands right now we have people running who have demonstrated good character....let's hope they don't change that impression.

Second, we should look for the person with the greatest understanding of public policy. People representing us should have a good grasp of policies that effect you and me. Simply, we need people who know what we need here in Enfield and are ready to fight for the things that benefit us.


Third, people running should stand above the politics of hate. This goes for their conduct and the conduct of their campaign team. Nothing turns me off more then mud slinging and attacks on character. When I ran two years ago I demanded of my campaign team that no one was to attack Kathy Tallarita in a personal way. We pointed out difference on policies, but we tried our best to take the high road. Kathy and I enjoyed a good , hard fought campaign and we did it without ending up enemies.

Fourth, high work ethics is a must. Although the positions that these people run for are considered part time, they must approach it as a full time job. If you are running to represent people, you should always be available and accessible. There are too many empty seats when the House and Senate are in session. This needs to change and active involvement is crucial to being a good office holder.

Fifth, a candidate running in Enfield needs to reach out during the campaign to all voters. The fact is when campaigns put their strategy together it usually is to target their party and independent voters. After they are elected they have to speak for all of us. Why not reach out to the total population of Enfield during the campaign. Enfield voters are intelligent people. They want to hear from Democrats and Republicans. We have a history of selecting the person over the party. I want to be an educated voter....so I invite all to share their ideas with me.

We have a choice to make come November. Not just for a certain political party, but for the person who is best for the job. We need, as voters, to get out and do our own home work as well. We need to ask the candidates the hard questions on taxes, education, ethics in politics and more.

Best wishes to all who are running and may the best person(s) win.

Greg Stokes

HAVE I TOLD YOU ABOUT MY SON


Well, it is that time of year again when parent's and families head across the State or maybe even the country to see their child graduate from college. By this time parents have expended their life savings, retirements, and basically have signed more financial paper then they did to buy their home.....but it was worth it!

There is nothing like gazing at the college graduation program watching as each name counts down to that special one, your child's name. If your last name begins with a "Z" you really have to be patient. Even waiting to hear "Stokes" was more then I could handle, but it finally was announced. You can imagine my joy when I heard "Gregory Thomas Stokes Jr.".

But, like many kids, the path to college was not easy for my son. Just six years ago I really thought by this time I would be on the regular schedule at the Enfield Correctional Facilities. I truly was convinced that, unless something happen to shake him up, Greg would be a burden for our family for many years....but God had a different plan.


To explain this let me go back to about six years ago on a stairwell at Fermi High School. Greg was looking for his exit plan from school a little earlier then the school allowed. As he waited for his opportunity to leave school, he checked his pockets just to make sure he had his drug's and proper items needed to take such drugs (Yes, I could write for CSI).

But just as he had his illegal items in hand, up the stairs came a sight he did not want to see. It was a teacher. Greg stood in shock as the teacher asked him to empty his pockets and then escorted him to the office where the police were called to take him away.

Within the hour I was called to come to the Enfield Police Station. There I heard my son's name called, it lacked the joy I felt at his graduation this past Saturday, but out he came.

A few weeks later we met before the expulsion Board of the School System. I can still remember the stern look from everyone there...it frightened me and gave me flashbacks to my school days. But it happened, Greg was kicked out of school and asked not to return.

Well, let's jump ahead and give a brief look at what happened after that sad day for our family. Greg had a choice to either improve or destroy his future. He had a lot of time to think about it and came to the right conclusion. He did two things. He turned to God and he turned to family, both were there ready to help.

Greg quickly quit all the habits that hurt his life and his health. He signed up to take the GED test at Enfield High and passed all the test, the first time he took them. He headed off to Word of Life Bible Institute in New York and received a two year degree there. He also spent two summers over Seas working with teens and children in needy areas. His life changed through these trips.

Then this past Saturday he graduated from Davis College in Johnson City, N. Y. with a Bachelor Degree in TESL (Teaching English as a Second Language). He has a heart for the Mission field and teaching English as a second language will be a tool he can use to help others on the foreign field.

So if you have a rough teen that seems to stress you to the limits, there is hope. God is there to do what you cannot do and help you be there as a family for them.

Just six years ago I heard Greg's name announced at the Enfield Police Station. Saturday I heard it announced on a college platform. One place removed his handcuffs, the other moved his tassel. I prefer the latter.

Greg we are proud of you! Thanks to the Enfield Schools and The Enfield Police for being firm when you needed to be. Greg is a better man because of all of us, and of course, God.

Greg and Dawn Stokes
Thank you for letting us share this with you...