PARTY CHAIRMAN COMMENTARY: Vote Democrat for balance, openness

On Election Day, we will again elect fellow citizens to serve in our town government. From first selectman to town clerk, those elected next Tuesday will have a real and immediate impact on your quality of life.

Voting is an important civic responsibility. Please encourage every voter in your household to cast an informed vote.

It’s not always easy to do that with conflicting claims in campaign literature, but you can look for factual information, with cited sources, and disregard rhetoric. When Board of Finance Republicans claim to be “pro-education,” but voted as a bloc this spring to fund our public school system at a level below last year, it calls that rosy picture into question.

When incumbents claim to embody responsive government even after it takes over three years to repair a bridge, or the town clerk is closed when the rest of town hall is open, their claims ring hollow.

Government always works better when there is balance; and an open, honest discussion of challenges and how to solve them.

That’s why the Democratic team deserves your vote. As we saw during this year’s budget debacle, if either party has an iron-clad majority and votes as a bloc, there is no honest discussion or deliberation; and ordinary citizens, and their families, are left to deal with the consequences.

Chris Neubert and Bob Lessler, attorneys by training, bring a fresh perspective and level of experience to the Board of Selectmen that will allow them to address the challenges Easton faces today. They are not beholden to any group and will champion your values — fighting to protect Easton’s rural character, its schools, and, in turn, our property values.

For Board of Finance, Tom Partridge is a 16-year member and former chairman with a consistent record of advocating for our seniors, open space preservation and our schools. While chairman, Tom kept budget increases lower than they had been under his Republican predecessor, while restoring critical school programs and town services.

Elise Broach brings a thoughtful, balanced and fair perspective, and has worked tirelessly to forge consensus during her six years on the board. As an alternate member for 10 years, Art Laske has been a strong and reliable advocate for fairness in the budget process, on both the education and town side.

Town clerk candidate Mike Kivell is a certified purchasing manager and CPA, with 25 years experience as a purchasing manager. Mike has pledged to keep our town clerk’s office open and accessible, and to add regular evening hours.

For Region 9, the team of Margot Abrams, with an MBA, master’s in Education and corporate experience; and Ryan Walker, a recent Barlow graduate and former student body president, will not allow further deterioration at Barlow, and will finally address long-standing problems, including sub-par SAT scores, inadequate athletic fields, and the under-performing guidance department, which is so critical to our graduating seniors’ college admissions.

For more information on the Democratic team, visit eastondems.org.

Ron Kowalski is chairman of the Easton Democratic Town Committee.