Dems Release Party Platform

Transparency, frugality and an increased quality of life for town residents are the new building blocks for a recently unveiled Democratic platform.

Democratic campaign chairman Anthony D'Angelo said his committee derived the selling points for the 2011 Municipal Election after talking with voters representing the entire spectrum of the community.

"Our platform speaks directly to the voters of Southington, because it was created by the voters. We took the input from the speakers at town council and other committee meetings, from letters to the editor, organizations in Southington such as STEPS, and from conversations at the coffee counter."

D'Angelo and Democratic Committee Chairman John Moise cited examples such as the recently approved North Center School renovation project — where Democrats believe the board of finance was purposely left out of the review process — as instances where transparency would be better under their rule.

"We want more communication with the public because this past term a majority of very important decisions were made at the committee level," Moise said. "North Center School, decisions for road improvements and the rails to trails project are some examples of that."

Moise also believes the new slate of Democrats calling themselves "Team Southington" will also make more responsible fiscal decisions than providing former Town Manager John Wiechsel with lifelong insurance coverage at the expense of taxpayers.

"They've been giving out money with no recourse whatsoever," Moise said. "If it wasn't for Democrats on the finance board, the Republican house would've cut the funding for the Calendar House bus, which is something really needed by seniors. That's not being fiscally responsible."

"We are excited about this platform as it will speak to the issues facing our town today and what the Democrats plan to fix when we are elected: a town council which bypasses public involvement in favor of back room deals, financial decisions which devalue our town and put us at risk in future years all for a short term gain, and a commitment to allow all public discourse and not just that of the privileged few," said D'Angelo.

Currently holding the majority on the Town Council, Planning & Zoning,  and Boards of Finance and Education, Republicans released their platform in July.

Republican Town Committee Chairman Cheryl Lounsbury said the two-part municipal and education platform includes: continued cooperation with the Town Council and town department heads, more overall physical planning within the town, and demanding a high level of professionalism from all elected and paid town officials to ensure proper treatment of residents.

Southington Patch will be featuring a story on the Republican platform in upcoming weeks.