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Opposite parties, shared duty: Two sisters oversee North Canaan elections
Ruth Epstein
Mar 11, 2026
Sisters Rosemary Keilty, left, and Patricia Keilty are the registrars of voters in North Canaan.
Ruth Epstein
NORTH CANAAN — Two sisters representing opposing political parties are serving side by side as North Canaan’s registrars of voters, proving that partisan labels take a back seat when it comes to ensuring fair elections.
Rosemary Keilty represents the Republicans and Patricia Keilty the Democrats, but there are no political delineations when it comes to serving the public. They acknowledge that while they may have some differing views when it comes to governmental issues, they have no trouble working together to ensure proper voting procedures are maintained. “Our job has nothing to do with our political affiliations,” Patricia said. “Coming from different parties is not an issue.”
Patricia said she was always the outsider in her family when it came to politics. She had Democratic leanings in a Republican household, “but it was OK because we were always taught to think for ourselves.”
Patricia’s late husband, Lawrence Potts, was chairman of the Democratic Town Committee and the registrar. He tapped her to be a poll worker in 2004 and then she became a certified moderator. When he died, she temporarily stepped in as registrar, which then became a permanent post. When Republican registrar Anna McGuire died in 2022, Patricia approached Rosemary, who had retired as principal of North Canaan Elementary School, to see if she’d be interested in serving. She agreed.
The arrangement works well because both of them are strong advocates for voting rights. They work to facilitate registrations, explain voting procedures and help residents understand when and how to cast ballots.
“We want to make sure everyone understands their options,” Rosemary said.
Both also believe that voting is a privilege and every effort should be made to participate.
“It’s your responsibility,” Rosemary said. “So many people fought hard to get the vote for everyone,” she said, referring to earlier periods when only landowners and white men were afforded the right. “Maybe we have to work harder in our schools to show how to respect that.”
Asked about a federal proposal that would require individuals to show a birth certificate or passport before voting, they expressed opposition. “That’s like instituting a poll tax,” Patricia said. “That’s not necessary. There are plenty of ways to show identification. We want to enable people to vote.”
They both chuckled recalling some of the questions that have been posed to them. “Someone asked me if they could register Republican if I signed them up,” Patricia said. Another wanted to know if they had to vote Democratic because they’d registered with that party.
They are certified registrars, having passed the required tests given by the University of Connecticut. While they are comfortable most of the time carrying out their duties, they were faced with a new experience after the last municipal election in November when the first selectman’s race required a recount because the initial margin of victory was three votes in favor of Jesse Bunce.
That automatically triggered a recount, which is a complex undertaking that must be done with precision. Bunce ultimately won.
“We really had to study up,” Patricia said. “There is such a distrust of elections, so we wanted to be transparent and follow every detail.” They received help from the Secretary of State’s office and other registrars. It was also the first time new tabulators were used, but they carried out the procedure smoothly, and in the end the margin was two votes.
“That was a perfect example that every vote counts,” she said, giving praise to the crew of poll workers who are efficient in carrying out their duties and treating voters with respect.
There are 2,177 registered voters in North Canaan as of this week.
The sisters said registrars around the state use the Connecticut Voter Registration System to tie in with the Secretary of State’s office and explained all the information they are able to access. The system will soon be updated to another called Total Vote.
As a former teacher, Rosemary enjoys seeing her former students coming in to vote. Several of them have appeared on the ballot in local elections and serve as employees and volunteer board members of the town.
In their spare time, the two are voracious readers, with historical fiction as their favorite genre. Patricia attended graduate school at the University of California, Berkeley, after attending Smith College, and stayed on in California for several years. She studied medieval Spanish and Portuguese literature and loves language. She is an artist and jewelry maker.
Rosemary attended Manhattanville College, majoring in English. Her father suggested she take education courses as well, but she didn’t.
After substituting, she realized teaching was for her and went back to get her certification, going on to have a successful career as a teacher and administrator at NCES.
The two expressed their pleasure at being registrars. “Voting is critical to our democracy and we play a small part,” Rosemary said. “It’s an honor to do it.”
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Hydrilla threat prompts new prevention plan at Lake Waramaug
Debra A. Aleksinas
Mar 11, 2026
Lake Waramaug is situated on the borders of Kent, Warren and Washington
Alec Linden
“We’ve been very lucky, but we don’t want to press our luck.” — Dean Sarjeant, Lake Waramaug Authority
WASHINGTON, CONN. — Town and lake officials are exploring plans to install an additional boat decontamination station about two miles from Lake Waramaug’s public boat launch as an aggressive strain of the invasive aquatic plant hydrilla spreads through Connecticut waterways.
The proposed station, which would likely be located at the New Preston firehouse, is designed to intercept boats before they reach the lake and would supplement the inspections already conducted at the public boat ramp.
The proposal is aimed at preventing the plant from reaching Lake Waramaug, one of the state’s largest natural lakes and a popular destination for boating and recreation in Northwest Connecticut.
Concern about hydrilla intensified locally after the plant was discovered four years ago in East Twin Lake in Salisbury, where monitoring and costly treatment efforts continue.
The latest plans were discussed on March 5 during an informational question-and-answer session at Bryan Memorial Town Hall in Washington Depot, which drew about 40 participants via Zoom and about a dozen attendees in person, including town officials from surrounding towns.
Questions from participants focused on the cost of the watercraft sanitization project, its location away from the New Preston boat launch and the reason for operating two separately staffed inspection locations.
The hour-long session focused on preventative measures to keep hydrilla out of Lake Waramaug, which is bordered by Washington, Warren and Kent, and is the state’s second -largest natural lake.
Gregory Bugbee, associate scientist at the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station and an expert on invasive aquatic plants, served as the event’s guest speaker. Sean Hayden, executive director of the Lake Waramaug Conservancy, introduced Bugbee, noting that the state aquatic plant expert would “set the stage for what we’re concerned about when it comes to hydrilla.”
Aggressive hydrilla
strain spreading
Bugbee said that the state has been tracking hydrilla since 2016, when an aggressive subspecies was discovered in the Connecticut River.
The strain — Hydrilla verticillata ssp. lithuanica — traces its origins to Lithuania and has proven particularly aggressive in northern climates.
Bugbee said the plant was discovered in East Twin Lake in Salisbury in June 2023 near O’Hara’s Landing Marina.
“As far as we knew, it was not in any other place, but that all changed quickly when it spread to other waterbodies in Connecticut,” Bugbee said. “We think it spreads primarily by watercraft at boat ramps.”
To illustrate the threat, Bugbee showed a slide of one of his survey boats nearly engulfed by hydrilla in the Mattabesset River. “We are very much worried this is going to be the condition of other lakes if hydrilla is not stopped.”
According to Bugbee, hydrilla is often referred to as the world’s worst invasive aquatic plant. It can grow up to one inch per day, eventually forming dense surface mats thatblock sunlight and deplete oxygen.
Hayden said the possibility of hydrilla reaching Lake Waramaug remains a constant concern.
“If there is anything that keeps me up at night, it’s hydrilla,” he said.
Monitoring and
prevention efforts
Hayden said the lake conservancy already maintains a strong monitoring program. Four times a year, an aquatic plant specialist surveys the shoreline looking for invasive species. “We have been able to eradicate the invasives using mapping and hand-pulling techniques,” he said.
Additional precautions are already in place at the public boat ramp. Every boat and trailer entering the lake is inspected for plant life by monitors working under the town’s parks and recreation department.
The conservancy is also launching an education campaign and installing signs around the lake reminding boaters to clean, drain and dry their watercraft before entering the water.
“It’s not just Lake Waramaug,” Hayden said. “We are looking beyond the shoreline to see where these invasives are coming from and eradicating them.”
Despite those efforts, Hayden said the threat remains. “Hydrilla is a very formidable foe and it’s all around us,” he said. “It’s only a matter of time if we are not vigilant.”
He pointed to the infestation at East Twin Lake. “Over the last three years, they have spent more than $1 million” attempting to control hydrilla there.
Proposed
decontamination station
Officials are considering installing a boat decontamination station at the New Preston firehouse, up from the Lake Waramaug boat launch.
The program is estimated to cost about $100,000 annually, including roughly $15,000 for the decontamination trailer plus labor costs to staff the station during the boating season.
In response to one attendee’s question as to why the sanitization station is not at the state boat launch, Jim Brinton, Washington’s First Selectman, explained that locating the system away from the launch area would help prevent contaminated water from draining back into the lake while also avoiding traffic congestion.
The off-site station would also reduce staffing pressure at the launch and help avoid congestion at the boat ramp during busy times.
“We felt that our park and rec staff does not have the bandwidth to do this,” Brinton said.
Brinton acknowledged the station may not be used every day but said the preventive benefit could be significant.
“We may get no one, but at the same time we may prevent hydrilla from getting into the lake,” he said. “If anyone has a better alternative, I’d like to hear it.”
An added layer
of protection
Dean Sarjeant, a member of the Lake Waramaug Authority, said the sanitization system would provide the “next level of protection against hydrilla.”
While boat monitors have done a strong job inspecting vessels at the launch, he said visual inspections alone cannot detect every potential hiding place.
“We’ve been very lucky,” Sarjeant said, “but we don’t want to press our luck.”
Certain areas of boats and trailers — including ballast tanks and other enclosed spaces — are difficult to inspect.
“In the past we sent them away as a precaution,” he said of boats with features where visual inspection is not possible.“With the decon system, they can go to the station, get cleaned and come back to the lake. It might be a half hour or 45 minutes out of their day, but they’ll be back. We want them to enjoy the lake.”
The process would involve spraying boats and trailers with 140-degree water for several minutes to kill invasive plant fragments. “If we can’t see potential hiding places for hydrilla, we are going to decontaminate it,” he added.
“We thought the boats were safe, and they could have possibly been,” Sarjeant noted. “But now we will be 100 percent sure.”
Brian Zipp, co-chairman of the Lake Waramaug Conservancy, said boats that pass inspection receive a metal tag connecting the boat and trailer. If the tag remains intact, the boat can return to the lake without another inspection. If the tag is removed or broken, the vessel would need to be inspected again.
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Accuracy and reputation key to local news
Patrick L. Sullivan
Mar 11, 2026
Publisher James Clark, left, and Executive Editor Christian Murray speak at Scoville Memorial Library March 7.
Patrick L. Sullivan
SALISBURY — What makes or breaks a local newspaper is its reputation, Lakeville Journal Executive Editor Christian Murray said at the Scoville Memorial Library Saturday, March 7.
Murray and publisher James Clark led a discussion at the library that was originally scheduled for January, but the weather intervened.
Karen Vrotsos, the head of adult programming for the library, introduced Clark and Murray, and noted that thousands of American newspapers have closed in recent decades, creating regional “news deserts.”
Clark said the news business is under “tremendous pressure even as local news remains the most trusted source.”
Clark said there are many ideas being discussed for the future of newspapers, including the possibility of going fully digital and eliminating print. He was quick to add that going all digital is not the plan for the Journal and The Millerton News.
“We all enjoy a print product,” Clark said. “But we’re also strongly focused on reaching readers on whatever platform they prefer — particularly online.”
He also noted that while the Connecticut and New York legislatures have introduced bills designed to support news organizations, including funding journalism jobs, they have also considered bills to remove requirements that legal notices be published in local newspapers.
While legal notices are a source of revenue, Clark said they also provide a valuable public service. “All the recent Wake Robin decisions were in our legals section,” which complemented the paper’s reporting.
Clark said long-term success in local news comes down to three essentials: adequate funding, enough reporters and, as he put it, “simply doing the reporting.”
“It’s challenging,” he continued. He said LJMN Media, the organization that publishes the two papers, is in its fifth year as a non-profit.
He thanked the community for the financial support, which has allowed for the hiring of new reporters and editors and expanded coverage.
One of those hires was Murray.
The native New Zealander used to be based in Queens, N.Y. and worked for outlets such as amNewYork, Newsday and Reuters.
When Clark was looking for a new executive editor and sorting through resumes, Murray’s experience with the Queens Post — a local news service he founded that reported on neighborhoods in that borough — caught his attention.
In Queens, Murray had a large urban readership. Here in northwest Connecticut and eastern Dutchess County, the population is markedly different.
“But the nuts and bolts of reporting are the same,” Murray said. “Communities of any size want to know about affordable housing, healthcare, new businesses and public safety.”
In Queens, “the scale is bigger, but it’s the same board meetings. The machinations are pretty much the same.”
Murray, who moved to northwest Connecticut five years ago, said local news is often more meaningful than national news for readers. “I want to know about the restaurant down the street, or the property up the road.”
He said bigger publications are often content rewriting press releases. “Quality journalism is at the local level. Our reporters are out there talking to people.”
Murray said he chatted recently with a friend who works for Fox Digital.
“He’s covering Iran from his apartment in Long Island City!”
Asked about how the two local papers cover national issues, Clark said “We cover how they affect our communities and what they’re doing about it.”
“We’ll continue providing news as we see it and keeping it balanced,” Murray added.
Asked about using Facebook and other social media, Clark said “we see Facebook as one platform of many. We want to get our news to people where they are.”
The questioner followed up, asking how Facebook comments are moderated.
Clark said that “in general we use as light a touch as possible” for comments.
“We’ll delete or hide comments that are simply inflammatory or profane.”
Clark mentioned “HVRHS Today,” the student publication from Housatonic Valley Regional High School that is a collaboration between The Lakeville Journal and the high school.
“That’s their newspaper. They’re not writing for The Lakeville Journal.”
Clark said there are three high schools in The Millerton News’ coverage area, and he hopes to expand the program.
Both Clark and Murray kept reiterating the importance of local newspapers being accurate and fair.
“Reputation matters so much in local news,” Murray said. “We’re much more accountable to our communities” than larger newspapers.
“When we ship the papers, we know we’re going to see the people we’re writing about in the checkout line at LaBonne’s,” said Clark.
“It gives us that little extra ‘oomph’ to get it right.”
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Region One considers schedule changes to make up for snow days
Patrick L. Sullivan
Mar 11, 2026
Housatonic Valley Regional High School in Falls Village.
Riley Klein
FALLS VILLAGE — The Region One Board of Education will consider a schedule adjustment at a special online meeting Tuesday, March 17, at 8:30 a.m.
Region One has used six snow days this winter. To avoid extending the school year to Monday, June 22, Superintendent Melony Brady-Shanley has proposed several calendar adjustments to ensure the district meets the state requirement of 180 school days.
Shanley-Brady said on Monday, March 9 that the district doesn’t include snow days in its calendar. When a closing occurs, the district adds a day to the school year.
She said extending the school year into the last week of June would be cumbersome for families who have planned for vacations or summer camp.
Under the proposal, Friday, May 22 — originally scheduled as a day off for students and a full day of professional development for teachers — would become a half day for students, with the professional development held in the afternoon.
Friday, June 5, currently scheduled as a full day for students, would instead become a half day, with teachers completing the remaining professional development hours originally planned for May 22.
Thursday, June 18 would be a half day for students and a full day for staff. Friday, June 19 would remain the final day of school and the date of Housatonic Valley Regional High School’s graduation.
At the board’s regular monthly meeting Monday, March 2, membersreceived an update on the district’s proposed 2026–27 budget.
Business Manager Sam Herrick said the budget committee has reduced the initial proposed spending increase from 9.01% to 5.92%, representing roughly $570,000 in cuts.
The reductions include eliminating the Scientific Research Based Interventions coordinator stipend, reducing one full-time shared school psychologist position, consolidating a high school main office position following a retirement, and reductions in spending for athletics and facilities.
Additional adjustments were made to tuition and transportation lines, while some technology purchases will be funded using unexpended funds from prior budgets. Some maintenance projects have also been deferred.
Herrick said rising health insurance costs — projected to increase by 13.5% — along with special education expenses remain the primary drivers of the budget increase.
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Legal Notices - March 12, 2026
Lakeville Journal
Mar 11, 2026
Legal Notice
The Audit report for the Town of Sharon for the fiscal year ending June 30th, 2025 is on file for public inspection in the Town Clerks office during regular office hours and online at sharonct.gov.
Bianca DelTufo
Sharon Town Clerk
03-12-26
Legal Notice
The Planning & Zoning Commission of the Town of Salisbury will hold a Public Hearing on Special Permit Application #2026-0309 by owner David Mabbott for a detached apartment on a single-family residential lot and a new structure that cannot be placed in a buildable area at 1 Elman Drive, Salisbury, Map 25, Lot 12 per Sections 208, 302.5 and 302.6 of the Salisbury Zoning Regulations. The hearing will be held on Monday, March 16, 2026 at 6:45 PM. There is no physical location for this meeting. This meeting will be held virtually via Zoom where interested persons can listen to & speak on the matter. The application, agenda and meeting instructions will be listed at www.salisburyct.us/agendas/. The application materials will be listed at www.salisburyct.us/planning-zoning-meeting-documents/. Written comments may be submitted to the Land Use Office, Salisbury Town Hall, 27 Main Street, P.O. Box 548, Salisbury, CT or via email to landuse@salisburyct.us. Paper copies of the agenda, meeting instructions, and application materials may be reviewed Monday through Thursday between the hours of 8:00 AM and 3:30 PM at the Land Use Office, Salisbury Town Hall, 27 Main Street, Salisbury CT.
Salisbury Planning & Zoning Commission
Robert Riva, Secretary
03-05-26
03-12-26
Legal Notice
The Planning & Zoning Commission of the Town of Salisbury will hold a Public Hearing on Special Permit Application #2026-0310 by owner Congregational Church of Salisbury, Inc. for a use rendering more than 30% of the total lot area in impervious surfaces and retaining less than 30% of the total lot area in vegetative ground cover associated with sidewalk construction at 30 Main Street, Salisbury, Map 54, Lot 78 per Sections 403.4.c and 403.4.d of the Salisbury Zoning Regulations. The hearing will be held on Monday, March 16, 2026 at 6:45 PM. There is no physical location for this meeting. This meeting will be held virtually via Zoom where interested persons can listen to & speak on the matter. The application, agenda and meeting instructions will be listed at www.salisburyct.us/agendas/. The application materials will be listed at www.salisburyct.us/planning-zoning-meeting-documents/. Written comments may be submitted to the Land Use Office, Salisbury Town Hall, 27 Main Street, P.O. Box 548, Salisbury, CT or via email to landuse@salisburyct.us. Paper copies of the agenda, meeting instructions, and application materials may be reviewed Monday through Thursday between the hours of 8:00 AM and 3:30 PM at the Land Use Office, Salisbury Town Hall, 27 Main Street, Salisbury CT.
Salisbury Planning & Zoning Commission
Robert Riva, Secretary
03-05-26
03-12-26
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Classifieds - March 12, 2026
Lakeville Journal
Mar 11, 2026
Services Offered
Hector Pacay Landscaping and Construction LLC: Fully insured. Renovation, decking, painting; interior exterior, mowing lawn, garden, stone wall, patio, tree work, clean gutters, mowing fields. 845-636-3212.
Help Wanted
Gardeners needed for native plant design business: March 15- December 1st. Must be physically fit and dependable. Call for interview 347-496-5168. Resume and references needed.
Weatogue Stables in Salisbury, CT: has an opening for experienced barn help for Mondays and Tuesdays. More hours available if desired. Reliable and experienced please! All daily aspects of farm care- feeding, grooming, turnout/in, stall/barn/pasture cleaning. Possible housing available for a full-time applicant. Lovely facility, great staff and horses! Contact Bobbi at 860-307-8531. Text best for prompt reply.
Real Estate
PUBLISHER’S NOTICE: Equal Housing Opportunity. All real estate advertised in this newspaper is subject to the Federal Fair Housing Act of 1966 revised March 12, 1989 which makes it illegal to advertise any preference, limitation, or discrimination based on race, color religion, sex, handicap or familial status or national origin or intention to make any such preference, limitation or discrimination. All residential property advertised in the State of Connecticut General Statutes 46a-64c which prohibit the making, printing or publishing or causing to be made, printed or published any notice, statement or advertisement with respect to the saleor rental of a dwelling that indicates any preference, limitation or discriminationbased on race, creed, color, national origin, ancestry, sex, marital status, age, lawful source of income, familial status, physical or mental disability or an intention to make any such preference, limitation or discrimination.
Houses For Rent
MT RIGA LAKEFRONT CABIN: Private beach, canoe, kayaks, fishing $1,275 / Week 585-355-5245.
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