A Horse Race With No Odds

Whether or not the next Winchester Board of Selectmen can handle tough decisions and work together for the success of Winsted will be determined by next Tuesday’s election, which could see candidates winning by the slimmest of margins. With so many candidates vying for seats, the election has been aptly likened to a horse race, without the odds.

It would be difficult for even Vegas oddsmakers to determine the favorites in this year’s race. Despite the news that town Republicans have collected the most campaign dollars, Democrats have been beating the pavement, going door-to-door for votes. The new Winchester Party has the advantage of offering a breath of fresh air, while the Winsted Independent Party holds its time-honored, brass-knuckle approach to taxes and castigating the school system.

Since the bookies don’t want any of this action, we’ll go ahead and make some predictions that we think are safe. First, at least three incumbents will retain their seats in next Tuesday’s election. The remaining four seats will be taken by two Republicans, one Democrat and a member of the Winchester Party. Members of the Winsted Independent Party and petitioning candidate Jay Budahazy will receive the lowest number of votes.

Town Clerk Sheila Sedlack will retain her position, of course, while a new school board will be dominated by members of the Winchester Party, with Republicans and Democrats taking minority positions. Constables will include one Democrat and one Republican.

The only sure bet in the entire bunch is Mrs. Sedlack, our beloved and knowledgeable town clerk who, despite being a Democrat, manages to stay out of the public political fray. Advanced congratulations go out to her on another successful term in office.

We’ll be watching the action as it unfolds over the next few days, right up until the end of voting at 8 p.m. Tuesday. Will we be forced to eat our words? Open up next week’s issue to find out.