North Canaan, Salisbury ranked top towns in Region One
Graphic by Peter Austin
This chart breaks down the home towns of the students that responded to the survey. North Canaan represented more than a quarter of the responses, with Salisbury trailing closely.Graphic by Peter AustinLatest News
KENT — Eric Epstein, a lifelong Kent resident and veteran volunteer firefighter, was elected unopposed this fall as the town’s first selectman, stepping into the role for the first time with deep local roots.
Epstein, a 51-year-old Democrat, took over from Marty Lindenmayer in November, after Lindenmayer chose not to seek re-election after being in office for just one term.
Born and raised in Kent, Epstein attended Kent Center School and Housatonic Valley Regional High School before earning an associate degree in business administration from SUNY Cobleskill.
After college, he returned to Kent to begin a career in sales — first at the local Chevrolet dealership, then briefly in New Milford — before joining Gowans-Knight Company, a Watertown-based fire apparatus manufacturer. Epstein continues to work part-time in sales for the company.
Public service, Epstein said, “is in my blood.” He joined the Kent Volunteer Fire Department at age 18 and has served for more than 30 years, including two stints as chief totaling 13 years. He remains an active volunteer firefighter. He has also served the town in emergency management, a volunteer position responsible for coordinating municipal responses to large-scale emergencies.
Epstein’s family history in town government and local affairs runs deep. His mother, Ruth Epstein, served two terms as Kent’s first selectman, and his father was principal of Kent Center School for three decades. Today, Epstein and his wife, MaryEllen, are raising their children, Ella, 11, and Evan, 9, in Kent; both attend Kent Center School.
Although new to elected office, Epstein is not new to municipal operations. His years working with town officials through the fire department and emergency management has provided him with regular exposure to budgeting, coordination and intergovernmental planning.
When the Democratic Town Committee approached him this summer about running for first selectman, he said the timing finally felt right.
“I care deeply about this community and believe in its potential,” Epstein said. “We face real challenges, and I want to bring thoughtful, transparent leadership that puts people first.”
Among those challenges, Epstein points first to affordability. With housing costs rising, he said, young families and workers are increasingly priced out, contributing to declining school enrollment. He supports the Kent Affordable Housing initiative’s newly approved 13-unit rental project and said expanding housing options will be critical to the town’s long-term vitality.
Epstein takes office ahead of budget season, which involves capital planning and a fiscal year budget to be finalized ahead of a May town vote. He said the learning curve is steep, but emphasized that close collaboration with the Board of Finance and department heads will be essential.
Other priorities include addressing the future of the town-owned Swift House—an unused, non-ADA-compliant historic property; rehabilitating the town’s spring-fed swimming pond; advancing road and sidewalk projects; and expanding waste-reduction efforts at the transfer station. Kent recently received a state grant to install an on-site composter, allowing food scraps to be processed locally and the finished compost returned to residents for gardens.
Epstein is also working with state officials on river access and safety issues that surfaced last summer, and with neighboring towns on regional concerns ranging from emergency medical services to waste management. He said early meetings with other Northwest Corner first selectmen have been helpful in sharing strategies on common problems.
Although he ran unopposed, Epstein said he views the office as a significant responsibility and does not take the mandate lightly.
“I’ll listen closely to residents’ concerns, learn from their experiences, and engage in open, respectful dialogue,” he said, prior to taking office.
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North Canaan faces a turning point
Jan 07, 2026
North Canaan needs to turn the page. The town entered a new chapter in November, not only with the election of a new first selectman, but with significant changes across Town Hall. Several key positions are now held by new faces, and the Town Clerk’s office is showing stability after a lengthy period of disruption.
For a small town, such turnover matters — and it helps explain why the handoff into the new year hasn’t been seamless.
Jesse Bunce took office after a razor-thin election and a challenging transition, marked by technology issues, operational delays, and a disrupted payroll. These issues were real, but they’ve been addressed. With those behind them, the town is now looking ahead to the work that remains.
Bunce brings a background in infrastructure, equipment and cost estimation, honed through years running a local excavation business. His practical experience aligns with many of North Canaan’s most pressing needs. In a town with a limited tax base, deferred maintenance and aging public assets are not abstract policy concerns — they are real issues that require careful planning and disciplined spending.
He emphasizes a straightforward governing approach: prioritizing what’s best for the town and encouraging collaboration over division. If he can successfully implement this approach, it could provide a solid foundation for the work ahead.
Former First Selectman Brian Ohler, who remains on the Board of Selectmen after his narrow defeat, has shown grace and a clear willingness to contribute to the town’s future. His commitment to collaboration and professionalism sets an important example as the town transitions. Ohler’s work over the years has laid a foundation of service, and his willingness to work alongside Bunce offers a model for positive, unified governance.
Turning the page doesn’t mean ignoring problems or lowering expectations. Residents deserve reliable operations, functional systems, and accountability from Town Hall.
But it does mean recognizing that progress will depend on cooperation and goodwill — not just from elected officials, but from staff, volunteers and residents alike.
The challenges ahead are ones the community faces together: improving roads and bridges, addressing deteriorating town assets, supporting children and working families and managing costs to keep North Canaan affordable.
The town has experienced a period of change. The next two years should be defined not by transition issues, but by measurable progress.
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Sharon Hospital addresses ambulance services
Recent public discussion regarding paramedic services in the Sharon community has understandably raised concerns. As such, we welcome the opportunity to clarify the facts and, more importantly, to reassure residents that emergency medical services in Sharon are not only continuing but strengthening.
Sharon Hospital is now part of Northwell Health, the largest health system in the Northeast, with extensive emergency transport and EMS capabilities across western Connecticut and the Hudson Valley. As part of this system, Sharon Hospital is supported by a licensed and experienced paramedic program already operating in the Danbury and New Milford region, with the ability to extend those services to appropriately support the Sharon community.
Effective Jan. 1, 2026, Sharon Hospital will ensure 24/7 emergency medical coverage for the community. This includes support for emergency response, interfacility transport and critical care needs, backed by the depth, redundancy, and clinical oversight of a larger health system. These capabilities are not theoretical — they are already in place and functioning successfully across our region.
Some commentary has focused on the hospital’s decision not to continue sponsoring Northern Dutchess Paramedics (NDP). It is important to note that NDP was acquired in October by Empress Ambulance Service, a private, for-profit, out-of-state organization. We recognize that the change in sponsorship may disrupt NDP’s business interests in the Sharon community, yet it does not represent a loss of emergency medical services for residents who rely on us for care.
We want to be clear: no EMS services are being eliminated, and no gaps in coverage are anticipated. Our responsibility is to ensure safe, reliable, and compliant emergency care for our patients and our community, and our current plan does exactly that.
Change can bring uncertainty, and we recognize the importance of open communication. Sharon Hospital remains committed to transparency, collaboration with local EMS partners, and continued engagement with community leaders and residents. We invite you to a Town Hall on Thursday, Jan. 8 from 5 to 6 p.m. in the cafeteria at Sharon Hospital to answer any questions you may have. Please RSVP to Griffin.Cooper@nuvancehealth.org.
Our focus remains where it belongs: on delivering high-quality, dependable emergency medical care to the people of Sharon and surrounding towns, today and into the future.
Christina McCulloch
President, Sharon Hospital
Sharon
Reality contrasts with the spirit of the season
This time of year is nostalgic and beautiful with the Christmas lights and decorations. The cold reality of what is going on in our country brings all those feelings to an abrupt halt.
Now King Trump is publicly stating that Somalians are ruining our country and have been for years. There are not enough Somalian people in the United States to ruin anything. I wonder if he was thinking about that during his “Great Gatsby” party? Or if he thought about how many people would go hungry without their SNAP benefits? His answer is to any criticism is to post a picture of himself with a crown on his head, in a plane, dropping fecal bombs on the American people That says exactly what Teflon Don thinks of our country.
Donnie is making millions building his hotels all over the world and defending (lying for) the Saudi Arabian leader Mohammed bin Salman, who approved the murder of Jamal Khashoggi. What does he get in return? An arms deal, building Trump hotels, maybe oil, all of the above and probably things we don’t know about.
Why is everyone surprised about Trump’s reluctance to release the Epstein files? Or that Ghislaine Maxwell was moved to a better facility — a child predator, as evil as her partner Jeffrey Epstein. I don’t think there is any person who doesn’t know about Trump’s friendship with the lovely couple. Trump’s infamous reputation with women speaks for itself.
King Trump’s policies, or lack thereof, are dangerous, debilitating, self-promoting, and corrupt. His sycophants, also known as his cabinet are as incompetent, mercenary and narcissistic as he is.
We still have a long way to go before King Trump is out of office so to all I say “Merry Christmas” and God help us!
Gretchen Gordon
Sharon
Dems look to 2026 election cycle
The Northwest Corner which usually remains quiet and out of the mind of the rest of Connecticut is shaping up to host some of the most intense political races in the state.
Democrats are poised to take the state senate seat that has been held by Stephen Harding who is the leader of the minority party in the state legislature. Jahana Hayes who has been our Representative in congress faces heavy winds in a district which doesn’t always go to Democrats and one of the areas Republicans have made gains within the state.
In 2024 we saw Representative Jahana Hayes win 53.4% to George Logan’s 46.6%. Yes that is a 6.8% margin but at the end of the day that is still a tight race for a state that trends heavily blue and hasn’t had a Republican in the Governor’s mansion since 2011.
Litchfield county is one of two counties in the state of Connecticut that has gone to a Republican president for the last three presidential cycles and is a very possible pickup for Republicans in 2026 when Democrats are focused on battle ground states.
Jahana Hayes may not be in her seat with several Republicans announcing their bid for the Republican nomination and one independent candidate which lays a hard race with narrow margins. Salisbury and other towns in the Northwest Corner who have strong Democratic Town Committees have gone off to the races to mitigate and help Democrats gain instead of lose seats with Salisbury holding delegate elections the week of the 17th of January for the Democratic state convention of 2026 and 2028. Salisbury is shaping to be a leader in a race that would otherwise be quiet but not in 2026 with a lot of political decisions being decided by Litchfield county.
Kip Carter
Salisbury
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