Tackling disunity in Winsted

Winsted will kick off 2010 with what appears to be a non-confrontational Board of Selectmen, a highly experienced town manager, a budget in the black and a renewed effort to make the town a better-run place. There is a refreshing sense of rebirth in the air, but there’s just one problem. Haven’t we heard all this before?

Every year for as long as we can remember, mayors, boards of selectmen, school boards and town managers have said they want positive change. They pledge to be honest, trustworthy, responsible and transparent as they involve Winsted voters in the budget process and work toward uniting the community.

Sadly, there has been little unity in recent years. As the budget process begins each spring, a minority of community members tends to begin a negative whisper campaign, which slowly builds into a roar. Complaints about excessive taxation and inadequate services bubble to the surface, while attacks on the town’s school system resume. By the time we hold our annual town meeting each May, the battle is invariably underway.

For those who have lived through it for the past 10, 20 or 50 years, it will be difficult to imagine a new board getting all of Winsted to agree on anything, let alone a budget, but this is not the time to be a naysayer. Town leaders will have plenty of negativity to contend with as the new term unfolds.

The encouraging news is that Mayor Candy Perez and Interim Town Manager Wayne Dove appear to be up to the task. Perez has said repeatedly over the years that she wants more transparency in the budget process and that regular presentations should be made to the voters. Dove is in agreement, and told The Journal this week that “the customer,� i.e., the public, is his number-one priority.

In the end, Winsted’s new leadership team gets our cautiously optimistic blessing. Past failures should not dictate the future of a community, and Laurel City residents should keep an open mind long enough to hear what town officials have to offer. Better days may be just around the corner.