Town Council Speech

At yesterday’s town council meeting (3/6/17), the serious problems of Cottone Field took center stage. Concerned residents and students lined up to inform the council about the worn-out condition of the field which has recently caused injuries to several students. The injuries were due to the uplift of the base layer of silica sand which purpose is to act as a cushion. Without this base layer of sand, the field becomes incredible dense, providing little to no dampening of impacts. The result of this is that students are getting sprained ankles in situations where they would normally be uninjured. One concerned resident reported “their was no difference in feel between the concrete and the field once I stepped on to it”. Another reported
If you guessed the WHS DECA marketing club, you are correct. WHS’s DECA marketing club recently had $4,000 in travel allocations unexpectedly cut from their budget. Without this money they won’t be going to this year's annually DECA competition in Anaheim, California. What is most surprising is that the students of DECA and their parents are paying all of their own travel costs, the $4,000 is only needed for the school chaperones without which the group can’t attend. Lisa Puglielli spoke at yesterday’s town council meeting urging the council to “celebrate the remarkable achievements of our students and show them the pride our town has for their accomplishments.” Likewise, DECA student representative Austin Bovino pleaded to the council to “to consider unfreezing the funds necessary to send us to the national conference”. By far the most surprising event of the meeting when concerned citizen Greg Lichatz vowed $4,000 out of his own pocket if the DECA does not receive the funds from the Town Council. If it wasn’t for noble citizens like Mr.Lichatz, the hard work and dedication of the Wethersfield DECA club may have been in
A meeting of a local democracy in action where the voice of the local townsfolk take prominence and the council serves to address the desires of the town. The council, driven by a deep desire to serve, is faced with the task of making all of the towns serious financial decisions. They do this with a high degree of efficiency, allotting specific time slots for guests speakers and presentations, as well as by closely following a pre-planned agenda. During these meetings, order is paramount. As when order is lost, democracy begins to break down. For accountability purposes, all guest speakers must identify both their names and addresses when coming up to the podium. In addition, the pre-planned time slots serve to ensure that speakers have adequate time to plan their speech rather than embarking on impromptu overzealous tirades. The council’s dedication to order, efficiency, and service greatly facilitates the local democracy in its function. Ensuring that it is by, of, and for the people. The key member of the council, town manager Jeff Bridges, is a full-time paid employee whose whole career is dedicated to the service of the town and council. He handles the town’s finances and implements the important policies agreed upon by the council. His full time service to the town is indispensable, without which the budget would likely be in disarray. To see a true democracy in action