Eileen Cranney PDTC Chair

Thoughts from the Chair 

A Democrat Back in Town – 

Eileen Cranney

 October is upon us, and as of Thursday October 1st there are 33 days between that date and Tuesday November 3rd.  What that means to you as a voter in the Town of Prospect is that you have 33 more days to become fully informed on who is running for what office, and what this election will mean to you, your family and our town.  In the September issues of the Prospect Pages I wrote about the passion and experience of the Row “A” Team that is headed by Theresa Cocchiola Graveline.  As a quick refresher I highlighted the experience of the group with respect to issues of zoning, wetlands, open space, budget oversight and in general about the desire to safeguard the interest and investments you have made as Prospect citizens.  I’m sure you’ll agree the Row “A” candidates are of high caliber and bring many years of valuable experience to the positions they seek.

One of the first areas of focus for the Row “A” team is to make a responsible and measurable plan for Economic Development.   Not every business is right for Prospect and smart decisions about what businesses will enhance our town need to be made.  Then we have to make the right efforts to attract them.  We need to take a hard look at what we are missing, and solicit the right investors who are aligned with us in sustaining the things that make Prospect better.  This also means looking at current businesses and saying – how do we help you expand, hire more people and improve.   Make no mistake, the “A” team is ready to do the hard work, ask the tough questions and channel our energy to achieve positive outcomes.  

The second focus needs to be on the development of Technology and Infrastructure -the core of how the municipal business of the town is executed.  Technology supports efficiency, whether its voice mail in town hall, or the ability to use the web or internet to participate in town meetings.  By standing still and not putting technology to work for us we are losing ground as other towns move past us; we have some catching up to do in this area.  Technology also supports growth in Economic Development.  (Remember point 1.)  Many towns now are well invested in Wi-Fi for the community and municipal buildings.  This is an example of an absolute economic advantage that we can leverage for improvement in efficiency to make these investments with minimal expense. 

Enhancing Economic Development, Technology and Infrastructure produces a natural outcome of improved circumstances for the current taxpaying resident of Prospect.  It also makes Prospect an attractive location for our kids to buy a house as well a place our seniors can enjoy their retirement.

So I invite you to become an informed citizen. Come and talk with us, we want to hear your thoughts on the points above.  The Democratic Town Committee will be hosting an opportunity to Meet the Candidates at Bakis Restaurant on Sunday October 18th – Put that date on your calendar to come by and share your ideas with the Row “A” team and eat some terrific pizza at the same time.   We will also be at the Pumpkin Festival – stop by for some fabulous BBQ Chicken or Grilled Cheese!  We’ll be sponsoring other fun and informative events in town.  There will be posters, flyers and emails to keep you in the loop.  You can also checkout our  Facebook page: Prospect, CT Democrats.   For the folks who didn’t get to the the spectacular Night in Old Napoli (because we sold out the place) there are more opportunities get to know to spend some quality time with the candidates who want to help Prospect “Write the Next Chapter”.