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Voters Say ‘No’ to Proposed Charter

Chester residents voted ‘no’ by a margin of 1617 to 784 to the proposed town charter on Election Day, Nov. 5.

The landslide vote against the charter - which would have changed the structure and flow of Chester’s municipal government - marks a victory for its opponents, who viewed the charter as essentially being a power grab by town officials.

Those against the charter, which included town officials such as Selectman Paul Radicchi and Board of Finance member John Chillock, believed the charter would have restricted the vote of Chester residents in town-wide decision-making and established a patronage system by what would have been an expanded Board of Selectmen (BOS). Opponents believed this would have reached its pinnacle with the Planning and Zoning Commission, whose members would have been appointed rather than elected under charter government.

“This grassroots, bipartisan group came together for the good of Chester, and the voters spoke loudly,” Chillock said. “It is now time for our town to move forward and continue with this bipartisan spirit.”

Raddichi expressed his gratitude to all those who voted in this election cycle, but he also lamented what he said was unseen “dissension” the issue the charter “caused in this wonderful little town of ours.”

“There are wounds that may take time to heal, and we must all work toward that healing process,” Radicchi said. “In my effort to take a positive from this endeavor, I hope that it can be a learning experience and that it also encourages our taxpayers to become more engaged in all our town affairs.”

Proponents of the charter, which included First Selectman Cindy Lignar and Selectman Pat Bandzes, saw that the charter would have addressed numerous issues inherent in the town government’s structure. Those issues include addressing inefficiencies and stagnation in town-led development, increasing complexities in running the current government structure, and filling in vacancies on town boards and commissions.

Contrary to voting-related concerns expressed against the charter, proponents like Bandzes believed a charter would have provided “more opportunities and better representation for voters compared to what currently exists under state statutes,” as she previously informed the Valley Courier.

In a town-wide email sent on Nov. 6, Lignar said Chester’s leaders will “continue to work together for what is best” for the town and its residents and will work to “maintain the type of community where matters of public concern can be deliberated in ways to promote understanding.”