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01/19/2022 07:30 AMYou can call her first selectwoman, but Charlene Janacek says most people in Chester just call out, “Hey, Charlene.”
There’s more reason than ever to talk to Charlene these days. Since former Chester first selectwoman Lauren Gister resigned effective Jan. 5 to become town manager in Carbondale, Colorado, Charlene has been Chester’s first selectwoman.
It is less than a month in office, but Charlene points out she is not new to town government. For the past six years, she has been a member of the Board of Selectmen and since she moved to Chester some 53 years ago, she has been active in the community.
Charlene was one of Chester’s two registrars of voters, a position she relinquished when she became a member of the Board of Selectmen.
She has also served as a member of both the police and fire commissions, as well as being a longtime member the auxiliary of the Chester Hose Company.
“I joined shortly after we moved here,” she says. Her husband Bill, who died 2 ½ years ago, was also a member of the Fire Department.
“I participated in so many things; when something came up. I did it,” she says. “Even before the Board of Selectmen, when I went to Adams [market] people would ask me what I thought. After all, I’ve been here since 1969.”
Charlene didn’t know that Gister had any intention of making a professional move. She recalls that the former first selectwoman came over to her house on Thanksgiving evening. Charlene thought it was going to be for a friendly chat over the holiday.
She doesn’t want to quote the conversation verbatim, but recalls that Gister warned her when their conversation started that what she was about to say was going to be a complete surprise.
It was.
“Extreme shock set in; this was not in my game plan,” Charlene says.
Gister also informed Tom Englert, the other member of the Board of Selectmen. Charlene is a Democrat, as was Gister; Englert is a Republican.
At a recent meeting of the Board of Selectmen, both board members said they are eager to fill the now-vacant third seat. Anyone who is interested in the position should either email a letter expressing that interest to Jenny Watrous in the First Selectman’s Office (jennywatrous@chesterct.org) or drop the letter off at the office in person, at Chester Town Hall, 203 Middlesex Ave, Chester,
Longtime residents may remember Charlene as the proprietor on The Lunch Box, a coffee shop she ran for more than a decade on Main Street, where the Villager now is.
“Some people still tell me I made the best bacon and egg sandwiches,” she says.
When she opened The Lunch Box, Charlene says she wasn’t an experienced cook.
“But I was Italian; I called my mother for help,” she says.
She also remembers getting assistance making soups from the chef of Restaurant du Village, a now-gone Chester bistro.
“My mother didn’t make soups,” she says.
In her new role, Charlene has already put out one general letter to residents encouraging them to come talk to her in person about issues and concerns. She will be in her office in Chester Town Hall on Tuesdays from 1 to 7 p.m. and anybody is welcome to come in.
She does not like communicating by social media, despite its popularity.
“Everything is aired on social media. Nobody tells you things to your face. I have a land line; my telephone is listed and people can come and talk in person,” she says.
Like all other communities, Chester must cope with COVID-19. Charlene says that the Connecticut River Area Health District, of which Chester is a part, has told her that while omicron numbers have continued to increase, Chester has comparatively lower rates.
Charlene appreciates the work done by local resident Kim Megrath and the team Megrath assembled to help Chester residents get both vaccinations and boosters.
“I want to credit Kim and that group of people; they did a fantastic job,” she says.
As she looks at other issues that the town must deal with including perennial problems like parking in downtown Chester, one added question at the moment is affordable housing.
“The state has mandated that,” Charlene says, but adds there can be confusion over what the term means. “Affordable housing is not low-income housing. It’s affordable so people who live here can afford to stay in town. We have an aging population and people want to stay here where they have lived.”
Going forward, Charlene would like to refer to the Town Plan of Conservation and Development for guidance.
“We had to do it every 10 years and it is a beautiful document. I don’t want to see it sitting on a shelf. I would like it acted on,” she says.
Charlene has already made one major decision. She will fill Gister’s two-year term, which runs until Nov. 21, 2023, but she does not plan to run for re-election. She is about to be 75.
“I’m no spring chicken,” she says, but adds, “I’m very active.”
She hopes a younger generation will become involved in town management.
“I would like to see some young blood stepping up now. I know young people work full time and make big salaries,” she says, “but somebody younger has to get involved now to learn how the town operates.”
She has other plans for herself.
“I’d like to finally have time to travel and time to spend with grandchildren and great grandchildren,” she says. “And I’d like to slow down someday. I haven’t done that in 53 years.”