Letters • Published Nov 13, 2024 08 am
Chester’s overwhelming defeat of the charter question 1,624 “no” to 795 “yes” on Nov. 5 produced some obvious and possibly remarkable conclusions. By more than 2-to-1, Ch...
Letters • Published Oct 30, 2024 08 am
If approved, the charter will pass the power of the purse strings to the Board of Selectmen (BOS), giving them the ability to tax and spend with the power to override any...
Letters • Published Oct 30, 2024 08 am
I am writing in support of Renee LaMark Muir for state representative in the 36th Assembly District. I am confident that Renee will continue to advocate for women’s healt...
Letters • Published Oct 30, 2024 08 am
The already controversial Chester debate about a proposed charter turned sharply more controversial on Oct. 22 when selectmen were told a pro-charter flyer misrepresented...
Letters • Published Oct 23, 2024 08 am
We believe now is the right time to move forward and adopt an updated governance structure for the Town of Chester. After two years of intense research, two different bip...
Letters • Published Oct 23, 2024 08 am
I’m happy to endorse Renee La Mark Muir as State Representative for the 36th District (Chester, Essex, Deep River, and Haddam). Renee has been a long-time resident of thi...
Letters • Published Oct 23, 2024 08 am
A number of people in Chester have questioned me regarding the proposed charter, saying that, in their opinion, there hasn’t been enough clear, straightforward communicat...
Letters • Published Oct 23, 2024 08 am
I am pleased to support Renee Lamark Muir as my candidate for State Representative in the 36th Assembly District. Renee is a longtime member of the Deep River community a...
Letters • Published Oct 16, 2024 08 am
As a Chester property owner and Ivoryton resident, voting yes for the Chester charter is one of the easiest decisions of the decade. The obvious pros are: increased size ...
Letters • Published Oct 16, 2024 08 am
As co-chairs of the governance study in 2022, we want to offer our perspectives on the upcoming referendum.
As a registered Republican and as an unaffiliated voter who ch...
Letters • Published Oct 16, 2024 08 am
People are asking for the pros and cons of the proposed Chester charter. Even without doing that, it’s very easy to make the following argument for voting no on adopting ...
Letters • Published Oct 16, 2024 08 am
I am supporting Renee LaMark Muir to represent Chester, Essex, Deep River, and Haddam as our next State Representative. Renee knows our community well. She has consistent...
Letters • Published Oct 16, 2024 08 am
The towns of Haddam, Chester, Essex, and Deep River are fortunate to have Renee LaMark Muir, an astute and experienced candidate running for state representative. Locally...
Letters • Published Oct 16, 2024 08 am
Many of you may not know me; I currently have three children in the Region 4 school system and have had for many years. My eldest daughter is now a sophomore at Valley Re...
Letters • Published Oct 16, 2024 08 am
It’s disappointing to see the Chester squirrel on lawn signs advocating a particular vote. It’s a shame that this fun, recognizable symbol is being politicized. It should...
Letters • Published Oct 09, 2024 08 am
I’ve lived in this wonderful town of Chester for 70 years and witnessed many changes; some good, others we may have been better without. As your “homegrown” selectman, I’...
Letters • Published Oct 09, 2024 08 am
A comparison of the letter from Ron Amara (“Vote ‘No’,” Sept. 26) with the actual charter proposal reveals some misunderstandings.
Ron fears that the proposed charter wil...
Letters • Published Oct 09, 2024 08 am
As a former member of the Chester Charter Commission and an unaffiliated voter, I understand that the Chester Charter referendum has exposed many differences of opinion, ...
Letters • Published Oct 09, 2024 08 am
Kathryn Russell’s recent mailer claims, “the Democratic Assembly has passed three of the largest tax hikes in our [s]tate history.” In actuality, since 2019, state Democr...
Letters • Published Oct 09, 2024 08 am
I had the pleasure of driving Kathryn Russell around Chester on her door-knocking mission to meet and converse with the citizens of the four towns in the 36th District. S...
Letters • Published Oct 09, 2024 08 am
Having read the proposed Chester Charter and attended a public hearing and one of the small Q&A group sessions, we are convinced that the charter form of government is Ch...
Letters • Published Oct 09, 2024 08 am
A letter to the editor is typically an opinion. My rebuttal to Eric Anderson Sr. (“No Longer Serves Our Community,” Sept. 26) isn’t saying that his opinion is wrong since...
Letters • Published Oct 02, 2024 08 am
Vote Yes for Chester Charter continues Chester’s traditional selectmen/Town Meeting governance. At Town Meeting, voters are the legislators who decide annual budgets that...
Letters • Published Oct 02, 2024 08 am
I would like to thank Rita Christopher for her outstanding Person of the Week on Marilyn Alverio (“Marilyn Alverio: Powering Up,” Sept. 19). At a time when all forms of d...
Letters • Published Oct 02, 2024 08 am
The Chester Hose Company held its first annual golf tournament on Sept.14. The tournament was at Lyman’s Golf Club in Middlefield. We had 15 teams of four, all trying to ...
Letters • Published Sep 25, 2024 08 am
There is much to love about our small town of Chester and its 4,000 residents. At the heart of the debate on whether or not to adopt the proposed charter referendum is th...
Letters • Published Sep 25, 2024 08 am
Chester voters have an exceptionally large stake in this year’s Nov. 5 election with a question on the ballot about adopting a charter form of government. I want to thank...
Letters • Published Sep 25, 2024 08 am
For a long time, Connecticut residents have not considered how energy costs affect their cost of living. However, that is changing with the surprising “public cost” charg...
Letters • Published Sep 25, 2024 08 am
Having served as this district’s state representative for six years, I understand what the job requires. There are three essential qualities needed, and Renee LaMark Muir...
Letters • Published Sep 18, 2024 08 am
As members of the Chester Charter Commission, we considered if Chester needed a charter and, if so, how it should be structured. We concluded that a charter was the best ...
Letters • Published Sep 11, 2024 08 am
“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” Social media has been flooded with this tired trope by those who oppose the referendum to adopt a proposed Charter for Chester. Out of ...
Letters • Published Sep 04, 2024 08 am
First it was the church leaders closing off the church parking lot preventing runners from using it, after decades of use, for the Four on the Fourth Race. Their excuse t...
Letters • Published Aug 28, 2024 08 am
As a Chester resident and member of various boards and commissions, I have followed the governance study and charter commission with great interest. As some of you read t...
Letters • Published Aug 07, 2024 08 am
“Tax collector” sounds like it has to do with numbers, but my job was all about people. Every year, I saw residents’ circumstances change: a new home with added bedrooms ...
Letters • Published Jul 17, 2024 08 am
After 30-plus years of allowing registration and parking for the Chester Road Race, I was shocked and disappointed by the decision of St. Joseph's Church not to allow the...
Letters • Published Jun 26, 2024 08 am
Chester has shortchanged senior citizens for years, failing to provide genuinely affordable, income-limited housing for seniors like other towns, including Deep River and...
Letters • Published Jun 12, 2024 08 am
The Nest is a small cafe in downtown Deep River that has developed a cozy atmosphere with soft colors, comfy couches, and a cute little book nook. The Nest is also a non-...
Letters • Published May 01, 2024 08 am
After years of misguided and ineffective efforts to improve cellular service in Chester, the town is on a new path.
On April 23, the Board of Selectmen heard a presentati...
Letters • Published Apr 17, 2024 08 am
March 16 was a big day for Region 4 Education Foundation, Inc. We held our second annual Catch a Leprechaun 5K in Essex. We had about 200 runners, and we increased our sp...
Letters • Published Apr 10, 2024 08 am
Chester fans of literature, good cheer, and reliable information resources lost a friend recently in the passing of Leigh Basilone of Deep River. Leigh was part of the li...
Letters • Published Apr 03, 2024 08 am
As many of the residents of Chester know, I recently had a building that belongs to me catch on fire. I want you all to know that no one was hurt by the fire or during th...
Letters • Published Mar 20, 2024 08 am
As a former Chester and Region 4 Board of Education (BOE) member, I have followed the John Winthrop Middle School mold situation closely, and attending the public hearing...
Letters • Published Mar 13, 2024 08 am
I am writing to urge the communities of Chester, Deep River, and Essex to come together and Vote “Yes” at the upcoming March 26 referendum. For the last six months, John ...
Letters • Published Feb 28, 2024 08 am
For too long, the local Board of Education (BOE) has been able to get whatever they want, no matter how costly and without accountability. Their budgets only increase des...
Letters • Published Feb 07, 2024 08 am
Some years ago, not long after she was first elected, I asked State Representative Christine Palm for help with a new state requirement. I appreciated her efforts, which ...
Letters • Published Jan 17, 2024 08 am
According to recent news articles, the Regional School District 4 Board of Education is considering abandoning the John Winthrop Middle School (JWMS) due to building fail...
Letters • Published Jan 10, 2024 08 am
Chester Board of Selectmen Democrats Cynthia Lignar and Patricia Bandzes appear determined to pursue a deeply flawed plan to locate a new cellular phone service tower at ...
Letters • Published Nov 29, 2023 08 am
On Nov. 20, the Chester Planning and Zoning Commission (PZC) approved the development of 47 Middlesex Avenue with conditions. That they approved the development with cond...
Letters • Published Nov 15, 2023 08 am
I would like to go on record opposing the overdevelopment plan for 47 Middlesex Turnpike being proposed to Chester by Vesta and Honeycomb Corporation. It has been made cl...
Letters • Published Nov 15, 2023 08 am
I join with Reverend W. Alan Froggatt of United Church of Chester, as Faith Leaders of Chester, to condemn the rise of antisemitism throughout the region, the country, an...
