Category Archives: Published Article

Published Article written by an SDTC endorsed candidate

From Desk of Selectman Lowe: Budgets and the Lake

Press, Press Clipping, Published Article

From Town Tribune February 16, 2017. Budget season is upon us and the Board of Selectmen (BOS) meets with town entities in pre-budget hearings on Saturday, Feb. 25 at 9 a.m. and on Wednesday, March 1 at 7 p.m. These, of course, are open to the public as are the following budget workshops scheduled for Thursday, March 9 at 7 p.m. and Wednesday, March 17 at 7 p.m. These meetings, held in Mallory Town Hall, are an opportunity to witness firsthand the budgeting priorities of the BOS.

Additionally, a Town Meeting will be held prior to the regular scheduled BOS Meeting (both presently set for Mallory Town Hall) on Thursday, February 23. The Town Meeting is at 6 p.m. and features nine items that Sherman citizens in attendance will be asked to vote on. The meeting’s Warning is on the Town website. Of note is an authorization not to exceed $99K for tennis court repairs and an authorization not to exceed $10K for a new Town website. Also, the adoption of a dog leash ordinance will be considered.
A year has passed since I joined the Board of Selectmen and I have enjoyed this term (my third in total) very much. Serving as minority selectman is challenging, but for the most part, working with my fellow board members has been reasonably smooth. One of my challenges is staying “in the loop” on issues. Clay and Bob are able to caucus (meet) separately, which is normal and allowable, and allows them to discuss items more at depth prior to meetings. I “catch-up” by asking many questions during the BOS meetings in order to receive clarity. Also, I usually receive my meeting material only hours prior so I am frequently cramming last minute to appreciate agenda items. I like both Clay and Bob personally very much although each one of us is quite unique in style and, in some cases, priorities.
One major difference occurred at last month’s BOS meeting. We had an opportunity to add a Sherman delegate to the Candlewood Lake Authority (CLA) who is a longtime lake resident and someone knowledgeable about lake issues. He also possesses a strong financial acumen, which would be a perfect fit for the CLA as it continues to get its financial house in order. I am a strong advocate for Candlewood Lake. The lake is critical to the local economies of the five lake towns and it’s a beautiful recreational resource for countless people. I also support the CLA who, along with an army of wonderful CLA volunteers, is the primary steward of the lake. I am disturbed by New Fairfield’s recent actions to seemingly marginalize or even end the CLA and am especially disturbed by New Fairfield’s plan to singularly use chemicals to deal with milfoil, effectively abandoning the grass carp eradication plan that the CLA began. For anyone who cares about Candlewood Lake, cares about home values, cares about swimming, fishing, or boating in Candlewood Lake, well, New Fairfield’s approach here is a head scratcher.
Yet, Clay and Bob out-voted me and passed over this qualified person to reappoint an individual who sides and votes with New Fairfield’s current position as an adversary to the CLA.
Regarding Candlewood Lake: milfoil, Zebra mussels, blue/green algae, and water quality all potentially threaten this great lake and we need cooperation and expert attention – not politics – to maintain the lake. Its health and well-being affects everyone in our local area and I ask that people stay current on issues surrounding Candlewood Lake.
From the time I started on the BOS, people have asked me if the meetings could somehow be televised. It’s happened. Since November they have been videoed by an amazing young man named Nick Mastrocinque. The episodes air on Spectrum Community Vision and can be viewed by clicking here for the Jan 26, 2017 meeting.  I’d like to personally thank Nick for his volunteer efforts, which brings the Sherman BOS meetings into the comfort of your own home. Thanks Nick! And thank you readers for reading; please feel free to contact me at dlowe@townofshermanct.org

Budget, Dogs, Salt, and Septic

Published Article, , ,

DeskOfDonLowe2

from Town Tribune,  Submitted Article, May 19, 2016

All three of us Selectmen thank the voters of Sherman citizens for passing the Town and School budgets on Saturday, May 14. The two budgets combined will represent a less than one percent increase (90%) over last year’s budget. Clay, Bob, and I received  enormous help from Town treasurer Eric Holub, and wonderful assistance from business administrator Liz LaVia and Ruth Bymes our administrative assistant. We worked line by line to come up with a Town budget that is fiscally disciplined yet, I believe, fair towards the entities we need to support. I was especially pleased as this budget is the smallest increase in the Town budget in 4 years. (Your town budget had increased by 20% in those four years.) Moreover, had we not lost state money in the last weeks, the Board of Selectman would have brought Sherman citizens a flat budget. But we still got very close.

 

Our voter turnout at the budget referendum was remarkably low. I’m not sure why. Only 357 people voted. To me, this speaks to something I wish would change: I wish more people were aware of what’s going on in Sherman and I wish more people would attend the Board of Selectman (BOS) meetings. Yes, I know it’s not necessarily convenient to go to a meeting after a hard day’s work, but I wish more people were “in the loop” of what issues face Sherman. To help with this, I am making strides to have BOS meetings videotaped and replayed on Charter Cable. We’re getting closer to that becoming a reality. I spoke directly with Charter in April and followed up this week. If we do this, it will make it easier for a person to “stay tuned” to what’s happening in Sherman from the comforts of home. I think that’s a good thing. In addition, Selectman Ostrosky has done a lot of research and effort toward improving our town website and making it more information-friendly. We want you to be informed.

 

Clay Cope and I attended a meeting with state health officials over the elevated sodium levels in many town wells. I’ll save you the technical jargon and statistics and tell you that this remains a serious problem in Sherman. I’m happy that we are finally taking some action. After further test results are examined by the state department of health, a coordinated effort between the department of transportation and the health department should result in our town having “low salt” areas on the roads. These are roadways where less thawing material is applied. They will be warned with signs and will direct state road crews to apply less contaminate during episodes of snow and ice. This is the stuff that has washed its way into our town wells. The good news is that current levels of sodium and other contaminates will naturally dissipate over time. But we must stop applying the road material so heavily in identified areas or we will never be rid of this problem.

 

I was disheartened to learn that a soccer coach was attacked by an unleashed dog on Veterans Field. The man suffered a serious bite. I have also received reports of children and adults stepping into dog droppings on both Volunteer Park and Veteran’s Field. Most dog owners are responsible pet keepers, but a few bad apples are ruining it for them. This issue will be on the May BOS meeting agenda and action will be proposed and, hopefully, taken.

 

Septic tank inspections will be back on the Selectman’s agenda. In an effort to avoid another algae bloom and beach closing, we will be drafting another ordinance and sending it to the public for a vote. Changes to the ordinance from the one presented at last year’s referendum are yet to be decided. Candlewood Lake is our most precious resource. Not only is it a recreational gem, but it’s a prime economic engine and our home values are profoundly tied to health of the lake.

 

I’ll go out on a limb and hope that our Bob Gordon, who has lived peacefully here for 46 years and touched the hearts of many Sherman residents, is treated compassionately by the powers that be. He made a terrible decision as a very young man but has certainly atoned for it by being a productive positive person in many people’s lives. I’m sure that hiding these 40-plus years has been its own type of prison. He’s in poor health now and I’m not convinced that further incarceration serves any purpose.

Spring has exploded. There are fish to catch, hills to hike, and baseballs to toss. We are lucky to live in such a lovely town. Thank you for reading!