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It's your town - get informed, get involved and VOTE Tuesday November 5, 2013

 

 

MAYORAL FORUM - Wallingford Candidates forum – Election 2013

WALLINGFORD — The Wallingford Community Women’s Club held the 2013 candidates forum on Tuesday, Oct. 15 in the Town Council Chambers of the Wallingford Town Hall.

Reporters from local newspapers, in addition to students from Sheehan High School, addressed questions to the candidates.

This session was the Mayoral discussion between Republican Mayor William Dickinson Jr. and the Democratic Challenger Jason Zandri.

National Voter Registration Day is September 24, 2013

National Voter Registration Day is September 24, 2013

“Nobody will ever deprive the American people of the right to vote except the American people themselves and the only way they could do this is by not voting.”
- Franklin D. Roosevelt

It's your town Wallingford residents
GET INFORMED, GET INVOLVED
AND VOTE!

Participation - Letters to the editor of the Record Journal

This letter to the editor appeared in the July 26, 2013 edition of the Record Journal

Editor: The political season in Wallingford has begun with both parties declaring their candidates. The question now is whether or not the voters of Wallingford will participate. In 2003, 49 percent of all registered voters came to the polls to vote in the local election in Wallingford. Sadly, this is considered a high turnout for a local election. In 2005 and 2007, the voting percentage declined even more and reached a new low in 2009, with only a 35 percent turnout. In our last election we saw a slight increase to 39 percent. This still represents a 20 percent decline from the high-water mark of 2003.

Our candidates will be watching the voting population and will act accordingly. As citizens, we need to play our part — and using recent history, we are not pulling our weight. Demand more from our candidates. They are asking us for our votes and we should hold them accountable for a past record (if applicable) and demand an answer as to how they will serve the whole town’s needs in the future, if elected. Our government will be as good as our participation. Accepting 25 percent of all registered voters as sufficient to elect a mayor (and even less to be on town council and board of education) is a failure on our part as an electorate.

Be informed (attend town meetings, watch the rebroadcasts on public access, read the paper, meet your candidates). Get engaged (talk to your neighbors, candidates, ask questions, participate at meetings because it is your right, and most of all come out and vote). Your voice, your opinion will be heard if you vote.

LAURENCE MORGENSTEIN, WALLINGFORD

How I Feel – Letter to the Editor

As published in the Record Journal Tuesday June 11, 2013

Editor: Patricia Kohl’s letter (R-J, 6-9) needs a little on-the-record correcting.

I have on many occasions lamented that all local turnout, whether municipal elections or referendum, is very low and that is unfortunate as you have the most impact voting locally. Would you rather be one voice in 25,000 registered voters (or actually one in 12,000, because that’s all that shows up), or would you rather be one voice in 150,000,000 for a presidential one?

Did I say, “The residents already said “no” to that lot.”? Yes, I did.

“6,888 voters went to the polls; of those, 4,120 voted to reject the project. Is that number a minority of the registered voters in Wallingford?” Yes it is, but they showed up and had their say; 4,120 people got their outcome and spoke for all of Wallingford because they were the majority of those that showed up. If the rest of Wallingford wanted their say, they should have showed up.

“So, can one conclude that Zandri believes that 4,120 people represent all of the residents of Wallingford?” How anyone can make that assumption when I have clearly stated in the past: “A minority of registered voters in town dictates the result for the majority”?

I do not want it both ways. I would always prefer to see Wallingford in the high 80th percentile turnout of voters like what we see in the presidential elections but, when the registered voters decide to stay home, the “minority of registered voters in town dictates the result for the majority.” When the voters speak, even if it is the majority of the minority that show up, their will should be done. No need to speculate or “conclude” any further -- this is how I feel.

It’s your town – get informed, get involved and vote.

JASON ZANDRI, WALLINGFORD