Table of Contents
Aid for Farmers
| At our most recent Town Council meeting, the Democrats on Town Council unanimously supported sending a proposal for grants to aid our farmers to the Board of Finance for consideration. These grants, which are funded entirely with Federal ARPA monies and have no direct impact on Glastonbury taxpayers, would offer a one-time “hand up” to our farmers of up to $10k. This has been an extraordinary year for our farming community. From late freezes to unprecedented flooding, our farmers have met with disaster at every turn. Yet they continue to hustle–there is no alternative in farming. They plant, they harvest, they show up at farmer’s markets, community events, and host farm dinners to stay afloat. In a year when we have all faced the challenges of inflation, our farmers have faced the additional hurdle of destructive weather. While longer-term support and solutions to the climate crisis for farmers needs to be addressed, we are grateful to be able to offer these grants to the backbone of our community. While at least one of our colleagues believe this proposal to be “inappropriate” and that it is “not the responsibility of Glastonbury taxpayers to support farming businesses” to help sustain our farming community, we firmly believe that our community as we know it is defined by our proud farming history. The guidelines for application are outlined in our most recent council packet. While the details are still being hammered out, and the program requires approval from the Board of Finance, we are hopeful that we can offer much-needed help to our farming friends and neighbors and maintain a crucial piece of the fabric of our community. |
Bipartisan Measure
| In last week’s Citizen, Nick Korns asserted that the creation of the Racial Justice and Equity Commission and the survey it is conducting were “rammed through” by the Democratic majority on Town Council last summer. This is false. As co-author (along with my Republican colleague Lillian Tanski) of the resolution that established both the RJEC and the survey, I want to make clear that the resolution was written over the course of many months last summer. Several permutations of the resolution were brought to the council and discussed publicly before the final draft was unanimously approved by the entirety of the council. It was a fully bipartisan measure, and included many public comments via Zoom, the only means available to us at the time for public input. Presenting the RJEC or the survey as anything other than bipartisan or public in its creation is inaccurate. The guidelines for application are outlined in our most recent council packet. While the details are still being hammered out, and the program requires approval from the Board of Finance, we are hopeful that we can offer much-needed help to our farming friends and neighbors and maintain a crucial piece of the fabric of our community. |
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