To the editor,
Residents may have met their local elected officials at various town events or the voting polls, but have they ever seen them in action? If the answer is no, then people need to get to the next Board of Selectmen meeting.
Being informed is the responsibility of the voter and it’s on them to make sure that the candidates they’re voting for are doing what they think is in the town’s best interest. Just because people know someone or see that they’re involved, does not mean that they are acting on town matters the way they would like them to. If people pay someone to do work for them or provide a service, wouldn’t they want to review their work to ensure they’re getting what they pay for? Residents owe it to themselves to do the same with their tax dollars and the officials they elect.
We currently have a problem with a very underactive voter population in Beacon Falls. For instance, the town has around 4,500 registered voters, according to the Secretary of State’s website. But on April 21, only 96 of them, or roughly 2 percent of the voter population, showed up to cast their ballot on the budget. A spread of only four votes decided the fate of the budget that night. This tiny fraction of our town is deciding the destiny of Beacon Falls and our tax dollars.
From my experience, going to the Board of Selectmen meetings has been very eye-opening because I have witnessed how the current administration has handled questions and concerns from the public along with other town business. Regardless of which party people may affiliate with and where they stand on issues, it’s important that they know whether the people they are voting for are acting in line with their interests. The best way to do this is by attending the Board of Selectmen meeting, and I encourage people to attend the next one at Town Hall on Monday at 7 p.m.
Shawn Styfco
Beacon Falls
The writer is a member of the Beacon Falls Republican Town Committee.
