Welcome to the East Haddam Democrats

We gratefully recognize that over the course of time, many people and institutions have contributed to an improved quality of life in East Haddam . Voters would like to know, however, what positive changes have been made since 2003, when the Parker-Govert team was first voted into office. Please note that while many of these accomplishments are recent, some were started in the past and are now coming to fruition.

We gratefully acknowledge the hard work that many, many folks, both elected, and not elected, contributed to the following accomplishments:

1. Our new 4-8 Middle School - The school is due to open in the Fall of 2008. Our School Building Committee meets on the second and forth Wednesdays at 7 pm in the High School Media Center. They are doing a tremendous job of oversight of the largest project in East Haddam's history.

2. Moodus Sidewalk Project - New sidewalks, lighting and plantings for Moodus Village.

3. Plan of Conservation and Development (POCD)- A project of our Planning and Zoning Commission, our POCD is in the public comment and redrafting phase.

4. Open Space Protection with Local and State Grant Money - Over 500 acres have been protected since 2003 and over 1300 acres since 1998.

5. Middle School Conversion Committee - The Board of Selectman recently appointed a bipartisan committee to begin the process of converting the current middle school into town offices.

6. East Haddam Village Revitalization - Working in collaboration with many groups, including close collaboration with the Goodspeed Opera House, we are actively planning for the future of East Haddam village. Central to these plans is the adaptive reuse of the current Town Office property in the Village.

7. Charter Study Committee - A group of citizens has been meeting and holding public hearings to determine if we should move to the next phase of developing a town charter.

8. Emergency Management Study Committee - This committee met and recommended hiring 2 day-time emergency personnel to ensure adequate fire and ambulance services during the week.

9. Senior Tax Relief Committee - This group of citizens met and developed proposals for granting some sort of tax relief to needy seniors. Proposals are still being discussed.

10. Sports Lighting - Partnering with the Little Noises Athletic Booster Club and Consumers Union, we obtained the necessary financial resources to install lights at the softball and soccer fields at the high school and the hardball field at the American Legion.

11. Economic Development - Working with our Economic Development Commission, we helped obtain resources to invest in a part-time Economic Development Commissioner because we recognize the need to diversify and expand our commercial tax base.

12. Expanding Opportunities for Young People - We worked hard to bring a cross-country team to our high school and are actively working to establish a team at the middle school; we supported the drug and alcohol counselor position at the middle and high schools; we have worked with Youth and Family Services to expand after school programs and Teen Nights at the middle and high schools (using volunteers); we've partnered with the Goodspeed to allow our children to perform on their stage; and we are actively encouraging greater participation in civic affairs by our young people.

13. We worked hard to keep music in the air for East Haddam residents by developing the Music By The River summer music series at very little cost to the town.

14. Ethics Commission - We have invested considerable time researching the design and development of both an Ethics Policy and an Ethics Commission. This is a work in progress.

15. Increase in Self-Reported Developmental Assets Among Our Youth - We have worked hard with our local Youth and Family Services to increase the number of positive influences (assets) in the lives of our young people. A mailing will soon be coming to you explaining this good news.

16. Senior Center - This new building continues to grow its programs and participants as it begins to find its place in the community.

17. Efficiency in Government - This is a sampling of positive changes made: bulk purchasing of consumables; codification of ordinances, policies and procedures; locking in oil and gas prices at low rates; upgrades at the transfer station; and improvements in policies and procedures at Public Works.
18. The Federal Designation of our Eight Mile River as a "Wild and Scenic River" allows federal funding to be released to assist us in conservation and preservation efforts. This piece of legislation is critical in our efforts to preserve and conserve East Haddam's open spaces.

19. Emergency Management - Considerable progress has been made in enhancing our collective preparedness for disasters.

20. Expanding Participation in Local Government - We have purposefully reached out to and selected folks who are new to town government. By last count, we have brought in over 25 citizens who had not been a member of a board, commission, committee, or study group in the past. Additionally, we have invited some of our harshest critics into governance.

21. Succeeded in obtaining over $7 million in grants for our town.

Two points need to made about this list:

1. It is incomplete and will be added to when time allows.

2. These accomplishments are, by and large, in addition to the day-to-day running of our town.