Enfield Candidate Profile: Emily Hulevitch, Town Council

ENFIELD, CT — The 2023 municipal election season is heating up in Enfield, and there are plenty of races with candidates eager to serve in elected office.

Enfield Patch asked candidates to answer questions about their campaigns and will be publishing candidate profiles as Election Day draws near.

Name: Emily Hulevitch

How old will you be as of Election Day? 39

Does your campaign have a website? If so, include the URL here.

https://enfieldctdemocrats.org

What city or town do you live in? Enfield

What office are you seeking?Town Council

If you are running in a district, you can specify the district here. District 1

Party affiliation: Democrat

Education: 6th level (second masters) in Educational Leadership

What is your occupation? Technology Teacher

Do you have a family? If so, please tell us about them.

I have 9 year old twins. A son named Wyatt and a daughter, Charley.

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government? No.

Have you ever held a public office, whether appointive or elective? No.

Now we'd like to ask a few questions about your reasons for running and your general views on politics and government. First, why are you seeking this office?

As a lifelong resident of Enfield, I have always been aware that one of the things that makes Enfield a great place to live is people’s willingness to help each other. I see running for town council as an opportunity to give back to the community that has meant so much to me. I am most notably inspired in how the community has come together to fight to fully fund our schools and protect our open space from overdevelopment. The attempts by some in power to cut education funding and to seek to overdevelop our town is detrimental to our quality of life and I’m running to be an ally in these fights. Furthermore, as a single mom I see first-hand how hard the cost of living has hit my pocketbook, and working on delivering financial stability for the town is essential.

Please complete this statement: The single most pressing issue facing my constituents is \_\_\_, and this is what I intend to do about it.

Taxes are the single most important issue facing my constituents. We always need to spend taxpayers' money as if it were our own, understanding one size does not fit all. Controlling taxes requires people to make hard choices about the kinds of services we want to provide to people. If we cannot agree on tax increases, we have to agree on what we are going to cut to keep taxes in check. Prior councils often refused to make the tough decisions between cutting services, and tax increases; they often aspired to have the best of both worlds with more services and less taxes and it has resulted in significant mismanagement.

What are the major differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

I am coming in with a fresh sight of eyes, and new ideas. Some of the council’s newest members have been most effective in lobbying for new ideas and being responsive to the public.

Currently there is a large redevelopment project of the former Mass Mutual site underway in the northern part of town in which my opponent has been representing the developer. Due to this, my opponent has had to recuse himself from any votes on this project due to it being a conflict of interest in which he could profit from. He may do an exceptional job representing this developer, but the residents first and foremost deserve to have representation. We cannot have personal and monetary interests in property and development to be an effective town councilor. We need fresh views to objectively ensure the residents are getting the best and fair deal possible.

If you are challenging an incumbent, in what way has the current officeholder failed the community?

Our community has been changing and it’s necessary to change the way our town government works. We have to listen to all the stakeholders, from seniors to families. We must appropriately invest in our education to attract young families all the while keeping a balanced budget, so our seniors find it affordable to live here as well. We have to ask ourselves why did our Town budget increase by over $20 million, in the last 10 years, and yet our taxes still went up, with no new or added services. We have lost the Adult Day Care Center and leaf pickup. We have incurred sewer fees due to lack of maintenance. This past budget season the only difference between the Republican proposed budget, and the one approved by the Democrats was a 1.4 million dollar cut to our schools and a 50k spillway. It sends a poor message to our community when the only major cut to budget is our schools.
Additionally, the proposed budget supported by my opponent who is the minority leader on the Town Council suggested we take even more money from our fund balance “our savings account” than what was proposed and ultimately passed by the Town Manager and the Town Council in lieu of actually balancing the budget. It’s irresponsible to rely more on our savings to pay the bills.

What other issues do you intend to address during your campaign?

District 1 has very little quality business development, and I want to see that change. It concerns me that Dollar General wants to build on the open lot near JFK. We already have three-dollar stores in town. We do not need another and the development of open space needs to stop and we need to refocus development on reutilization of existing structures. The four-way intersection is already dangerous, there are concerns about building it so close to the middle school, and there are better uses for that land. Again, I want to see abandoned buildings repurposed before we build new buildings. The Town Council plays a role in the appointment of the officials who approve these projects, and it’s time we advocate for people who are willing to stand up for Enfield and not wave the white flag to every developer.
Additionally, we need to maintain our buildings better. We cannot leave them untouched until major repairs are needed. Before adding to what we already have we should show we can care for what we own. I would like to be proactive instead of reactive in maintenance.
I want to continue to preserve open space that we have left. I’d like to add to or update our playgrounds so that all children can play on them. I’d like them to offer a variety from the same playground at every elementary school.
I would like to be involved with the road repairs and how they are scheduled.
One of my neighbors said, aside from touchups, his street hasn’t been redone since 1972. This is another example of us needing to care for what we currently have and assessing the need for replacement in a better way. My children’s bus stop is on the same road as this neighbor's house. They are able to pick up chunks of asphalt by the catch basins. Every year the road is eroding at the ends of driveways and taken away by the plows.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

Throughout my life I have been able to take on multiple tasks at the same time and have been able to accomplish many things. I have simultaneously been a working single mother of two children, attended graduate school where I have received two master's degrees. I have led a union of 480 teachers where I made significant progress improving the relationship between administrators and staff, enhancing the quality of the education our children receive, and moving our school district forward from year to year.

What is the best advice anyone ever gave you?

Treat others the way you want to be treated. If you do your best and you treat people the way you'd like to be treated, you can't go wrong.

Is there anything else you would like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

I know I have a lot to learn, but I am excited to work for the residents of district one. I look forward to working with, and for, each and every resident.