Enfield Patch Questions the Candidates - District 1 Town Council

Enfield Patch continues its series of questions to candidates for town office with a look at the District 1 Town Council contenders. Incumbent Republican Joseph Bosco is being challenged by Democrat Jill Krawiec.

Each candidate was asked three questions, and their responses are published here.

Question 1: What ideas do you have to stimulate business growth in Enfield, particularly in the re-use of the town's numerous empty commercial properties?

Joseph Bosco: Having large employers like Lego, MassMutual and Eppendorf growing in Enfield the last few years has helped the town. Enfield does not have a large amount of open dry land available, so the town needs to be proactive and hold the hands of new companies who take an interest in our area because of the hurdles and costs that come with developing property with or near wetlands. Enfield needs to pay close attention to the very small businesses in town. Like my own family’s business, small companies and stores have a great deal of taxes and fees, and expensive regulations thrown at them just for opening their doors and serving customers on day one. As a town, we should take a deeper interest in making sure our small businesses can thrive, grow, and succeed here. Anything we can do to make the cost of business in Enfield lower than it may be somewhere else is a good idea. The Council has talked about energy incentives and improvement districts. Those should be explored more. Businesses need a stable, affordable place to operate, and smart available labor. Enfield has both. As the economy comes back, I think we are better positioned than we were several years ago. 

Jill Krawiec: Enfield must foster a more pro-business friendly environment in order to stimulate economic growth. Each of Enfield’s four districts is different in many ways.  For instance, District One is primarily residential, even though it has some farmland and commercial and residential space. I think District One should remain diverse while at the same time maintaining its residential areas. There is a considerable amount of empty industrial, commercial and unused land within District One that I would like to see our town Economic Development Commission revitalize. Once revitalized, the town should attempt to attract specific businesses into Enfield for these spaces.  To justify this revitalization, it needs to be mentioned that Enfield is a prime business location due to its location on the I-91 corridor coupled with Enfield’s educated workforce.  We further must market to potential business partners by eliminating needless clerical and financial “red tape” requirements for Enfield business relocation.  By less “red tape” I also think the town should become more upfront on Enfield’s expectations for business owners. Simply put, we must strive to make business relocation as easy as possible.  

Question 2: The town's mill rate has remained at 23.88 for four years. Do you feel the rate can continue at this level, and if so, at what expense in terms of community services?

Krawiec: The 23.88 mill rate is quite a number.  For several days I have researched our current mill rate, our former mill rate and the mill rate of similarly situated neighboring towns.  Our tax situation is not one to be taken lightly. There is no expendable money at any level of government, but, likewise, you cannot get something for nothing, as the saying goes.  Therefore, as the years continue with no increase in the mill rate, our community will fall further behind in important areas such as education, public safety and community services. Our town’s education system is considered mediocre, and this trend will only get worse if left unaddressed.  Enfield’s school system should be a top priority regardless if one has a child in the school system, because education dictates the quality of life in a town. Many homebuyers’ first consideration when purchasing a home is the educational system within that community.  It is common knowledge that the better the educational system, the better the town functions.   A better education system would produce more home sales and more business development, which would result in additional tax revenue. Even a small amount can make a big difference in rectifying our town’s education situation. The numbers do not lie.  A home valued at $150,000 a year without the fire tax currently pays $3,582 per year.  If the council raised the mill rate to 24.50 the same real estate valued at $150,000 would pay $3,625 per year, a $93 difference yearly.   The difference is less than a week’s groceries for an average family. For example, 15,000 Enfield homes would see a revenue increase of $1,395,000 per year.  I do not use this example as a proposal that our mill rate should be 24.50, but it does illustrate what a small increase in the mill rate would equal for the whole town.  The alternative might be cutting town essential services that we all rely on.

Bosco: I honestly don’t know if the mill rate can be kept at 23.88. Revaluation will probably require an adjustment to the mill rate even before we start discussing next year’s budget. I am concerned about the state’s misuse of tax dollars over the last 30 years. Now that they are forced to slash services or raise taxes, the mess flows right to Town Hall. I do not want Enfield to be forced to pay for things the state should not have been involved with in the first place, and I do not want residents to pay for inefficiency. Our majority on the Council has done a good job of reforming operations, and balancing services offered with our ability to pay for them. We need to continue that process. Enfield must not bloat itself like the state government - now or ever.

Question 3: What do you see is the biggest challenge facing District 1 residents, and if elected, what is your plan to deal with it?

Bosco: I think the people living in District 1 are like folks everywhere in town. People are challenged by unemployment, the rising state and U.S. taxes, and they feel their reps in Hartford and Washington are just not listening. How do I plan to deal with it? If I am lucky enough to win reelection again, I will continue to do what I have done so far - question our town management about how we can keep our local government as lean and effective as possible. I will continue to point out wasteful spending when I see it. I will continue to seek answers for the residents of the district when they come to me for help. And, I will work hard to make sure Enfield stays a safe and enjoyable place to live in, work in and raise a family in.

Krawiec: The biggest challenge I see for District One's residents is discoursing people from moving out of Enfield. As I walk around our neighborhoods, I have seen far too many homes for sale and many unoccupied.  It saddens me greatly. My fellow residents should be proud and confident in our town government and public schools. If elected, my top priority will be to diligently work to improve our town’s budget. I will fight to properly fund our school budget, but I would always allocate money during the budget process with the realization that it is the taxpayers' own money. This means that I will be responsible, reasonable, knowledgeable and accountable. 

Board of Education candidates' answers were printed Monday, responses from  were published Tuesday,  were featured Wednesday and ran on Thursday. Saturday's installment will be answers from the District 3 Councilman, Republican Scott Kaupin, who is running unopposed.