Simsbury Board of Selectmen Meeting March 24, 2025

Board of Selectmen Meeting March 24, 2025

At the beginning of every Board of Selectman meeting, before Public Audience First Selectman Wendy Mackstutis states that all remarks must be limited to 5 minutes.

After the timer starts, Wendy’s attention is spent looking at the timer, totally uninterested in the person’s comments or their point of view.

First Selectman Wendy Mackstutis continually tells the audience that she is transparent, but we have found out that most of the policies are discussed in a caucus prior to the meeting to curtail discussion on topics that affect the taxpayers of Simsbury.

If First Selectman Wendy Mackstutis believes in transparency, she should list, prior to the agenda items, which ones are discussed in caucus for transparency that appears to be her mantra.

At the March 10, 2025 meeting I remarked that the Comfort Dog was instituted with ARPA funds that has expired, and this addition to the Police Department should be eliminated.

This appears to be a Public Relations fiasco leading to excessive expenditures that could be used for reducing overtime and adding an additional car to the Police Fleet.

During the budget discussion, First Selectman Wendy Mackstutis stated that she will not vote to remove the Comfort Dog from the budget expenditures because many Police Departments have Comfort Dogs.

Where is the independent thoughts and original ideas that leadership should put forward?

Just because everyone is doing it, does not make it right.

The Board of Selectmen did not question the need of a Comfort Dog when there were other expenditures with more value that were cut.

The Simsbury taxpayers are not interested in what another Town is doing but what is appropriate for Simsbury.

First Selectman Wendu Mackstutis has shown no leadership abilities with a stipend of $10,000.

Now that the Charter Revision Commission is reviewing the government, they should eliminate the First Selectman from the Charter and bring the Town into a Council /Manager form of government, eliminating the election of a First Selectman and have the Council choose a mayor without a stipend.

The selection of priorities in the Capital Expenditures shows the lack of knowledge of the need to construct new tennis/pickleball courts at the Junior High with the expenditure of $650,000 in the 2029 budget.

The expense will cover the cost of concrete/rebar courts with a 25-year life-span.

The courts have received over the years a constant patching of the cracks until the courts have become dangerous with the coating bubbling and the gaps getting larger, leading to the Simsbury High School tennis practice to use the tennis courts at Simsbury Farms Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3 PM- 4:30 PM.

Since the High School is reserving the tennis courts, they should be paying for the use of the courts, without any waivers, in keeping with the reservation policy.

The tennis/pickleball courts at the Junior High is a community court for recreation with everyone using it for recreation when not in use by the school.

In the spirit of collaboration, the Board of Education along with the Town should apply for a Grant to subsidize the cost of the courts as they are used for community recreation and in need of immediate repairs.

When a person sustains serious injuries from a fall from tripping on the cracks on the Junior High courts, do they need a Comfort Dog or an Ambulance?

Another policy approved by the Board of Selectmen that is a waste of tax money, deciding to replace the $450,000 ARPA approved project for pickleball courts at the Tariffville Park with an asphalt surface for a quick fix instead of waiting for the DEEP approval for the construction of cement/rebar courts in the floodplain.

Dumping asphalt on the courts in a floodplain with no structures to stabilize the court will cause immediate buckling with cracks needing a fix continually.

A rush to get courts ready due to political pressure, is a waste of taxpayer money and will be a continual cost for maintenance instead of doing it with cement and rebars that will last for 25 years.

Once again, Deputy First Selectman Steve Antonio has violated the Zoning regulations.

Deputy First Selectman Steve Antonio was given permission for a free-standing sign on his property.

However, the free-standing sign was affixed to a permanent approved sign, in violation of the Zoning regulations.

A painted sign on the side of Antonio’s Restaurant is another Zoning Violation.

Deputy Selectman Steve Antonio should not get a free pass to violate the regulations approved by the Town.