Simsbury Board of Selectmen Meeting September 14, 2026

Board of Selectmen Meeting September 14, 2026

At the August 10, meeting of the Board of Selectmen, there was lengthy discussion about public audience and minutes.

Minutes of a meeting should reflect the conversation as presented and not changed because someone dislikes the content.

First Selectman Wendy Mackstutis came to Deputy Fist Selectman Steve Antonio’s defense, questioning the date of my comments relating to Deputy First Selectman using illegal fireworks at a July 4 party with 250 people in attendance.

The Fire Marshal confiscated cartons of fireworks on the property and documented his report with 17 pages of pictures.

The report can be viewed on this link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1joXcQjurNaFzPwcscZyQx06TueM9kpKZ/view

It does not matter what year on July 4 the illegal fireworks were used, the fireworks were illegal and confiscated.

First Selectman Wendy Mackstutuis appears to be condoning the act as if the timeframe negates the illegality of the occurrence, by acting to date the timeline in the minutes.

Discussion continued and Deputy First Selectman Steve Antonio stated that he was incensed that after he filed a no trespass complaint with the Simsbury Police Department, I reacted with a Boycott response.

The property where the Antonio Restaurant and the Hideaway Bar is situated is owned by Steve Antonio.

The restaurant and bar is doing business on the property, therefore is part of the restriction and should be subjected to my response.

Deputy First Selectman Steve Antonio should have realized that his actions would have unintended consequences, affecting his staff.

Deputy First Selectman Steve Antonio during the discussion continued to wrongly state that he had a restraining order on me, not a no trespass on his property.

There is a difference.

It doesn’t matter if you are an elected official, an unelected person or an LLC., if you violate the laws, you will be held accountable.

All of Deputy First Selectman’s Steve Antonio’s LLc’s are registered to his home address, 133 Holcomb Street.

The discussion of who, what , when and where has no bearing on the fact that violations occurred.

The original issue started when I reported to staff signs on the Antonio property were illegally displayed.

This led to observing and reporting other illegal signs on the Antonio property.

“If you see something, say something.”

I reacted to an issue that Deputy First Selectman Steve Antonio created.

When Deputy First Selectman removes the No Trespass on me, I will refrain from asking for a boycott on his property and we can all move on to discussion of other public policy concerns.

Recently the Board of Selectmen were reviewing the Code of Ethics

§ 13-6. Use of influence.

“No official, employee, or consultant may inappropriately use their position to influence a decision affecting a financial interest or a beneficial interest.”

The Ethics Code assigns violations to employees who ignore violations presented to them leading to a “financial interest.”

After reviewing the chain of command on town sign violations, it appears that the Recreation Department reviews signs at Simsbury Farms and other property they oversee.

The Zoning Commission sets policy on signs.

The Code Enforcement officer reviews signs with violations throughout the town.

There would be more consistent review and application of the rules if the Code Enforcement Officer was responsible for all signs.

Recently I discussed with Town Manager Marc Nelson my observation that the stairs leading to Town Hall was rust stained and diminished the look of the entrance to Town Hall.

Town Manager Marc Nelson followed up on my concerns and should receive a high-performance rating on his performance for his immediate action to repair and paint the stairs.

A moratorium on affordable housing is in the process of being presented to the State for approval.

Town Attorney Bob DeCrescenzo has not reviewed the application in a timely manner, leading to a delay.

Simsbury cannot absorb all the additional homes without a thorough review of the impact on resources.

Traffic will be affected; schools will have increased enrollment with water consumption and sewer flow increasing and with increase demand on services.

There will be a need for an increase in bus routes that are reliable, consistent and frequent covering increased areas and easily accessed throughout the community.

The Simsbury Performing Arts building that recently had a ribbon cutting event with invited guests, did not include the taxpayers who contributed millions of dollars to a building for the sole use of the concert presenters.

Since the building is on town property, the Simsbury Performing Arts should adhere to all town regulations regarding the occupancy of the building.

The building remains vacant on the Simsbury Meadows property after the concert season is over for several months.

The Simsbury Performing Arts should be held accountable for all costs incurred on the building, not the taxpayers.