Shape the Future of Southington

JOHN MCDONALD, CT DRONE SOURCE PHOTO

Change tends to come slowly to towns in Connecticut, the “land of steady habits.” Nevertheless, over time, the constant give-and-take of private and public initiatives can fundamentally alter the way a community looks, sounds, and feels. Southington residents currently have a once-in-a-decade opportunity to steer that transformation – one that requires no more than filling out a survey.

The survey is the product of a joint effort between SLR Consulting, a Cheshire-based environmental consulting firm, and a special subcommittee of Southington’s Planning and Zoning Commission, according to Todd Chaplinsky, who heads the subcommittee. The Plan of Conservation and Development Survey asks participants their opinions on a variety of quality-of-life issues, ranging from sidewalk safety and traffic congestion to light pollution and cell phone service. Views on housing affordability, transportation options, environmental stewardship, and historic preservation are also solicited.

The community survey is just the first of three opportunities residents will have to provide input into the state-mandated plan. Two workshops are scheduled, one for September, the other for spring of next year. At these workshops, officials and representatives from SLR will invite public comments on these matters. Once the results of the survey and the public sessions have been compiled, the subcommittee will turn them into a document that will be sent to the full Planning & Zoning commission, and subsequently to the Town Council, for approval. “The 2026 Plan of Conservation & Development,” as the document will be titled, is designed to guide decisions about land use and development made by Planning & Zoning – preference will be given to projects that advance one or more of the plan’s goals.

Southington’s previous Plan of Conservation and Development was drawn up in 2016. The plans are mandated by the State of Connecticut, which also requires that they be updated every ten years. According to Chaplinsky, response rates to the survey and attendance at the workshops tend to be low. In an effort to collect more responses, the deadline for participation has been extended to Friday, August 15th.  

Eight Years of Service: An Interview With Town Councillor Bill Dziedzic. (Part I)

Attorney and Town Council Member Bill Dziedzic BILL DZIEDZIC PHOTO

Bill Dziedzic has worn a number of hats over the years, including attorney, father, and developer – he and his partners have played a central role in reviving downtown Plantsville. For the past eight years, he has also been a Republican member of the Southington Town Council. This week Bill sat down with the Outsider for an interview. It will be published in two parts, the first focused on political topics. The transcript has been lightly edited for clarity.

Did you ever aspire to a career in politics when you were in high school?

No, never. That was a surprise. I never had any real aspirations for politics at all.

After eight years on the town council you decided to step down. What lay behind that decision?

I felt like I was being pulled in different directions – between having a young son who’s getting involved in sports, and business interests in real estate development. It was time to make a change, and leaving town council was one of those changes.

Eight years is a long time. When it comes to highlights and lowlights you probably have a long list. What’s one highlight you would point to?

I was fortunate to be chair of the Southington ordinance committee. Some of the decisions we made in that committee regulating alcohol and marijuana use in public parks, and our flag policy, will have lasting impacts on the town.

What is the flag policy?

There was a case out of Boston where a Satanic group wanted to fly a flag on the state house and the Supreme Court had heard arguments on the case but hadn’t issued a decision. We were right in the middle then of writing an ordinance for how to handle flag raising. This was after the [LGBTQ] Pride movement and Southington did raise the [Pride] flag over the municipal building. We realized that that meant opening it up to other groups; the Greek flag and a couple of others had been flown before. So we really worked hard in a bipartisan manner on that ordinance. We had a number of other municipalities that copied our exact flag policy and when the Supreme Court decision came out, it was almost like we had a copy of their law clerk’s draft. The flag policy was right within what the Court was contemplating. So I think that saved the town a lot of unnecessary litigation by just giving a very clear and constitutional policy. [Read the policy here: https://ecode360.com/41125145#41125209]

Tell me about a lowlight.

I think the most difficult vote that I took was during COVID – COVID was in my opinion a lowlight for the town or the world, however you want to put it. We voted to cancel the Apple Harvest Festival. I remember thinking about the 40 or 50 years the festival had been going on, and we were the first people voting to cancel it. So we knew that we were going to be looked back upon 50 years from now with people saying ‘we had 100 years of continuity, except that one year.’ That was a very difficult vote, cancelling something that had been going on for a very long time.

You have some experience developing properties in town, especially in downtown Plantsville. Do you think the town has a good working relationship with developers?

I think the town’s hands are tied on a lot of issues, based on state building code, based on zoning regulations. I think the town is making great steps forward to become more friendly in the way it approaches permits and applications; we’re making progress on our way to that goal.

Is there something the town is doing to improve things?

We’ve got an economic ‘strike committee.’ So for example, let’s say Amazon wanted to come to Southington. You’re going to get this huge influx of money, development, permits, requests. The ‘strike committee’ is set up to handle a large volume of those things. So I think the blueprint is there.

A lot of issues we’ve had were delays in the building department – site plans would sit too long while waiting for revisions. I understand they’re bound by a state code, so they have to follow the law, but it just seems that delays on that end really slowed any type of project that you wanted to do – and that’s coming from personal experience.

The school system is a huge part of the town government. Do you think it does a good job? Are there any changes you’d like to see?

I was educated in the Southington school system from elementary school to high school, and my son’s in a school here, I have a lot of faith in the Board of Education and the current superintendent. Investing in your schools is important because it is essentially an investment in your community.

I think an issue that you have with education in Southington, education in general, is you have state mandates which impact financial obligations. Some are funded, some are unfunded, and the trend is that more are unfunded. So these are issues that are going to come up down the road. We lost some federal funding this year. I don’t think in our lifetime we’re going to get more federal funding, I don’t think we’re going to get more state funding. So the trend line is going to be ‘less funding.’ The shortfall is going to have to be made up by taxpayers.

The town recently increased the mill rate from 31.44 to 33.21. Did you support that?

I did, I voted to support the approved budget. I really feel, when you look at budgets, you have to take a step back and look at the entire timeline. When you look at inflation and where our budget growth was relative to inflation, it basically tracked inflation. There’s nothing you can do unless you want to be a municipality that just cuts services. You want to keep services at least on par, that’s why I was comfortable with the budget.

Is there anything that we can do at the town level to ease the traffic burden or cut down on the number of accidents?

If you were going to construct a perfect city, or a large town, you’d have your primary roads, your secondary roads, your tertiary roads all planned out perfectly and able to handle traffic volume at different points in time. That’s the perfect model. The problem is that you have communities that evolved over time – you start as a mill factory town, then you have growth on Queen Street. It’s a double-edged sword: the growth on Queen Street brings in significant commercial development, which adds to our tax base. Same on West Street – that’s growing. Traffic is the natural result of that.

I think one answer could be, and they’re testing it, is the bus. I don’t know the data on that, whether that’s taking cars off the road, but my gut tells me ‘no.’ When you drive down Dixwell Avenue in Hamden it’s the same situation where you have traffic and buses. When you don’t get to start from scratch, this is what happens.

Is there a serious quality of life issue you want to bring up? And how do you think the town might address it?

Is affordable housing something we can talk about now?

Sure.

I do think there’s an issue with the lack of affordable housing. If you just look at the minimum wage, or a bit more than minimum wage, and the cost of housing, the numbers don’t square – there’s a gap. That gap is being filled by people living longer with parents, people sharing rooms, leaving Southington. You don’t want to see folks who were educated here leave for a place with lesser services or a place that they don’t want to be due to a lack of affordable inventory. That can be debated, discussed, and possibly some action can be taken. The state of Connecticut has a lot to do with that. But in my opinion that is one of the largest issues involving quality of life.

The phrase ‘local control’ has become a rallying cry in politics. [Broadly speaking the phrase signifies opposition to state mandates on matters of zoning, planning, and housing.] In July Governor Lamont vetoed a bill that according to Republicans would have infringed on local control. So let’s say the town still has this control. What do we do with the control that we have? Is there something we can do? Or are we still really helpless?

Just as a preface, I think Lamont’s veto and the discussion he had in connection with it indicated that he wanted to go back and come up with another version. So any comments I make now should be prefaced by saying that six months from now it could be an entirely different conversation – some of those items that he seemed to be in favor of would impact municipalites and how they handle housing.

So, given the cards we have in front of us, my response would be: when you have a developer who puts forth a plan, who’s going to keep the property, manage the property, and who has a good record in the town, I think those developers you should work with to come up with something that’s going to work for everybody.

What concerns me is an out-of-town developer coming in under 8-30g [Connecticut’s affordable housing statute], bringing in a completely underparked site-plan application and never intending to build there, just intending to sell it – I don’t think that’s part of a solution.

I also think we have affordable housing that’s not counted, which should at least be put into the calculus. We have a number of trailer parks in town, we have apartments on Darling Street that are either CHFA- [Connecticut Housing Finance Authority] or HUD- [the federal Housing and Urban Development agency] funded, we have a portfolio of small, post-WWII Baby Boomer development, whether that be small, side-by-side brick duplexes, small 800-square foot houses, but I think that has to be put into the calculus. That does exist, and we’re not getting credit for it, and you might not find that in certain towns.

That’s my list of political questions. Is there one you’re surprised I didn’t ask?

Another issue that should be pondered is how we’re losing access as voters and as residents to community information. It’s happening at a very fast pace. Local issues are not reported on at all unless they tie into state or national issues, and the information that comes out of those reports is sometimes extremely unilateral – it can be posted on a Facebook page and is easy to be confused about. Just in an eight-year period I’ve seen it go from multiple reporters asking questions and writing stories [about local events] to zero. If that trend continues I don’t know how in the future a voter can inform themselves or a community can understand what is going on, without attending the meetings themselves or watching them online.

Town Democrats and Republicans Announce Candidates for 2025 Elections

PHILIP THIBODEAU PHOTO

Municipal elections in Southington are held in odd-numbered years. That means this fall, between October 20^th, when early voting begins, and election day on November 4^th, Southington voters will be making their choices for town leaders.

The Democratic and Republican Town Committees met in mid-July to decide on their slates of candidates for Town Council, Planning and Zoning, Board of Education, Board of Finance, Water Department, and Town Clerk. What follows is a breakdown of the slates.

TOWN COUNCIL

The Town Council is a nine-member board with broad responsibility for budget and policy; it also appoints the Town Manager, the chief administrator of the town. It is currently comprised of six Republicans and three Democrats who serve two-year terms. Three members of the council – Republican William Dziedzic and Democrats Jack Perry and Valerie DePaolo – have decided not to run again. Ballots will list the following twelve candidates:

Democrats            

George Doherty              

Charles E. Green Jr.           

Shawn Grindle                

Kristen Guida               

Chris Palmieri (incumbent)   

Dave Zoni                         

Republicans

Paul Chaplinsky (incumbent)

Jennifer Clock (incumbent)

Michael Del Santo (incumbent)

Jim Morelli (incumbent)

Tony Morrison (incumbent)

Joshua Serafino

Connecticut’s minority-representation rules mandate that each party can field a maximum of six candidates. As a result, at least three of the seats on the council will be held by a minority party or parties.

PLANNING & ZONING

The Planning & Zoning Commission plans and regulates land use in town. It is comprised of seven members, each serving four-year terms that are staggered so that only about half of the board turns over during a given election; four of the seven seats are being contested this year. It currently has five Republicans and two Democrats. Democrat Nicholas Tedesco and Republicans Robert Hammersley and Jamie Sewell are not running again.

Republicans

Denis Bougie

Mike Goodrich

Steven Walowski (incumbent)

Democrats              

Gary Dowd                

Justin McGuire                

Sue Locks                     

Dave Scott

BOARD OF FINANCE

The Board of Finance’s main duty is to craft the town budget and set the tax rate. It has six members who serve two-year terms. Current member Candice Mazzarella (Democrat) is not running again.

Democrats                                 

Kevin Beaudoin (incumbent)          

Andrew Manke                              

Steve Salerno                                

Katie Wade                                    

Republicans

Joe Labieniec (incumbent)

John Leary (incumbent)

Edward Pocock, Jr. (incumbent)

Wayne Stanforth (incumbent)

BOARD OF EDUCATION

The Board of Education is responsible for creating policies and budgets for the school system. Its nine members serve two-year terms. David Derynoski (Democrat) and Jasper Williams (Republican) are not running again.

Republicans

Joseph Baczewski (incumbent)

Sean Carson (incumbent)

Colleen W. Clark (incumbent)

Zachary M. Foti

Vincenzo Infante

Cecil Whitehead (incumbent)

Democrats                                 

Dawn Anastasio                            

Bob Brown (incumbent)                 

Lisa Cammuzo                              

Terri Carmody (incumbent)            

Chris Carnright                           

Zaya Oshana (incumbent)             

BOARD OF WATER COMMISSIONERS

The Board of Water Commissioners manages the Southington Water Department. Its six members serve staggered four-year terms; three seats are being contested this year. Democrat Rudolph Cabata is not running again.

Democrats                             

Tom Murphy (incumbent)     

Jacquelyn Salerno

Republicans

Ralph Warner (incumbent)

TOWN CLERK

The Town Clerk is responsible for issuing and archiving a wide range of town licenses, certificates, and other documents. Republican Kathy Larkin, the incumbent, is running unopposed.

All elected officials are volunteers. None of those named above are paid for their service, except for the Town Clerk.

Mark Lajoie, Chair of the Southington Republican Town Committee, released the following statement in conjunction with the slate announcement:

“The Southington Republican Town Committee is excited to announce the Republican candidates for the November 2025 municipal election. We have put together a strong team of professionals—several incumbents as well as some new faces—who are proven leaders with the knowledge and experience to keep Southington financially strong while providing the high-level services our residents deserve at a fair price.”

“Team Republican remains committed to providing balanced budgets and full support of our first responders, veterans, and seniors. We will continue to fight for lower electric costs and local control of zoning. Team Republican is committed to keeping Southington a safe place to raise a family and to providing high-quality education while working closely with our stakeholders and town employees to ensure they have the resources they need to be successful. We again ask for your support in November.”

Erin Cowles, Chair of the Southington Democratic Town Committee, also released an accompanying statement:

“We are proud to announce an energized and forward-looking slate of Democratic candidates for this fall’s local elections in Southington.”

“First, we extend our sincere thanks to Jack Perry and Val DePaolo, who have chosen not to seek reelection to the Town Council and David Derynoski, who has chosen not to seek reelection on the Board of Education. Their years of service and commitment to our community are deeply appreciated.”

“This election cycle brought a wave of enthusiasm from residents eager to get involved and make a difference. That level of engagement prompted us to take a serious look at the current makeup of our boards and commissions. We held interviews with all candidates, both new and returning, and made strategic decisions about who is best positioned to serve our town at this critical time. As a result, you’ll see an exciting mix of new and familiar faces on the slate. We are proud to move forward with a strong slate of candidates who bring the energy, initiative, and accountability Southington needs.”

“Southington is at a crossroads, and we need public servants who are not just willing to hold office, but ready to roll up their sleeves on day one. Our priority is clear: to build boards and commissions that work for the people and move our town forward with transparency, urgency, and purpose.”

Elections in town are often close. In 2022 the contest between Tony Morrison and Christopher Poulos attracted national attention after it was decided by a single vote. For more details on how or where to vote, go to the Office of Registrar of Voters page (https://www.southington.org/departments/elections_department_registrar_of_voters/index.php).

The Outsider will provide more in-depth coverage of the candidates and the issues throughout the fall.