Government/Town

A Great Day for a Traditional Race

By |

The Suffield Firemen have seldom selected a race day with more perfect weather than what prevailed on the morning of June 2, when firefighter Sam Ho blew a blast on his air horn and the Paul R. Simison Memorial Annual 5K Road Race began. (Chief Chuck Flynn would have been the starter, but he was a bit lame that day.) A bit more than 17 minutes later, Suffield Academy freshman track team member Jack Lynam, age 15, was the first to cross the finish line, timed electronically at 17:21, for a pace of 5.35 minutes per mile. The online readout listed that kind of data for each of the 131 finishers. No. 131, at 1:02:18, was Suffield fire commissioner Jerry Bland.

Government/Town

Election Process Underway

By |

Endorsement of candidates for municipal offices will be made by major political parties sometime between July 16 and 23. Notice of the dates will be published at least five days prior. Municipal offices that will be on the November 5 election ballot are: First Selectman, Selectmen, Town Clerk, Town Treasurer, Tax Collector, Board of Finance, Board of Education, Board of Assessment Appeals, Planning and Zoning Commission, Police Commission, Fire Commission and Water Pollution Control. Who is eligible to vote in town committees, caucuses, conventions and primaries? Only registered voters enrolled in the political party holding the town committee, caucus, convention or primary are eligible to vote.

Government/Town

Town Hall Project Begins

By |

After general contractor Gilbane and architect/engineer QA&M had been selected for the Town Hall renovation and expansion project, Town officials and contractor representatives held an hour-long kick-off meeting on May 16. Key members of Gilbane Building and QA&M Architects met with the Permanent Building Commission and Facilities Manager Chris Matejek for a general acquaintanceship and an initial exploration of many aspects of the program. Gilbane sent Eric Cushman, senior project executive and Nishant Patel, project manager. QA&M sent Project Manager Angela Cahill. All three seemed to establish a good rapport with the commissioners and Chris.

Food for Thought

Food For Thought

By |

“America is much more than a geographical fact. It is a political and moral fact — the first community in which men set out in principle to institutionalize freedom, responsible government, and human equality.” – Adlai Stevenson

Editorial

Response to Selectman’s Criticism

By |

As a volunteer and occasional coeditor at the Observer, I take exception to certain comments in First Selectman Melissa Mack’s column about the paper. In a discussion with Suffield Middle School students about her job, she chose to take a cheap shot at the Observer due to her distress over an article written about the Suffield Police Department. Referring to the paper as the Obscurer, a term the Observer staff themselves coined in a satirical issue created in jest many years ago, Ms. Mack takes the volunteer staff to task for not living up to “the most basic of journalistic standards” and cites the article “SPD Review Causes Stir” as evidence that the Observer lacks a “devotion to impartiality.” To the contrary the Observer goes to great lengths to ensure that the reporting is accurate and unbiased, often spending many hours attending town and commission meetings, reviewing documents, reports, agendas and minutes and talking to those involved in the issue being reported. Likewise, if there has been an error in reporting and it is brought to the Observer’s attention, a correction is printed. Moreover, the Observer clearly states that editorials and opinions are those of the writer and not of the Observer.

First Selectman’s Update

First Selectman’s Update

By |

I begin with a sincere apology. To all who made it a point on Memorial Day to attend the parade and ceremony as a heartfelt way to show your deep gratitude to our fallen servicemen; and in particular to our honored veterans; I am sorry for the poor sound system that left many unable to hear the meaningful speeches given.