Thursday, November 14, 2019
www.berlincitizen.com
Volume 22, Number 38
MUNICIPAL ELECTION
Control remains in Republican hands By Devin Leith-Yessian The Citizen
Berlin Land Trust member Raymond Archacki speaks to hikers who joined him on a hike to Mount Lamentation's North Peak on Oct. 26. The trust is seeking a state grant to help purchase the parcel the peak is on. Photos by Devin Leith-Yessian, The Citizen
Berlin Land trust hopes to purchase parcel on Lamentation Mountain By Devin Leith-Yessian The Citizen
Hiking a winding trail atop Mount Lamentation, the Berlin Land Trust recently led a group of around two dozen to North Peak, which the organization has signed a contract to purchase and preserve. “You can see to Mount Tom in Massachusetts, you can see down to Sleeping
Giant in Hamden,” said Trust President Dennis Kern, who called the 47acre property an important piece of land. The purchase hinges on the land trust receiving an Open Space and Watershed Land Acquisition Grant, which would reimburse 65 percent of the cost of acquiring the property. The state grant assists municipalities, land trusts
and water utilities to buy land for recreational use. The parcel is on the Middletown-Berlin border. According to Middletown property records, the parcel is co-owned by Joyce Tighe and Holly Baldyga. They could not be reached for comment. See Land, A4
Mayor Mark Kaczynski was elected to a third term as mayor in the Nov. 5 municipal election, which saw all of the Republican Party’s candidates deliver victories. “I felt like we were running on a record of what we’ve done for the town. They believed in what we’ve been doing,” Kaczynski said of the 3,134 voters who supported him. In an email statement, Democratic mayoral candidate Karen Pagliaro said, “It is my genuine hope that the Republican majority will govern with transparency, accountability and a strong desire to put partisan politics aside, putting the best interest of the town first.” Pagliaro launched her campaign for mayor after completing her first term on the council and received 2,150 votes. Kaczynski attributed his success to improve the town through economic develop-
Free Spring Gutter Cleaning Fully Insured - General Liability
“I think we’ve got a lot done. There’s plenty more to do, but you know it’s good to have what we’ve done validated by the voters,” he said. Over the next 2-year session he’d like to complete some of the projects that are ongoing or being considered, such as the creation of a new senior and community center, renovations at the police department and the transitoriented development being planned next to the train station. “That’s why I ran again, I want to see some of those things through to their conclusion,” he said. Republican Town Party Chairperson Sandra Coppola said she believes voters supported the Republican ticket because they’ve seen an effort by the party to imSee Election, A8
CALL THE PROS!
224023v2
Book your fall cleaning by noon November 20th to receive a
Don’t let the kid down the block clean your gutters!
ment, road repairs and replacing aging infrastructure like the fire department radio system, while reducing the town’s debt and seeing its bond rating increased.