,

Dear ,

As we turn the page from a long and cold New England winter to the season of renewal that is spring, we are reminded that this time of year represents growth, change, and new opportunity. It is also a time of reflection and celebration for many in our community. We hope our Catholic friends had a wonderful Easter, our Jewish friends a Happy Passover, and our Muslim friends a joyous Eid. These shared moments of faith and family strengthen the fabric of our town and remind us of what unites us.

With that spirit of renewal and purpose, I encourage you to read this update closely and, more importantly, to join us this Monday evening.

West Hartford Republican Town Committee Meeting
Monday, April 20 | 7:00 PM
West Hartford Town Hall — 50 South Main Street, Room #400 (4th Floor)

Your presence matters, and your engagement is essential.

Town Committee Corner

We are pleased to announce the leadership team for the 2026–2028 term of the West Hartford Republican Town Committee.

• Shawn Daly has been re-elected as Chairman
• Dennis Swanton has chosen not to seek re-election as Vice Chairman in order to focus on his important work on State Central
• Congratulations to Kyle Zelazny, who steps into the role of Vice Chairman
• Ted Mancini has been re-elected as Treasurer
• Kaye Straw has been re-elected as Secretary

This leadership team reflects both continuity and fresh energy as we move forward.

We were also encouraged by the strong engagement following our recent text message outreach regarding the proposed Board of Education and Town budgets. These proposals include significant increases, and it is clear that many of you are paying attention and asking important questions.

A sincere thank you goes out to our Republican Board of Education representatives, Ethan Goldman and Miriam Bleich, as well as our Town Council members—Minority Leader John Lyons, Dr. Gayle Harris, and Dr. Jason Wang—for their diligence and leadership during this critical budget cycle.

A special acknowledgment is due to Dr. Jason Wang, whose comprehensive PowerPoint presentation provided the public with clear, data-driven insights into the concerns surrounding the Superintendent’s proposed budget. That level of transparency and analysis is exactly what our community deserves.

Looking ahead, convention season is quickly approaching. Last month, the RTC selected delegates for state legislative races, statewide offices, and the Governor’s race. These conventions will play a critical role in shaping the direction of our party and our state.  On Monday, the RTC will provide guidance to our delegates on candidates to support at the conventions.

For those interested, gubernatorial candidate Erin Stewart is expected to address the RTC at approximately 8:15 PM during Monday’s meeting. As always, we maintain an open-door policy, and additional candidates may also attend and speak.

Town Council – Minority Report

Hi Folks,

The budget season will be concluding this Monday night, April 20th. It has been a very challenging season as particularly the school Superintendent's proposed budget has been problematic, and our town is a bit out of whack with respect to teacher to non-teacher employment ratios. In my view, it is the primary reason why we are seeing a larger increase in the BOE budget than we otherwise would be.

I want to pause to say how proud I am of your caucus and the engagement Gayle and Jason have had in negotiating across the aisle about the budget and how grateful I am to be able to serve with them. While we are the minority party with only three seats, we have absolutely focused on serving you and guided the narrative and staff.  Other councilors have acknowledged this. One great example is this past Town Council Budget meeting which took place on April 14th. There were effectively two items on the agenda: One was a spreadsheet that the Town Manager went over and the other was a laundry list of questions and suggestions posed by the Republican council members. The interactions with town staff have been positive and, I repeat, leading the conversation. I believe with this effort, the proposed budget increases will be reduced over 25% and they likely would not have been without the efforts of your Republican representatives. Do we all want more? Yes. But we are moving the needle and earning the respect and time of staff and the mayor. I am hearing that feedback literally every day.

We are still discussing and sending ideas to town staff on how to reduce even further and this effort won’t stop until the last hours of Monday night before the meeting. All of your Republican representatives have been instrumental in getting an additional $700,000 cut from the Board of Ed budget and are still trying to squeeze out more without impacting class size, programs, or special needs services. Several of our proposals, while not making into this year’s budget, will make it onto future agendas as well including addressing parking and parking fines, looking at usage of opioid and cannabis funds, etc.

One other point which I imagine you will hear all of us talk about on Monday night's budget adoption, will be the underfunded or completely unfunded mandates (which are too numerous to list) that the state forces upon West Hartford. That calculates to millions of dollars annually and is not equitable across towns. Effectively, the governor has balanced the budget at the expense of the town cutting important services to pay for mandates from the state. As we choose our candidate for governor, we need to make sure they understand that this is a major campaign issue that will swing voters.

One of the things I am beginning to work on is mission objectives for the GOP caucus following the budget. Our goal after the election will be to begin building relationships. That effort continues but one of the oddities of the election cycle is how early the budget process comes in our term. That disrupts everything.  After April 20th, we can get back to doing the more routine functions of Town Council.

Here are some of the things we will be looking at later this year (many of which are being driven by your caucus):

• More road safety action such as red light cameras.
• Enhanced school bus safety and enforcement.
• Continuing road safety initiatives
• Looking at better use of opioid and cannabis revenues.
• Looking at parking fees and adjusting parking fines to be more of a deterrent. While that money does not go to the general fund, it can be used for a huge variety of things to help lower the overall general fund demands.
• Short term rentals and RV ordinances.

My primary short term mission objective for your Republican Town Councilors is to develop our team into an effective and influential legislative body. We took a big step forward on this with the budget and will continue to work together to advance our agenda.

Many thanks.

John Lyons - Town Council Minority Leader

Registrar of Voters – Election Essentials

The Registrar of Voters Office has had a busy and productive first quarter, focused on ongoing election preparation and community engagement. One of the most rewarding parts of our work continues to be engaging new voters. I recently visited Conard and Hall High Schools, where we registered over 50 students during our annual voter registration drive. It was especially encouraging to see how engaged the students were, with many asking great questions and eager to take part in the process.

I’m looking forward to attending the upcoming Registrar of Voters Association of Connecticut (ROVAC) Spring Conference next week, where I will participate in sessions on legislative updates, voter accessibility, and election security. These training sessions help the ROV Office stay current on best practices to support West Hartford voters.

As we look ahead to the upcoming primary and election cycle, the ROV Office is actively preparing for several important changes that will affect voters throughout Connecticut.

TotalVote

The CT Secretary of the State has selected TotalVote, as the new statewide election management system that will modernize voter registration, election administration, and reporting. This system is expected to go live in December 2026 and will help streamline processes while improving access to election information.

Early Voting Updates

Voters will see changes to the early voting process per Public Act 26-1. Beginning with the August 2026 Primary, electors will no longer need to seal their ballots in envelopes. Instead, ballots will be inserted directly into voting tabulators. These updates are designed to make the process more efficient while maintaining voter confidence and privacy.

August 2026 Primary

Looking ahead, the state primary will take place on August 11 and we expect both Republican and Democratic primaries. Voters are encouraged to confirm their registration status by visiting the state’s voter lookup tool CLICK HERE - VOTER LOOKUP TOOL. The deadline for enrolled electors to transfer from one party to another is 4:30pm on Monday, May 11, in order to be eligible to vote in a primary for their new party. Changes may be completed in person at the ROV Office or online through the state’s voter registration system VOTER REGISTRATION SYSTEM. I encourage all voters to review their registration early and stay informed as the August primary approaches.
As always, it’s a privilege to serve this community and support a process that brings our neighbors together in such an important way. I’m proud to support a process that reflects the strength, engagement, and spirit of West Hartford.

Beth Kyle - Republican Registrar of Voters Representative

State Central Brief

The CTGOP is gearing up for its upcoming convention, where candidates will be selected for key state offices, including Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, Secretary of the State, Treasurer, and Comptroller. The convention is scheduled for May 15–16 at Mohegan Sun.

As we prepare, there is still a need for candidates in Legislative Districts 18, 19, and 20, as well as Senatorial District 5.

In addition, the CTGOP—working alongside the National Republican Committee—is launching an Election Integrity Committee and is actively looking for volunteers to get involved.

Earlier this month, on Thursday, April 9, a free workshop and training session was held for new Town Committee officers. The session featured Mary Ann Turner, a longtime Chairwoman of 20 years, who shared insights on fundraising, recruiting new members, and building stronger local committees.

More free training opportunities are planned for June.

Dennis J. Swanton - State Central Representative

Closing Comments

This is a pivotal moment for our town. The decisions being made right now—on budgets, priorities, and leadership—will shape West Hartford for years to come. What we are seeing is a clear demonstration that engagement matters. When informed residents speak up, when dedicated leaders challenge assumptions, and when our community comes together, we can influence outcomes.

But none of this happens in a vacuum.

It requires participation. It requires attention. And it requires you.

We strongly encourage you to attend this Monday’s meeting. Hear directly from local leaders. Engage with candidates. Ask questions. Be part of the conversation that is shaping our town’s future.

We look forward to seeing you there.

Respectfully,

Shawn Daly