The increase in our grand list is the highest that we have seen in decades. The growth we have seen on the real estate side shows that a lot of people are reinvesting in their properties and that is a great example of the kind of faith people have in our community.

It's limited enough that you're not unduly focusing on anyone's First Amendment rights.

It's typical of the piecemeal approach the governor and the legislature has taken to property tax reform. They tweak something here or there, but it's never a big-picture approach.

This is a maintenance budget that provides the current level of services that we offer now. This budget is not all doom and gloom because there are some things within it that we should be excited about, but we felt that if further cuts were made, they would have a direct effect on our classrooms and town services like police and fire.

Now is not the time to bring in a town manager who would feel compelled to bring in their own people because we want to retain the first class management team that we already have in West Hartford. This selection brings protection to taxpayer money because no spending is needed to conduct a national search for a candidate.

We want to end the Blue Back Square debate and I am sure that we will all be able to breathe a sigh of relief when we can move on. I feel more confident than ever in the success that the project will have and in the vote that I have made to support it.

We thought the position needed to be updated in that regard.

This represents an effort to make sure that we are doing all that we can to ensure our young people are responsible and safe. We must continue to educate the young people in the community about the dangers of alcohol as well as make sure that our laws are tight enough so that we, as a town, can intervene when it is necessary.

The real shock was when somebody would turn into their driveway, so to speak, and their next-door neighbor had a huge billboard on their front lawn.

West Hartford has some of the most civic-minded citizens anywhere. They take their issues and their leaders very seriously.