Propelled by aggressive opposition campaigns, Newington voters rejected a nearly $12 million proposal to replace the town pool and Portland voters turned down a plan for a $68 million school.
Extensive social media debates led up to both referendums, with advocates saying the communities needed the new facilities while opponents argued that the costs were too high. And in both cases, the opposition seemed to gain support through claims that local government wasn’t giving enough information or answering enough questions.
Elsewhere in central Connecticut, voters in Southington, Ellington, Tolland and Somers approved routine referendums to pay for road repairs or adjust operations in local government. Middletown taxpayers agreed to just spend just under $60 million renovating and expanding an elementary school and building a new emergency dispatch center. But in those towns, there was virtually none of the controversy that marked the Newington and Portland votes.
Unofficial figures in Newington showed voters rejected the pool referendum 7,870-7,010, and opponents posted jubilant messages on a Facebook page they’d used all fall to get out their message.
The town had asked voters for $11,637,890 to construct a new pool at Mill Pond Park along with two new splash pads, one there and one at Churchill Park. Over the summer, Town Council Democrats endorsed the idea, while Republican councilors opposed it.
Everyone agreed that the existing pool is in such bad shape that it’s requiring costly annual maintenance, and that a solution is overdue.
But opponents said that nearly $12 million is far too much for recreation facilities that are used only seasonally, and complained that the proposed location of the new pool in Mill Pond Park would create traffic hazards. Proponents have warned that the town pushed off the expense too many times in the past, and that construction inflation will only drive the price higher in the future.
An organized “vote no” campaign hammered away at its message on the Save Mill Pond Park page on Facebook, and both sides ended up in a sometimes bitter back-and-forth with accusations and cross-accusations about spreading false information.
When a “vote yes” mailer went out labeling opponents as “fringe radicals,” they began proudly using that slogan on Facebook.
“The name calling was and is uncalled for,” one man wrote on Facebook as he suggested residents stop using a local service business owned by outspoken supporters of the referendum. The post suggested the two were linked to the mailing, and said “Why put money in the pockets of folks who say you are a fringe radical.”
In Portland, voters overwhelmingly turned down the proposal to close two elementary schools while renovating and vastly expanding the Valley View School for $68 million. Unofficial figures Wednesday morning showed only 2,336 people voted for it, while 3,363 voted against.
Labeling the proposed building “a mega-school,” opponents put out lawn signs, waged a social media campaign on the Portland Concerned Citizens page on Facebook, and bought an ad in a weekly newspaper urging residents to vote against it. They said renovating two other schools would be more cost-effective and would leave students with more fields, playgrounds and other facilities.
In both Newington and Portland, opponents complained that local government wasn’t adequately transparent and seemed to be hurriedly pushing through a plan without disclosing enough information.
In Portland on Wednesday, schools Superintendent Charles Britton sought to bring people together.
“The discussions surrounding this issue brought forward passionate voices from all perspectives. However, there is strong, shared consensus on two key points: first, that we all want what’s best for Portland’s children; and second, that we all recognize the need for essential improvements in our school facilities,” he said in a message.
According to unofficial figures Wednesday, the five referendums that passed are:
Tolland: Voters agreed 5,131 to 3,664 to spend $7 million on road work to counteract inflation that had kept the town from its goal of repaving 5 miles a year;
Southington: The town voted 15,953 to 7,544 to issue $15 million in bonds to pay for road and bridge work, including the use of a rubber chip seal to coat dozens of miles of streets;
Middletown: Taxpayers agreed 12,973 to 7,067 to spend $48.9 million to renovate and expand the Macdonough Elementary School, and voted 13,633 to 6,362 to approve $10 million for a new emergency dispatch center;
Somers: Voters agreed 3,565 to 1,665 to spend $2 million on road improvements, enough to repave 7.4 miles of local roads as the first stage of a five-year, $7 million plan to resurface a total of 23 miles.
Ellington: The town decided 4,931 to 2,666 to adjust its charter to better integrate the newly created town administrator’s role in day-to-day operations; increase the $7,500 threshold for requiring sealed bids on municipal projects to $25,000; and do away with the appointed auditing committee.
