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BETHEL DEMOCRATS: “Good for Bethel”

The Bethel Democratic Town Committee (BDTC) is the official local organization of the Connecticut Democratic Party in the town of Bethel. We are a group elected to represent Bethel’s Democrats, and we endeavor to improve our town through community engagement and political involvement. We aim to be a progressive voice for the town of Bethel, and will always support what is in the best interest of the entire community and all its people.

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NEWS & ANNOUNCEMENTS

News from the BDTC and opinion pieces from our members and candidates.

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Bethel Democrats

Bethel Democrats

The Bethel Democratic Town Committee works to promote Bethel's Democrats for public office in Bethel

2 weeks ago

Bethel Democrats
Happy Thanksgiving Bethel! We hope you have a wonderful day filled with gratitude, joy, and good company. ... See MoreSee Less
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1 month ago

Bethel Democrats
Watch as Karen Foster, Democrat candidate for Board of Finance explains the ballot

The ballot can be tricky, especially if you are a first time voter. The most important thing is that the ballot has two sides so don't forget to turn it over and fill up both sides.

The other important thing to know is that it is arranged in sections, and the columns are not important. Each section tells you the maximum number of people you can vote for. If it says "vote for up to five", that doesn't mean you have to vote for exactly five. This is especially important on the Board of Education race this year. It says vote for up to five but there are only three Democrats running. If you only want to vote for the Democrats that's fine you can vote for the three Democrats and stop there. Actually, if your intention is to vote for just the Democrats you do want to stop there because if you vote for some of the Republicans you're actually voting against the Democrats you want. If you only see one person you know in a section you can vote for just that one person. Or you can even skip a section if you don't know anyone.

The other important thing to know is the columns don't mean anything. For example, in the board of finance section, where it says vote for up to three, it's important to know that you can choose any three from that group. The people in one column are not running against each other. You are not making a choice between Karen Foster and Cynthia McCorkindale, for example. Your choice is three people from among the six who are running. You don't have to choose one person from each column. This is especially important when a column only has one person in it. You don't have to vote for that one person just because they're in a column by themselves. You will see that in the Board of Education race where two columns have just one person in them. You don't need to choose that person just because they are alone in a column.
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1 month ago

Bethel Democrats
Truth & Facts about Republican BOF Statements:

There is an old expression that in war and in politics, the first casualty is the truth. And the campaign piece by the Bethel Republican Board of Finance candidates sets a new bar for gaslighting Bethel voters.

These candidates, especially long-time incumbents McCorkindale and Ellis, who have long opposed funding for our schools, roads and parks, are trying to pull the wool over our eyes by claiming credit for things they’ve never done. Let’s take a closer look at a few of their claims.

“Adequate funding in the road budget to eliminate borrowing”:
FACT: The Town has not borrowed money for road construction for many years. Under the previous administration’s “debt reduction” plan, the Board of Selectmen eliminated all borrowing for road construction and moved that function to the operating budget. And it is a FACT that both McCorkindale and Ellis voted AGAINST those budgets every year up until 2023.

“Purchased trucks and snowplows”:
FACT: These are items that were already built into the 10-year capital plan and already funded in the budget. Capital planning is done by the Board of Selectmen, not the Board of Finance. All they did was approve the purchases that were already planned by another board. They shouldn’t get extra credit for just doing what they’re expected to do.

“Fully funded Bethel schools with no cuts”:
FACT: The savings that allowed that to happen was negotiated through lower health insurance premiums by Superintendent Christine Carver, not the Board of Finance. Regardless of how they voted this year, it is a fact that both Ellis and McCorkindale have made motion after motion to cut money for schools for every year they’ve been on the Board of Finance. They cannot hide from their records.

Remarkably, the Board of Finance did fully fund both schools and roads in the current budget. But we should ask them, why? After years of consistently voting to cut funding for essential services, why not now?

The answer is simple: they know their record would be held against them in an election year.

But can you trust them to approve responsible budgets next year? And the year after? Remember that once elected, the term in office is four years.

Let’s not take that chance. If you want Board of Finance members you can trust to give you responsible budgets, who will put the interests of all members of this community ahead of the interests of their party, vote for change.

Vote for Greg Henry, Karen Foster and Nick Hoffman.
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1 month ago

Bethel Democrats
Vote Row A on Tuesday November 7th! ... See MoreSee Less
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1 month ago

Bethel Democrats
Building relationships and encouraging discussions with our department heads will allow us to fully understand what the future needs are for the Town of Bethel. The mindset needs to be proactive vs reactive. That can be achieved with collaboration among all stakeholders in the process including our residents.

Learn more: betheldemocrats.com/2023-candidates/

Vote Row A on November 7th
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Bethel’s voters, at a glance…

3,990

DEMOCRATS

3,152

REPUBLICANS

5,524

UNAFFILIATED or MINOR PARTY

12,666

REGISTERED VOTERS