Santannella Talks Taxes, Schools, and the Enfield Square Project in Candid Interview

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I had the chance to interview Councilmember and State Rep. John Santanella on his Cox TV show, Community Crossroads. We discussed some of the major issues in this election. One thing missing from Enfield’s election season is real discussion. There are no debates, no forums where a panel or the public can question the candidates. As a result, we usually hear more about their backgrounds and resumes than how they would tackle the town’s biggest challenges. With that in mind, Councilmember and State Rep. John Santanella invited me to interview him on his Cox TV show Community Crossroads. [ Here’s the link to the show .] Usually, he’s the one asking the questions, but this time he asked me to turn the tables and focus on town issues. I was glad to take him up on it. The questions I asked are the same ones I’d put to any candidate: the property revaluation, school funding, economic development, the Enfield Square redevelopment, outsourcing of town services, the charter-revision questions, ...

Did Enfield make a mistake by opening its schools?

Enfield High School
Enfield High School, fall, 2020

On Sept. 23, a covid case was reported at Enfield High School. The school is closing for the next two days. It will shift to remote learning.

Health authorities are contact tracing. Other schools in this state have reported covid cases. Some think this is just the start and schools will be all virtual soon enough. Perhaps not.

The CDC has argued that it’s important to reopen schools for the health and well being of children. It warns of everything from “severe learning loss,” which includes their social development. The schools are also a steady source of nutrition. Those are real problems.

Can Enfield control this? Will contact tracing be effective? Will the school covid cases lead to an increase in adult covid cases in town?

All the school districts are trying their best to get through this, and we will just have to see what happens next.

Location: Enfield, CT 06082, USA

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