GOP’s change of heart is a good development

Days after a Winsted Journal editorial criticized local Republicans for deciding not to participate in a selectmen’s debate at The Gilbert School, the party has changed course and said it will send selectmen candidates to an Oct. 27 appearance on the stage in the school auditorium.Whether party members are flip-flopping, bowing to pressure or simply seeing the light, this is a good development for Winchester-Winsted residents who will vote for the town’s new slate of leaders on Nov. 8. It is always helpful to get a chance to see candidates answering questions in a live setting and to see how they plan to resolve current issues.In retrospect, it was certainly disappointing to receive news in writing this month from Republican Town Committee Chairman David Cappabianca, who initially told The Journal that party members would not be participating. “The Republicans have decided not to participate in the debates at Gilbert this year. We think door-to-door, mailers and phone calls will be a more effective way to get our message out,” Cappabianca wrote in response to a specific query asking if the GOP would be in this year’s debates.On Monday, Republican Selectman Ken Fracasso acted as if no such decision had been made and told attendees of that night’s regular selectmen’s meeting that the Republicans were in. Certain media sources, he said, had the story wrong. Fellow Republican Selectman Karen Beadle also claimed the story was wrong in a post to The Winsted Journal’s website, www.tricornernews.com.Members of the public use their own judgment to determine who is in error, but it is clear that The Winsted Journal relied on correspondence from the party regarding its initial decision not to participate, and party members did not officially announce their change of heart until three days after criticism of the decision appeared in this newspaper. No other communications — calls, emails or otherwise — have been received from the Republicans regarding the Oct. 27 debate.So, with that water now under the bridge, it looks like there will be a full slate of candidates at the debate. There will surely be some contentious issues to discuss, not the least of which will be the Winchester Board of Selectmen’s continued problems with school budget funding and the state-mandated minimum budget requirement (MBR), which could end up costing the town millions of dollars. Pick those you want to blame, but more importantly, take a look at the candidates and decide for yourself who will deal with the problem honestly, looking for a real solution, and who will keep kicking the can down the road.