On Tuesday, October 31, Hotchkiss Republicans hosted a town-hall style meeting in the Science Lecture Hall featuring Republican nominees for positions in local government.
Mr. Don Mayland and Ms. Janet Lynn, the candidates for town selectman and Board of Zoning Appeals, respectively, took the stage to discuss their campaign platforms and to address pressing issues in the local community. Chair of Salisbury Republican Committee Tom Morrison acted as moderator for the discussion.
Affordable housing was a primary concern for both Mr. Mayland and Ms. Lynn. As of September 2023, the average listing of a home in Salisbury is $1.5 million. This has effectively priced out many local residents looking for affordable housing, particularly young community members.
The absence of a youth population has posed a significant challenge in staffing public institutions, such as the volunteer-based fire department and ambulance squad. These services have thus grown increasingly reliant on veteran members, who are aging out of leadership roles.
Mr. Mayland is an incumbent Selectmen of Salisbury. A retired Hotchkiss Economics teacher and owner of Marine Study Program Inc., a local lake subcontracting business, Mr. Mayland campaigned on the construction of affordable housing options. He hopes that increasing affording housing will attract a younger demographic to the area.
“I think that everybody understands that affordable housing is a critical concern,” said Mayland. “The town, like most small towns in New England, relies on volunteers to run which is unsustainable.”
Ms. Lynn’s platform emphasized economic growth. The town has historically shied away from adding commercial zones; however, Lynn’s priority of furthering Salisbury’s economic development makes her more likely to approve this kind of zoning. At the same time, she promised to back ordinances that would promote the construction of affordable multi-family housing units.
Max Salzinger ’25, a member of Hotchkiss Republicans who attended the event, said, “The meeting opened my eyes to a whole new realm of political cooperation. I never before heard from local politicians speaking about local issues, so to have a discussion that was both politically-minded but non-partisan was a breath of fresh air.”
The Connecticut Board of Elections announced unofficial results of the municipal elections after voting took place on Tuesday, November 7.
Mr. Mayland garnered 25 percent of the vote and lost his race to Katherine Kiefer, an independent candidate, and Christian Williams, a Democratic candidate. However, Ms. Kiefer and Mr. Mayland finished within an 8-vote margin, which automatically triggered a recount under Connecticut law.
Ms. Lynn finished a distant third in her race. The two Democrats, Ms. Stacey Weiner and Mr. Lee Greenhouse, both won seats on the zoning board.
No Republican candidates won a majority or plurality of the vote in Salisbury on election night this year.
Mayland views these results as telling of the political polarization present within the local community and country. “There’s a lot of people who wouldn’t vote for me, I’m sure, simply because I’m a Republican. The parties at the national level are very split, but when people move to a small town like Salibury, they’ve got to forget about the label of the party and just listen to the person, but it doesn’t happen.”
