Referendum Looms for Voting Public
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Property of the Watertown Historical Society watertownhistoricalsociety.org Timely Coverage Of News In The Fastest Growing Community In Litchfield County Vol. 39 No, 22 SUBSCRIPTION PRICE $12.00 PER YEAR Cur. Rt.P.S. PRICE 30 CENTS May 31,1984 editorial Charter Revision Watertown voters will go to the polls on Tuesday, June 5, for a vote as important as any election. And an election it will be. Residents will be balloting on Referendum Looms whether to retain the present, Council-Manager form of government, or to switch to a Mayor-Council form, Asked again, that is, because similar attempts to do away with the Council-Manager system have been tried before, For Voting Public unsuccessfully. Since members of both political parties are coming out The months-long debate over either for or against the change, Tuesday's vote will not Probate Court In Town charter revision will be settled by the public next week when be a purely partisan matter-although the Democrat party townspeople cast yes-no votes to has been opposed to and doing what it can to abolish Reaches 150th Birthday keep the present council.mana. Council-Manager since it went into effect in 1962. ger form of government, or The Watertown Probate Court courts were established, switch It to a mayor-council ver- There's been much rhetoric from both sides concerning on Sunday will celebrate the County courts which dealt sion, the change, much of it emotional and some more than a 150th anniversary of its founding solely with probate matters were on June 3, 1834 by an act of the established in 1698, The polls will be open Tues- trifle vitriolic. But in the heat of a campaign there are day, June 5, from 6 a,m, to 8 State Legislature, Residents in this general area many things said which tend to elaborate more than a p.m, at the four polling stations. The Connecticut Probate Court used the County Probate Court in They are; Heminway Park School little on the truth, and which the educated voter tends to system Is the oldest, continually New Haven until 1719, when the (68th District-Ol), Judson School discount. operating court in the United new court in Woodbury acquired (68-02). Swift Junior High (68- States, It began in 1639 as an ad- jurisdiction over this area. In 03), and Polk School (76-04). We have long favored the Council-Manager system, and junct of the State Legislature, 1779, the Waterbury Probate do so now. We've always felt that when an entity spends which also served as a general Court was established, and resi- Final voter registration figures were being tabulated Tuesday (Continued on page 2) court until 1666, when county dents of then Westbury used the Waterbury court until June 3, night, according to registrars 1934. Walter LeMay and Alice Ma- deux. The most recent March 1 In the ISO years of its ei'ist- update had 10,664 eligible voters Watertown Graduates For1984 ence, the Watertown Probate on the rolls. Court has only had 11 judges In this special townwide refe- who have served the court. In the rendum, only registered electors past 106 years, only five have can cist ballots on the fate of the been elected to serve, Current town government. judge of probate is Carey R, Geg- han. The registrars said since a state law now permits one voting The following is a listing of the machine per 1,500 voters (in- judges who have served, and stead of the former 900), fewer their tenure: Holbrook Curtis, machines will be used. Theoreti- 1834-36; Benjamin DeForest, cally, only eight machines will be 1836-37- Merritt Heminway, set up throughout the town. 1837-38; Mr. Curtis again, 1838- 46; Charles S. Woodward, 1846- Town Clerk Mary Canty said 47; Mr. Curtis again, 1847-50; absentee ballots can be obtained Allyn M. Hungerford. 1850-52; at her Town Hall office, 37 DeFo- Leman W. Cutler, 1852.76; Mr. rest St., up to 5 p.m. Monday. Hungerford again, 1876-79; The cutoff date for voter reglstra. William B, Hotchkiss, 1879-90; tion for the referendum also is 5 Howard M. Hiekeox, 1891-1931; p.m. that day. Frank B. Hiekcox, 1931-54; Jos- Mrs. Canty will be conducting cph M. Navin, 1954-74; and Mr. business hours Saturday, June 2, Geghan, 1974 to present. from 9 a.m. to 12 noon for regis- trations and ballot pickups. Questions concerning where to Siemon Company vote should be directed to the Gbu Vespoil joelle Svab Angels Romano town clerk's office at 274-5411, Consolidates ejrt. 293. Gina Marie Vespoil has been 23 Kent Terrace, She will be school system's 'Nation at Wrangle Over Debate named the valedictorian of the attending Boston College in the Risk" Task Force, ' It was still unclear at press Watertown High School Class fall, where she will be a pre-med Miss Svab also is a member of Its Properties The Siemon Company, Water- time whether a televised debate of 1984, Principal William P, biology major. the newly-formed Students over Laurel Cablevision's public Williams and the WHS Guidance Miss Svah has been a mem- Against Drunk Drivers (SADD) town, a diversified custom ser- vice manufacturer, has contract- access Channel 5 would be held Department have announced. ber of the field hockey, basket- chapter. Sunday from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. The title signifies the class's ball, and softball teams for four The daughter of Mr, and Mrs. ed to purchase a 240,000-square- top academic student. years, and has been chosen Pasquale Romano, 305 Beach foot building on 19 acres of land Leaders of KEEP, the propo- Senior Girl Scholar-Athlete. Ave., Miss Romano plans to In downtown Watertown for $1,2 nents of the present council-ma- In an unusual two-way tie, nager government, were meet- Joelle Svab and Angela Romano She has been a member* of the attend George Washington Un- million, National Honor Society for three iversity, where she will major The seller is Princeton Asso- ing Tuesday to decide whether to were announced as co-saluta- accept an invitation to debate torians for the senior class. The years, and was a member of the (Continued on page 2) ciates, Siemon Co. said in a press release. The acquisition ties to- with MAP, the Mayoral Advo- three young women will gradu- cate Petitioners. ate with their classmates during gether two Siemon parcels off annual Commencement exer- Echo Lake Road that had been Both sides have leveled char- cises Saturday, June 23, Alert Mailman Comes To separated by the Princeton pro- ges against each other over which group is more advan- Miss Vespoli, the daughter of perty, thus creating one, 25-acre parcel with four industrial build- tageously affected by a debate. Mr, and Mrs. Anthony Vespoli, Rescue Of Elderly Man MAP declined to debate KEEP 630 Middlebury Road, will at- ings. Some cool and quick thinking released. at a local Chamber of Commerce tend Rensselaer Polytechnic According to Siemon President forum last week, claiming the Institute, N.Y., where she plans by a local postman averted a pos- Mr, LeBlanc said when he was Carl N. Siemon, "The acquisi- sible tragic ending for an elderly delivering the mail that Tuesday, chamber favors the KEEP posi- to major in electrical engineer- tion fulfills our immediate need tion and is biased on the issue. ing, She has been a member of Watertown man this month, he noticed the previous day's for more manufacturing and of- the WHS Executive Board for Robert LeBlanc, 78 Highland mail untouched in the boi, Mr, fice space, unifies our esisting The chamber then voted May four years, and the National Ave., a 15-year employee of the LeBlanc was not working the properties, and gives us a num- 24 to endorse the present form of Honor Society for three. postal system, found Edison J. Monday route. ber of options fd future develop- council-manager government, Miss Vespoli was a first-place Bennett sprawled on the kitchen He said he checked the garage ment that we believe will benefit "We are saddened by MAP's winner in the Voice of Demo- floor of his 150 Chestnut Grove and found Mr. Bennett's car still both our company and the unwillingness to take part In our cracy contest, and is the recip- home the morning of May 15, there. Suspicions aroused, he town." scheduled forum (May 30)," the ient of the Bausch & Lomb and rushed to a neighbor to rapped on the door "and heard a The Siemon Company is family chamber said in a press state- Award for having the highest phone for emergency help. moan" from inside. owned, and has four divisional ment this week from chamber of- average in science over four Mr, Bennett, 90, was taken to "So I went in," Mr, LeBlanc operations in Watertown, one di- ficial Frank D. Fulco. years. the hospital where it was deter- continued. He found Mr, Ben- vision in Madison, Ga., and a "The chamber's position to Miss Svab Mhe daughter of mined he was suffering from nett "In his longjohns" on the subsidiary In Toronto, Canada, oppose the mayoral forni of gov- Mr, and Mrs, Robert Svab, pneumonia. He was treated and (Continued on page 2) (Continued on page 2) (Continued on page 10) Page 2 Town Times (Watertown, Conn.) May 31,1984 Bennett's daughter, Helen B. Through AFS, Miss Romano Alert Mailman Graham, 227 Walnut Hill, Tho- spent a summer abroad in Japan, EDITORIALS (Continued from page 1) maston.