The county delegation met on November 4 and voted unanimously to approve of the latest county courthouse contract proposal to the state. The contract, as of this writing, has not yet been approved by the state.

To say that I am disappointed in the recent election results would be an understatement. I am particularly puzzled as to why voters did not re-elect David Karrick and give Mary Anne Broshek a chance to serve our communities. David in particular was a reliable partner in anything: flood control, highways and bridges, broadband expansion, and Medicaid expansion. So it goes.

This said, I want to congratulate Anne Copp and Natalie Wells. I do hope that they will be as “embedded” in our towns as David and I were. We always responded to all inquiries, regardless of party, and we should expect the new representatives to do the same.

The issues facing our towns will still be the lack of education funding and the lack of a reliable broadband infrastructure in areas of Danbury and Salisbury. Flood control payments will be on the table again, and it has been my experience that both parties would like these payments to disappear.

Watch out for business taxes being reduced again at the expense of sending money back to the towns. Downshifting of costs from the state to the towns will probably continue and needs to be reversed. There is a fight there. Medicaid expansion will also be on the table.

I wish the newcomers the best of luck.

As for me, I want to thank all the people who supported me through the years. It has been a great honor and a fantastic adventure.

Signing off: Mario Ratzki