This piece appeared in the Windsor Journal on September 19, 2026.
This is the first installment of a column in which I will explore local, state, and federal trends that impact Windsor. As someone who did not grow up in Windsor or Connecticut, I hope to bring something of an outsider’s eye to the news and politics of my adopted hometown and state.
By way of introduction, I moved to Windsor in 2007, bought a house here in 2011, and gradually got involved in local civic life. This included working with First Town Downtown, the Democratic Town Committee, and various transportation safety advocacy initiatives. Readers may know me as one of the more vocal proponents of the Broad Street road diet.
By far the most common question I received after the road diet referenda was some variation on the simple question, “Why?” It’s a difficult question to answer because, as the debate progressed, it developed into something more than a policy disagreement or even a dispute over the underlying facts. It often felt as though supporters and opponents were having parallel conversations, as if the debate were a series of non sequiturs addressing barely related issues.
This type of miscommunication, of course, has been one of the defining features of civic life in America for the past few decades. But there are particular touchstones in Connecticut that seem to recur in these confused debates. What does it mean to be a “high-tax state” when many nearby states have higher rates on top earners than us? What is actually causing the rapid increases in property taxes, housing prices, healthcare premiums, and utility costs in Connecticut? What do we have “local control” of, exactly?
I look forward to diving into these sometimes thorny questions, but I also want to reflect on what it is, precisely, that makes Windsor such a special place to live. My wife and I chose Windsor Center because it provided an easy commute for both of us, vibrant civic life, and a strong sense of community. It also gave us walking-distance access to a train station, a high-quality library, dining options, a grocery store: all the basics and then some. Broad Street’s fortunes have ebbed and flowed, but the past few years have been nothing short of a renaissance.
But there’s something more at play here. Once, when my daughter and I were sitting at The Bean, she looked around and announced in that profound yet matter-of-fact way children do, “This is a nice town.” I asked her what made Windsor a nice town, and without a moment’s hesitation she answered, “the people.” I could not agree more.
But I digress. Until next time, see you around town.