POMFRET — The Pomfret Democratic Town Committee recently nominated a full slate of candidates for the upcoming 2017 Municipal Elections:
Maureen Nicholson was nominated for First Selectman. Nicholson served as first selectman from 2012 until 2015 and was on the Board of Selectmen before that. In addition to three years as Pomfret’s chief executive, Nicholson has more than 25 years of service on various boards and commissions in town including chairman of the Board of Finance. For Board of Selectmen is Patrick McCarthy, a 25-year resident of the town. He is an administrator and schoolteacher.
For full term on the Board of Education the party nominated incumbent Valerie May and newcomer Leigh Grossman. Incumbent Sara DiIorio will run to fill a two-year vacancy on the same board. For the Board of Finance, incumbent Debi Thompson and lifelong Pomfret resident Dayna Flath were nominated. Incumbents Bev Champany and Ray Wishart were nominated for the Planning & Zoning Commission. Wishart is also candidate for the Board of Assessment Appeals. Nick Fulchino and Dan Kellaway are fresh faces on the ballot and will be running for the Zoning Board of Appeals along with Mary Wishart, who is running to fill the alternate position. For Library Board of Trustees, Democrats nominated Christine Kalafus, Cris Cadiz, and Gary Sturni. The Democrats then endorsed four candidates for town constable: Jenn Trayner, Dan Bastura, Bill Wolfe and newcomer Brad Belanger. Cheryl Grist was nominated for Town Treasurer.
Election Day is Nov. 7. Polls will be open at Pomfret Community School from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.
On dean’s list
BOSTON — Northeastern University recognized those students who distinguish themselves academically during the course of the school year. Brooklyn resident Shelby Fundin, a Northeastern University student majoring in behavioral neuroscience, was recently named to the University’s dean’s list for the spring semester, which ended in April 2017.
Earns designation
POMFRET CENTER — Jim Zahansky recently earned the Accredited Wealth Management Advisor, AWMA®, designation from the College for Financial Planning. Jim is principal/managing partner and chief goal strategist at Weiss & Hale Financial, along with Principal/Managing Partner, Laurence Hale, AAMS, CRPS® and Partner Jim Weiss, AAMS, RLP™. As a designee, Zahansky is now recognized as a professional on wealth management.
To receive such accreditation, one must complete a specialized wealth management educational program and pass a rigorous examination in addition to abiding by standards of professional conduct.
Designees’ of the AWMA® are trusted financial professionals who have a depth of knowledge about wealth planning strategies, equity-based compensation plans, tax reduction alternatives, and asset protection alternatives to meet the professional and personal goals of clients.
Zahansky said, “The learning I have taken away from this professional designation educational program will be passed to our current and future clients to further assist them in achieving their life financial goals.” Weiss & Hale Financial, LLC, based in Pomfret Center is a knowledgeable team of finance professionals who help clients achieve their goals using their unique Plan Well, Invest Well, Live Well™ process.
By Linda Lemmon
Town Crier Editor
PUTNAM — The pursuit of taxes due would go on for years and years with the foreclosure tool.
Then the state changed the rules and allowed towns to collect back taxes through tax sales.
Foreclosures used to be the only way towns could collect back taxes.
“It took years and years and the town spends a lot of money pursuing,” according to Melissa A. Alden, collector of Revenues for the town and district of Putnam and the Water Pollution Control Authority.
Tax sales are now the go-to method of collecting. Putnam’s tax sale is Aug. 15.
This is the second year that the town is holding a tax sale.
A Bridgeport attorney specializes in helping towns hold tax sales and Putnam is using this attorney for its upcoming tax sale at the Town Hall.
According to the state statute for tax sales, the towns set their criteria for their tax sales.
The “amount of delinquency” can be the amount of money due and/or the number of years delinquent.
It applies to all delinquent accounts, residential and commercial.
In Putnam, she said, the town’s criteria is three years unpaid and/or $5,000. For the Water Pollution Control Authority, it’s more than $1,000 and/or 18 months.
The lineup of those to be paid starts with the town, then the Water Pollution Control Authority, the IRS, and state taxes.
Amounts due to banks are further down the list.
“The town will get paid, no matter what,” Alden said.
This year there are 19 accounts (15 properties) with $128,000 due lined up for the Aug. 15 tax sale for the town and the Special Services District at the Town Hall.
For the Water Pollution Control Authority it’s more than $40,700.
There were 26 accounts to start with, Alden said.
Some on the list were delinquent accounts that set up a payment schedule and then did not follow through with payments.
The town will not be setting up another payment schedule with those owners, she said.