The Oxford Dictionary defines coercion as the practice of persuading someone to do something by using force or threats.
The Town Council has denied the Enfield Historical Society a new lease on the Old Town Hall Museum, exerting inappropriate political leverage over a nonprofit – behavior that feels more like strong-arming than good governance.
The Mayor isn’t the Capo Dei Capi. He is simply one elected Republican official among many, with no more power than any other Republican member. However, it is difficult to tell when the other Republican members “sit on their hands” when he speaks.
Find out what's happening in Enfieldfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Currently, the Republican Majority of the Town Council has chosen to defund education, social services, warming centers, and historical societies. That’s not attractive to most people or businesses, and it makes for a difficult platform on which to run for reelection.
Spending priorities seem to fluctuate based on squeaky wheels, which is why the Republican Majority Town Council voted, after the budget had already been passed, to fund the construction of Pickleball Courts to the tune of $600,000+.
Find out what's happening in Enfieldfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
That money could have restored funding to the Warming Center, Loaves and Fishes, Enfield Food Shelf, and the Historical Society, with a significant amount left over, potentially to address sports fields or educational initiatives.
But those aren’t priorities of the Republican Majority Town Council of Enfield.
In a scene straight out of the Sopranos, the Republican Mayor displayed his disdain for the needy by denying a request from Democrat Councilwoman Cindy Mangini, to show some empathy for the less fortunate, with winter approaching, to restore funding to the overnight warming center, operated by Enfield Safe Harbor, that is located at St. Patrick's Church Hall, 64 Pearl Street, in Thompsonville.
The Republican Mayor denied the request. Bob Hendrickson, a Republican Town Committee member, who volunteers an inordinate amount of time at the Enfield Food Shelf, sat mum. He said nothing in defense of the Warming Center, or the needy.
That speaks volumes about the perceived control of the Republican Mayor Ken Nelson, Jr.
He has a myopic vision for the Town.
It lacks both clarity and imagination.
And maybe a little heart and caring, too.
