Plainville Town Councilor Jesse Gnazzo Announces Resignation

By Brian M. Johnson, The Bristol Press

December 3, 2021

Town Councilor Jesse Gnazzo has announced his resignation. Though he plans to move to Chester in January, he still plans to remain a “fixture” in the Plainville community.

Gnazzo posted the following message on his Facebook page to announce his resignation:

“Today, I resigned from the Plainville Town Council. I have enjoyed serving the residents of Plainville for the past four years. However, shortly after Election Day, Tammy and I found a house we fell in love with on an amazing piece of land. We resolved it was time we did something for us and decided it was time to change the game. In January, we will be moving to Chester, Connecticut to start our next chapter. We love Plainville and it will always be home. Our business will always be in downtown Plainville and we will continue to serve Plainville through Norcom Mortgage and my work at Plainville Funeral Home. We appreciate your understanding, thank you for your support and assure you we will be here for you each and every day moving forward.”

Gnazzo said on Friday that he and Andrea Wasley, owner of Plainville Funeral Home, had been returning from a trip to Prospect and happened to stop in Chester. He said that he “fell in love” with the small town. The move had not been planned, but, after speaking to his wife Tammy, the two decided that it was “now or never.”

“It happened quickly,” he said. “My wife and I had been thinking about getting a vacation home in Vermont on a lake. But, the more we thought about it, the more we came to the realization that it would be better to buy a place nearer to where our families are. We happened to find an incredible home in Chester on a beautiful piece of property overlooking the Connecticut River.”

Gnazzo said that his decision to resign effective immediately was due to the imminent search for the next Town Manager. Town Manager Robert E. Lee had previously announced that he would retire, effective Jan. 5.

“The Town Manager interviews are about to happen, and I felt that it was important not to have a ‘lame duck’ sitting on the interviewing committee,” said Gnazzo. “Yes, the selection of the next Town Manager will have an impact on me since my business is here and I plan to stay involved in Plainville Rotary and the Chamber, but I didn’t want to give the impression that I want to interview the manager as someone who is walking away from elective service.”

Gnazzo said that what he enjoyed most about his four years of service on the Town Council was all of the people that he got to meet in the role.

“I met so many town employees, citizens and people who live outside of Plainville and come to town for work,” he said. “I became friends with a lot of people for a host of different reasons and no two days were the same.”

Gnazzo began his town involvement by volunteering with different sports leagues, then the Chamber of Commerce and the Rotary Club. He served on the Board of Education from 2007 to 2011 before being elected to the town council in 2017.

Gnazzo said that, during his time on the Town Council, he is proud to have helped with the development of “responsible budgets” and to have kept discretionary spending to a minimum. He is also proud to have helped to appoint a new fire chief and interim police chief.

“I have known Jesse well for many years and I wish him well in his future endeavors,” said Town Council Chair Kathy Pugliese. “I appreciate the time that we had working together on the council.”

Town Councilor Chris Wazorko said that, in Plainville, the Town Council approves someone to fill a vacancy – there is no special election.

“It has to be a Democrat because Jesse was elected as a Democrat,” said Wazorko. “We’re trying to have the Democratic Town Committee meet next week and we’re hoping to make a recommendation by our Dec. 20 meeting. The Town Council will then vote on whether or not to approve that recommendation.”

Brian M. Johnson can be reached at 860-973-1806 or bjohnson@bristolpress.com.