OPINION: This Fourth Of July, Let’s Remember That Democracy Begins At Home

WINDSOR LOCKS, CT — I didn’t set out to become an expert on budgets or town politics. I just wanted the people of Windsor Locks to have a say.

When I saw what the new budget meant — massive tax increases hitting families and seniors all at once — I knew something had to be done. And I knew it couldn’t be decided by just a few dozen people in a Town Meeting.

So I did what I could. I set up a folding table and chair in the middle of the shopping plaza. No team, no funding — just me and a clipboard.

In one afternoon, I collected over 200 signatures by myself. People didn’t need convincing. They were already upset, already scared — and ready to sign.

But what stuck with me weren’t the numbers. It was the stories.

I met working parents doing everything they could to stay in their homes. Seniors who told me their Social Security went up by just $600 a year — about $50 a month — while their property taxes were about to go up by $1,200 or more. That’s twice their entire annual increase in income, gone in one shot.

These weren’t people looking for a handout. They were asking for something simple: time to adjust. A chance to stay in the town they’ve called home for decades.

When I finished collecting signatures, I packed up and headed straight to Memorial Hall, where I had volunteered to help serve dinner. Because this has never been about politics or power. It’s about showing up for your neighbors — the same way they showed up for me that day.

When over 1,500 residents voted in the first referendum — and more than 1,000 said “No” — that should’ve been the end of it. It wasn’t a close call. It was one of the highest turnouts we’ve seen in years, and the town rejected the budget clearly.

But what happened next was worse.

Instead of listening, the Board of Finance came back with a second proposal that felt more like a punishment than a compromise. Trash pickup — something long included in the budget and already under a 10-year contract — was pulled out. But we didn’t get a break. We got a second bill.
Same taxes. Fewer services. And now residents were expected to pay separately for something the town had already agreed to provide.

It wasn’t just frustrating — it was insulting. The second budget wasn’t an adjustment. It was retaliation. A message: vote “No” again, and we’ll make it hurt.

We teach our children that voting is the cornerstone of our freedom — the foundation of our democracy. We tell them their voices matter. But here in Windsor Locks, when the people spoke, our elected officials plugged their ears.

And now, as we prepare for the Fourth of July — a celebration of freedom, representation, and the power of the people — we ought to ask ourselves: what exactly are we celebrating, if our own votes don’t count?

Independence Day isn’t about fireworks and parades. It’s about a promise — that government exists to serve the people. And when over a thousand residents say “No,” only to be ignored, that promise is broken.

We don’t need more speeches about democracy. We need leaders who practice it.

That’s why I’m urging Windsor Locks residents to stand up — again — and bring this budget back to referendum. Not because we want to defund the town. But because we want to be heard. We want fairness. We want time. We want our vote to mean something.

This July 4th, let’s remember: democracy doesn’t live in Washington. It lives right here — in Windsor Locks.

And it dies when we stop defending it.

Kurt Brace
Windsor Locks