Who We Are

The members and supporters of the Chatham Party are registered Republicans, Democrats, Independents, Green Party and Chatham Party. Quite simply, we are East Hampton residents who want our voices to be heard, not ignored, not derided.

Some of our members are politically conservative, some liberal. Taken together, we find common ground in the middle. We are moderates. Between the left and right, we are the quiet majority. Quiet, but not silent – if you care to listen. Then again, left and right are terms used to label national politics, not local politics.

We are a group of citizens with opinions about how we should be taxed, about how our town should spend its money, about how we need a better vision for the town to move forward into the 21st century. We want to ensure that our school system is the best it can be while the needs of our seniors and those without children in our school system are also included in the budget equation. We are fiscally conservative, socially responsible.

East Hampton’s Chatham Party
A Small Town Story

In 2005, people were frustrated that their opinions didn’t matter. The Town’s leaders gave favors to their friends while ignoring the people. Status quo ruled the day and the only thing that changed was the landscape, which was giving way to poorly-planned developments. A small group of residents said, “Enough is enough.” They came together and formed their own independent political party – the Chatham Party – to represent the community, not special interests.

On Election Day, residents came out in force and took back their town one vote at a time. The Chatham Party was elected on a wave of support and became the new leaders of the Town.

The next two years in Town Council were filled with hard work and long nights. The Chatham Party held more than 100 open public meetings in their efforts to represent the people and get things done. The established and political power brokers resisted change and opposed the Chatham Party almost at every turn. There were a few missteps along the way, but the Chatham Party always kept the best interests of the community first. Through it all, the new leaders held fast to overcome difficult challenges and accomplish many goals for the community. Many new people came forward for the first time to participate in our Town government.

New commissions to move the town forward into the 21st century were formed to redevelop our Village Center; to improve our sidewalks and roads; to clean up Lake Pocotopaug; to study and suggest improvements to our town’s technology infrastructure; to ensure open and transparent government. In the short two years when we held majority on Town Council, and in the past two years when we did not, here are some of the things we accomplished for the community:

• Created Streetscape Committee responsible for Route 66 improvements*
• Received Town's first STEAP Grant in the amount of $500,000
• Created the FIRST East Hampton Redevelopment Agency
• Acquired open space property with the Town’s FIRST open space grant
• Created an Ethics Commission
• Created the Lake Pocotopaug Commission*
• Supported a scientifically sound Phosphorous Ordinance
• Created the Design Review Board*
• Proposed budget policies and bonding to repair roads and sidewalks
• New sidewalks in Village Center
• Passed bonding for repair of Flanders Road
• Passed bonding for new Main Street Bridge
• Hired a new Town Manager**
• Provided responsible fiscal management and a more thorough Budget Policy
• Insisted that the budget be formatted to be more easily read and understood
• Required the Town Manager to produce Town Annual Reports
• Implemented changes to bring East Hampton into the 21st century
• Provided support to our schools to improve the quality of education
• Acted on concerns about traffic in Middle Haddam Village
• Supported the Town’s IWWA in improving environmental regulations
• Provided tax relief for East Hampton senior veterans
• Made Town government more accountable to the people
• Worked with Middle Haddam Association to redevelop M.H. Schoolhouse
• Appointed commissioners based on qualifications, not party affiliation
• Cleared the way for a new vision for East Hampton’s future
• Took action to implement a fiscally responsible water system
• Insisted on transparency and accountability in Town government
• Tried to add much needed part-time staff for Senior Center

* Disbanded by current Town Council
** Fired by current council before start date costing taxpayers approx. $100,000 (plus)

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