Arts & Entertainment
Mayor Spadaccini on Manchester Review in November
Mayor Spadaccini Reflects on 14 Years in Local Politics
Outgoing, two term Republican Mayor Lou Spadaccini appears as a guest on Manchester Review in November. After 14 years in local politics, Spadaccini is retiring to enjoy time with his family and to develop his law practice. Good for him- you never get that time back if you miss it!
Spadaccini entered Manchester politics with a successfull bid for a seat on the Board of Education at the age of 23. After 3 years on the Board of Education, he was elected to the Board of Directors where he served for 11 years, the last four as Mayor.
Mayor Spadaccini speaks of the achievements of the Board while he served. Charter revision with the provision for direct election of Mayor and a budget referendum process, and the Broad St Redevelopment project are a couple of the highlights he describes. Although the darkest days were when the mass shooting occurred at the Hartford Distributors, he found the community response very heartwarming. He feels that Public Safety in Manchester has been a priority and that the Police Department did an outstanding job responding to that crisis and others with a high degree of professionalism.
Looking to the future of Manchester, he sees the biggest challenge in education. Crucial decisions coming up soon such as the pick for a superintendent and a high school principal are huge. Difficult budget decisions will be forced as the board of education has previously avoided deep cuts to date with federal stimulus money.
When asked if he had advice for the incoming Mayor, Spadaccini recommended focusing on specific long term goals and to avoid being distracted from them by day to day events.
Mayor Spadaccini can be seen on channel 15, 9 PM, Monday nights in November on Manchester Review with Host Jack Peak.
The host hopes the mayor will return to local or state politics later in life!
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