[Updated] Mayor Tom Delnicki Steps Down From Republican Town Committee

South Windsor Mayor Tom Delnicki has resigned from the Republican Town Committee.

Delnicki, who has served on the Town Council for 16 years, stepped down from the party in a letter dated April 29.

When reached on the telephone Friday, Delnicki declined to comment on the reasons why he stepped down from the party.

Still, Delnicki has taken several positions that appeared to be at odds with fellow Republicans on the council.

Indeed, Delnicki was a vocal opponent of the proposed $10.5 million hockey rink/recreation complex that was first presented to the council in October 2012.

Several Republican councilors appeared to be more receptive to the project, though without fully backing it publicly. Delnicki, however, was vehemently opposed to it from the outset. Republican Cary Prague said at a meeting Wednesday that he, too, opposed the rink/recreation project.

More recently, Delnicki was reluctant to back a Republican initiative to add $800,000 of expenditures to the budget for the construction and renovation of athletic fields, as well as adding to the pension fund and reducing the amount used in the fund balance by $400,000.

It's an issue of diverging philosophies, according to Republican Town Committee Chairman Kathy Daugherty.

"There were no cross words," Daugherty said.

Instead, Daugherty said that, since the last election, the RTC sat down to determine "what direction we wanted to go in South Windsor and what direction we wanted the town to go in."

"The question is, 'Are we meeting the needs [of the residents]?" Daugherty asked. "The answer is 'No.' So how do we get there and what do we use as a road map to where the town needs to be? ... The bottom line is, as taxpayers, we don't feel like we are getting our money's worth."

Daugherty brought up the pending $900,000 sewer payment that is included in this year's budget.

"The town around us is falling down. ... We need to spend money to keep the town up," she said.

Daugherty said that Delnicki did not want to spend the money necessary to keep the town's infrastructure - buildings, roads and fields - in repair. Such an investment is necessary, according to Daugherty, to remain in competition with towns like Farmington and Glastonbury.

"We need to make sure our town is not lagging behind," Daugherty said. "It's time to pay."

Daugherty said that the town needs to make a list of priorities and invest for the future of the town.

"I grew up in town and so did Tom," Daugherty said. "Tom would like to go back 40 years, and we can't go back. You can only move forward."

Daugherty said that there were no hard feelings, however.

"Tom has served this town well," she said. "There is a piece of the community that he does represent. Tom has done a great job."

Delnicki, for his part, declined to comment other than to say he would not debate the matter in the media.

While he stepped down from the committee, Delnicki said that he will continue to serve as mayor and that he has no intention of stepping down from the council.

“I will continue to be a voice for the taxpayer,” Delnicki said.

Indeed, Delnicki said that he intends to “bring some common sense proposals for leasing.”

The additional $800,000 budget proposal by Deputy Mayor Gary Bazzano and Councilors Kevin McCann, Cindy Beaulieu and Jan Snyder includes funding for the athletic fields through lease-purchase agreements.

At the council’s special budget meeting on Wednesday, Delnicki said that the town does not have any policy concerning such lease arrangements.

“We need to sit down with some common sense guidelines,” Delinicki said Friday.

As for the future, Delnicki said that he also plans to run for re-election.

“I’ve always been a vocal proponent for the taxpayer,” Delnicki said. “If there is something to be said, I say it, even if someone doesn’t want to hear it.”