Two EDC Members Resign, New Website on Agenda
- Theresa Cramer
- 6 days ago
- 2 min read
Trying to distill an Economic Development Commission (EDC) meeting down for an article is a bit like herding cats. The agendas are a suggestion at best, and the discussions tend to turn into free-ranging discussions about whatever is on the audience’s mind. The January 20, 2026, meeting was no different, but there were a few concrete developments to report.
First, two EDC members have resigned. Charles “Chuck” Alfano, who was leading the Main Street sub-committee and pushed for Stafford to rejoin the Connecticut Main Street Center, has resigned. As has Larry Vaughn, owner of Stafford Sand & Gravel, and one of the holdovers from the previous iteration of the EDC. Luckily, alternates Tracey Deleston and John Turnberg were on hand to join Lori Fortuna, Aaron Eberhard, and Chair Jacob Long reach a quorum.
Long also proposed changes to the EDC’s landing page on the town website. He called for a “Start a Business” link to be added to the navigation bar at the top of the homepage, which would lead to the EDC’s page. He wants to add information about the commission, as well as a list of steps to follow when forming a business in Stafford.
After input from the audience, including Leonard Clark, an alternate on the Planning and Zoning Commission, the steps Long initially suggested will likely change. One of those steps may even be assigning a liaison to would-be business owners to help guide them through the process.
Other than that, there were lots of ideas. One that took up some time was the idea of a farm store that brings local products into one, year-round space. People seemed to be on the same page about combining the existing farmers’ markets and moving them to a more centralized location, trying to grow it to a point where it could support a brick-and-mortar store. Long also stressed the need to find tie-ins with the speedway. Dive deeper into the ideas by watching the video below.
