NEWINGTON — The town’s two mayoral candidates praised the work of the Newington Senior and Disabled Center as they addressed their agenda for meeting the needs of the senior population.
The candidates, however, were critical of each other in what’s being done to help the town’s older demographic.
According to the U.S. Census, 27% of the town’s approximate 30,500 residents are 60 years of age and older, which is higher than the state average.
Asked if the needs of the town’s senior population are being met by the current Democratic administration, Republican Council Minority Leader and GOP mayoral candidate Tim Manke, 69, said, “I don’t think so, I think seniors are feeling left behind. When I go door to door, they feel like they are kind of being ignored. I think we spend a lot of time on the youth and on other segments of society.”
Manke, a lifelong town resident, said one of the tenets of his campaign platform is affordability and keeping taxes low — issues that he said may affect seniors more than others.
“Keeping taxes low affects seniors more because they’re a little more vulnerable to the fluctuation in taxes because they are more on a fixed income and less able to absorb tax increases,” Manke said. “So, being committed to keeping taxes low [will be a top priority.]”
Democratic Mayor Jon Trister, who is seeking his second two-year term, said his administration has increased the local senior and disabled center’s operational budget during his tenure. The center’s budget for the 2025-26 fiscal year is about $677,000.
Trister noted his administration also provided additional funding to both the Meals on Wheels program and the center’s congregate lunch program. The lunch program had previously been funded only through federal money and grants.
“We are not just talk; we deliver and we have a record to show that,” the 41-year-old Trister said. “Tim has a record of talking about doing a lot of things and not necessarily accomplishing. Our record is we do things.”
Both candidates agreed on one thing: the Newington Senior and Disabled Center — the first such center in the state to be nationally accredited — is a gem that more seniors should take advantage of
The center, which has more than 140 volunteers and over 3,500 members, is “certainly a great resource for our seniors,” Manke said. “It’s a way [going there] they can get together and socialize. They have tons of programs and it’s a good way to get out and meet other seniors.”
Trister said the “center serves our largest constituency of people, more people other than probably the school system. … It’s phenomenal. They do so much. They can get assistance with energy and can get information on how to do their taxes.”
During his monthly visits to the senior center, Trister said, the most common request he receives is to bring a grocery store back to the town center. A grocery store was located in that area prior to COVID but has since closed its doors.
“We are working hard with developers to make that happen,” Trister said. “There are several senior living facilities in the [downtown] area and they want one [grocery store] they can walk to.”
Manke said that, if elected, he’d work on getting seniors more active, and work with schools to have kids “read and build puzzles” with seniors. Trister said he’d also love to see a robust pen pal program with students and the elderly, similar to one he had when he was younger.
“It’s so the kids and the seniors can interact,” Manke said. “I think a lot of seniors get marginalized, stay in their homes, and get isolated.”
Trister said many of the town’s older adults are already active and volunteer their time by serving in public office on boards and commissions.
The candidates acknowledged that Newington has several housing complexes for the elderly, but that more can be done.
Manke said that, at one point, his 93-year-old mother “needed to find a place, but there were no places in town she could live.”
Manke said he’d support mandating some buildings and complexes to set aside housing for seniors only.
“We have some [senior housing], but nowhere near what the market would support,” Manke said.
Trister said as the town ages, there needs to be more housing for that population.
“We have to work with the developers, the land owners, business owners that want to develop property,” the mayor said. “It’s ultimately their property but good developers want to work with the community and fill the need.”
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Editor’s note: This story originally misstated the census estimate of Newington’s population. That has been corrected.