Town Tribune article, Oct 19, 2017. I was interested to see that Bob Ostrosky started his column last week by complaining about “negativity” in this campaign. His column appeared two days after the Sherman Republican Town Committee posted a pretty ugly attack toward me on their Facebook page on behalf of the Cope-Ostrosky campaign. Of course, I’m biased about what constitutes an ugly attack on myself, but in this case I was not alone. The RTC spent all day deleting the onslaught of negative feedback on their own page, much of it from members of their own political party.

In reality, there is always some jockeying back and forth as each candidate tries to position him or herself as better than the opponent. That’s healthy. I mean, why would you vote for someone who doesn’t believe he or she is better than the opponent? I certainly believe that I am better suited for the job of First Selectman than my opponent. However, a candidate attempting to show proficiency on the issues is one thing; personal attacksare another.

We live in a small town where we run into each other at the IGA, stand next to each other at our kids’ soccer games, and find ourselves at the same social events. Part of what makes Sherman special is our citizens’ inclination to step up and work for the betterment of Sherman. And they always deserve respect for that – even when we disagree. All sides can argue vehemently about issues and find ways to respectfully work things out. This is the Sherman I believe in.

Now, on to important town issues: As a six-year selectman, I have the experience to keep your taxes low. I have been a part of six responsible and low Town budgets. Clay and Bob have only been part of two low Town budgets – the two years with me on the board. Their first four together were excessive Town budgets. But let’s get something straight: Putting together the Town budget (and the School budget) takes teamwork. We are fortunate to have a strong support staff in the First Selectman’s office laying out budget parameters and we are fortunate to have Eric Holub as our Treasurer for advice. Our savings, for example, on our debt (the town debt’s interest rate was lowered through refinance) was almost entirely his doing. The only thing the Board of Selectman did was vote a unanimous “yes.” I have no reason to believe Mr. Holub will stop helping Sherman just because I am the First Selectman.

As your First Selectman I will strive not only to keep your taxes low, but will work hard toward building efficiencies and synergy between town agencies to save money and increase productivity. This is missing right now and fixing this is a strength of mine. I would never ignore, for example, the diligent work of our Park and Rec Commission. Instead, I will partner with them to better fulfill their objectives and the needs of town. If you vote for Kevin Keenan, an expert at efficient facilities and infrastructure management, you will make your town even stronger in this regard.

This Saturday, October 21, at 10 am. is our Annual Town Meeting held at Charter Hall (the ESF Building). There will be three items in addition to the first item, which is to receive and act upon the Annual Report. The Board of Selectman will be asking the voters to authorize a transfer of $750,000 from the general fund to the capital non-recurring fund. We will also be asking the voters for authorization to enter into a lease agreement with T-Mobile at Happy Acres farm. We will also be asking for $35k to repair the Fox Run detention basin. I hope to see you there.

Town Tribune Article,  October 12, 2017. In our campaign for Selectman and First Selectman of Sherman, Don Lowe and I have adopted an approach that states we will pursue, among other things: (1) Better and more efficient budgeting, and (2) Proper stewardship of facilities and infrastructure. Achievement of these goals is more of a necessity now than ever before because of Hartford’s inability to pass a state budget. Imagine a budget without state funding – The Town of Sherman will be on its own.

In Sherman the Board of Selectman acts as the Board of Finance. So in addition to the general budget requirements (e.g. salaries, insurance, debt service) the heads of certain departments and the Board of Education present their budget requests to the Board of Selectman. The BOS reviews, alters and eventually recommends the budget for a Town meeting. The citizens and taxpayers of Sherman ultimately approve the budget based on the review of our Board of Selectman. The First Selectman, as the chief executive officer, must be aware of what is needed for the town to operate efficiently, achieving this through regular communication with the people who make Sherman run.

With that said, consider that the Board of Education returned (i.e. surplus) close to $400,000 from the 2016 -2017 budget year. The previous year, 2015-2016, close to $300,000 was returned to the town. This surplus money goes into the town’s general fund, which can then be diverted into other accounts, usually upon recommendation of the Town Treasurer. The money can be used for capital non-recurring expenses. Incidentally this is a reason for the upcoming October 21 Town meeting. It is nice to have this money on hand considering the state budget situation, but is it efficient? Transparent?

The second part of our platform (proper stewardship of facilities and infrastructure) is intimately involved with the first part (better and more efficient governing) because as we all know smart management of facilities protects us-the taxpayers-from careless overspending. Two small capital projects have been completed in the town in the last six years. But have they been pursued efficiently? In my business when I am asked to bid on a project I make my best effort to estimate the cost of labor and material to produce a price, attain the job, and make a profit. That is the nature of business.

Why not run the Town of Sherman as a business? Well there are things in the public sector that do not apply to the private sector, like open bidding. Generally any project or service rendered to the Town must be advertised so everyone has an opportunity to provide a price. Is it efficient? No not necessarily. It takes time, you do not know who is bidding or their quality of work. It is better to go with a vendor you have used before because you know what to expect. The upside to open bidding is you can get a better sense of what the job is worth. or an answer to the question “Am I about to spend taxpayers dollars the best way possible?”

Another reason for the October 21 town meeting is a request from the Board of Selectman to appropriate $32,000 from the capital non-recurring fund for the Fox Run detention basin. This situation dates back to the previous administration and involves upgrading/renovating a detention basin on a town-owned road that is presumably silting in a Candlewood Lake cove. Perhaps some additional research should have done for the Town’s benefit but that is “water under the bridge.” What you can take issue with is that since this “problem” came up. three engineers have reviewed the plan-most recently our newly hired engineer. The grant from the State of Connecticut to renovate the basin was $60,000. The recently received low bid to do the work was $67,000. The town is being asked to spend an additional $32,000, of which $25,000 amounts to unbudgeted engineering costs. Is that efficient?

I have a construction and planning background both of which will serve the Town; Don Lowe has the leadership capabilities. The Town of Sherman has employees and a plethora of citizens who are capable of initiating and monitoring a project. Together, we can produce the efficiencies that will make Sherman an even better place to live.