Citizen News, Letter to Editor, October 21, 2015. To the Editor:

November 3rd, Election Day for local officials is almost here. In Sherman, we are very fortunate to have Don Lowe running for First Selectman and Ashleigh Blake running for Selectman.
Don is a highly qualified candidate who has a
long history of volunteer services on local Boards
and Commissions and at the Sherman School.
Complimenting his vast knowledge of town
operations is a multi-skill level professional
background. With a Master’s Degree in
Professional and Creative Writing, he teaches at
Naugatuck Community College, and has worked in
other areas of education, teaching children of all
ages. He’s also an author and spent many years in
the corporate world, including the financial services
industry.

Don Lowe’s strengths will bring greatly enhanced
communication skills, responsiveness, strong work
ethic, and transparency to the job of First Selectman.
Coupled with his in-depth knowledge of town
issues, dedication to better budgeting, better town
operation efficiencies and reversing the trend of
increasing taxes, while continuing to provide
essential services, he is an excellent choice.

Equally well qualified for Selectman is Ashleigh
Blake. Known for her hands-on approach to
volunteerism in Sherman for the past 17 years on
Town Boards and Commissions as well as at the
Sherman School. Ashleigh had an outstanding
professional career as a product designer for several
major corporations.

Ashleigh has excellent organization and
communication skills. She shows her innovation,
dedication, compassion, and commitment for
getting the job done in everything she attempts.
Whether it’s helping seniors age in place, working to
help make the Sherman School a top notch
educational experience for Sherman children, or
protecting and promoting our Sherman character and
our natural resources like Candlewood Lake,
Ashleigh is there, making a difference.

For too long, people around town have been
asking for a number of changes in the actions of the
First Selectman’s office: better communication (whether it be getting back to people on inquiries or issues, or questions asked at Board of Selectman meetings); better efficiency in the operation of town
government to avoid costly mistakes, such as
maintenance mismanagement and non-completion of day-to-day projects; reducing high attorney fees; and relief from yearly rising taxes, to name a few examples.

We urge you to vote for Don Lowe for First Selectman and Ashleigh Blake for Selectman. They have the skills, the determination, and the courage to make the necessary changes, and preserve the qualities that we all love about living in Sherman.

Roger and Barbara Ireland,

Sherman