In a prior letter, Stephan Behuniak introduced the new, younger slate of Seymour Democrats that are running for office this year. Our slate is young, eager, qualified and ready to take charge of Seymour as we bring the town into a new era.
It’s not enough to leave it there, however. Seymour Democrats have solid plans to put forward. And the top of our pitch to Seymour voters regards the number one thought on everyone’s minds: economic development.
When people look at Seymour, one word comes to mind: stagnant. Downtown has remained the same, we haven’t brought in notable big business, and precious little has changed in the past few years.
If Democrats are elected to seats on relevant boards, we will push for the changes that need to happen. We will fight for greater oversight of the economic development commission, which will give greater say in how our resources are used. We will fight to hold the Economic Developer accountable, and either give him the resources he needs to do the job, or move on.
We will also fight to not only grow, but diversify the grand list. Seymour’s history is one of a factory town, and while they have their place, those jobs that were once our backbone are likely not coming back. Instead, the modern line worker has been replaced by coders, programmers and others in the high tech industry. I am a cellular engineer by trade, and there is no reason why my job, or many like it, shouldn’t be in Seymour instead of Fairfield County.
To facilitate that, we will fight for the infrastructure improvements to our roads, and re-engage with the state and Metro North to improve the trains coming through Seymour and into the Valley at large.
Some aspects of our town are going well, but the development of our economy is not one of them. This is a results-oriented business, and stagnant waters grow fetid after enough time passes. We ask the voters of Seymour to put us on your boards and give our young, energetic slate the chance to put our plans into action.
The writer is a Seymour resident.
