November 8th is the day Seymour voters will choose the First Selectman. This very important decision should be made by thinking and choosing carefully.
My record of getting things done speaks to substance and not rhetoric and leadership by example and not by simple promises.
The list of accomplishments includes several significant improvements to the Town of Seymour. Among them are the following:
- Grants for trees, sidewalks, bathrooms, energy saving devices, signage and the roof on the Police Station;
- Approval to purchase Public Works vehicles to start replacing an aging fleet;
- Approval to purchase a Communications Console at the Police Department to replace a twenty-two year old piece of equipment;
- A new roof on the Public Works garage as well as improvements to the generator system to improve the work area at the garage;
- $500,000 Small Cities Grant to restore Chamberlain Road and Brothers Court;
- Refinanced our debt to save the citizens of Seymour more than one million dollars;
- Approval to purchase a new Rescue Truck for Citizens Engine Co. No. 2 to replace an aging vehicle;
- Hired an Economic Development Director and established an Energy Committee.
- New businesses like AutoZone, Valley Burger, Tea With Tracy, and new strip malls on Route 34 as well as on North Street and Route 67.
The winter snow storms of last January and February, the July 8th and August 14 rain events, Hurricane Irene and Winter Storm Alfred all tested my leadership skills.
I worked with our Emergency Management Team to make sure that our Town and our residents were safe. I spent time away from my family in the snow and rain to make sure the Town was safe.
I was cold in my home without power like most of our citizens and took advantage of the showers at the Middle School like you did and spent time working at the shelter to make sure the people that had to stay there were okay.
Leaders do that sort of thing and being a leader, it was the right thing to do.
One decision that I could not make through the storms was when power was to be restored.
CL&P made those decisions based on the repairs that needed to be made. I could only advise them of the location of our problem areas. I made sure that CL&P could get to those areas by working with our Public Works Department.
As your First Selectman, I have been able to make progress in many areas and would like to continue that progress. As your Town leader I worked side by side with you and our Emergency Management Team to keep our Town safe and worked with our Town Employees, Public Works Department, Police Department, Fire Department and Ambulance Corps to respond to you needs.
Thank you for your support over the last two years and I am looking forward to serving you for two more years.
The writer is a Democrat seeking re-election as Seymour’s First Selectman.
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