With just five days until the election, candidates for First Selectman and the Board of Selectmen squared off at Oxford High School Thursday in a debate sponsored by the school’s social studies department.
Democratic incumbent First Selectman Mary Ann Drayton-Rogers and running mate Selectman Dave McKane are being challenged by Republican challengers David Haversat and running mate David Yish.
The round robin debate was moderated by high school junior Lauren Frymus and allotted each candidate two minutes to respond to questions on education, affordable housing, economic development and the town’s future.
Each candidate also had two minutes for opening and closing statements.
There is animosity between Drayton-Rogers and Haversat, with the two politicians trading barbs in their opening statements.
Drayton-Rogers said Haversat takes credit for the works of others. Haversat said Drayton-Rogers is running a negative campaign.
On affordable housing, Drayton-Rogers said Haversat has been spreading misinformation.
Oxford tried to promulgate affordable housing regulations during the summer. The idea was to control where affordable housing could go. Towns with no local affordable housing regulations that reject affordable housing project often lose court cases, town officials said.
However, the town then abandoned its pursuit of the regulations — at least for the short term — when some Republicans accused them of favoring developers and high-density housing.
Drayton-Rogers said emphatically that she does “not support low-income, high-density housing, but fully supports strong regulations.”
Drayton-Rogers referred to the town of Simsbury, which recently spent $1.2 M in legal fees fighting affordable housing developments and lost in court.
“There is a lesson to be learned,” she said.
McKane agreed with Drayton-Rogers on low-income, high-density housing, and stressed the importance of guidelines for affordable housing.
“We need strong regulations to guard the town,” he said.
Haversat said Drayton-Rogers is confused and questioned the use of state money for a study on affordable housing in town.
“Not all grants are good,” he said. “Taking that grant means we are held tight by the state.”
Drayton-Rogers said economic development is necessary to the town’s future, and would continue to balance the commercial, industrial and residential tax bases.
She said growth in town is a result of her administration’s hard work competing against cities like New Haven, Bridgeport and Hartford.
“The town is doing a damn good job,” she said.
Haversat said during his terms as Selectman from 2003 to 2007, “aggressive” planning provided funding for the new high school and senior center, and paved 27 miles of roads, approved by voters.
Yish, a political newcomer with a background in engineering sales, said he heard a lot of great ideas from residents during the campaign.
“I pledged to run on those issues that were reflected from them,” he said.
If elected to her second term, Drayton-Rogers said she would continue balanced economic growth, appoint a charter revision committee and to increase the number of the Board of Selectmen to five members and complete outdoor facilities.
“We are laying the groundwork to make that happen,” she said.
Haversat said he would be a full time First Selectman working in a bipartisan manner to accomplish goals.
He said he anticipates a new library and vows to “clean up” Route 67.
“It takes leadership,” he said. “Things cannot be hidden or back-doored.”
Social studies teacher Jeff Giovacchino, an Oxford resident, said the debate questions were derived from the social studies department.
Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3.
