The DaRos/Walsh leadership style combines outreach with action. Unk & Fran partner with citizen leaders to launch good ideas, form coalitions and build consensus. They always tell the truth. They have no hidden agendas. And they get results. During their Town Hall tenure, they made economic, environmental and social decisions that laid a solid foundation for the Branford we enjoy today.
DURING THE LAST TWO YEARS...
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Unk and Fran kept the increase in the mil rate for this fiscal year to 0.37 mil, about 1.6%, and still maintained essential services by keeping the budgets for all Town departments the same or lower than last year. The Branford Counseling Center was fully funded in the budget and fuel relief programs will continue. We reduced our Town's debt service by $600,000 by taking advantage of Branford's excellent credit rating to retire older, more costly bonds. This prudent management was recognized in a highly visible way in February of this year, when Standard & Poor's raised its rating on Branford's general obligation debt one notch to AAA from AA-plus. Standard & Poor's cited the Town's "low debt burden", "strong financial management" and "conservative budgeting practices and fiscal discipline." |
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Unk and Fran ended the long and costly dispute over Founder's Village (a proposed development across Rose St. from the center Post Office ) by working with the developer and area neighbors to find a compromise. The agreement provides 120 units of housing for seniors within walking distance of the offices, shops and restaurants in the town center. In addition, the town will receive 7 wooded acres that will preserve a key part of the view from the Green and provide walking paths and a quiet retreat near the town center. |
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Unk and Fran worked with our state and federal representatives to make the improvement of the Amtrak bridge over Route 1 by the "pretzel" a reality after 16 years of effort. The initial phase of construction has already begun. Once completed, the new bridge will greatly improve traffic flow and open the old Cherry Hill retail and commercial site to improved commercial use. |
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Unk and Fran mounted a strong effort to appeal the judgments about the Tabor property. We brought in the best available attorneys to prepare and argue the appeals in both cases. The appeals were argued before the Connecticut Supreme Court on May 26, 2009. A decision is expected later this year. |
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Last year, working with the State and concerned Branford citizens, Unk and Fran ended the threat of the Islander East pipeline and helped defeat the proposed Broadwater floating liquefied natural gas factory. The Blue Ribbon Commission that they established in their previous administration made a major contribution to the development of the facts used in the legal work by the Attorney General. These defeats are nearly unprecedented victories by the people over major energy corporations. |
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Unk and Fran worked with the Conservation and Environment Commission and the Clean Energy Task Force to create a greenhouse gas inventory for Branford. The inventory lists the activities of our town that generate carbon dioxide and identifies opportunities for saving on energy costs while reducing Branford's carbon footprint. They have installed energy-saving systems in Town Hall and other Town buildings and replaced municipal vehicles that reached the end of their useful life with hybrid vehicles. |
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Unk and Fran started the planning for a new Central Fire Station, a larger Senior Center and a new Public Works Facility, which have been needed for some time to provide important services for our community. They believe that now is the time to move forward with these projects, in order to take advantage of historically low borrowing and construction costs and possible stimulus money available for the Fire Station. |
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The DaRos/Walsh approach features collaboration, cost effectiveness and an attention to detail for projects large and small, along with a commitment to improving the quality of life for Branford citizens from each and every neighborhood. The list of their accomplishments goes on and on. Learn more...
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