Fiscal Responsibility

We will bring the same careful attention to managing the Town’s budget and long-term financial stability that we exercised while in office. The First Selectman can choose to make decisions that protect the Town’s long-term financial stability both on a yearly and long term basis. We made those difficult decisions while in office, and we will make them again.

For example, we supported budgets that provided funds to pay down the Town’s pension obligation. These payments resulted in bringing this obligation under control in a mere six years, instead of the industry-standard 34 years. By facing this obligation and not passing it on to the future, we put the Town on track to meet its financial obligations to Branford’s working men and women.

This kind of fiscal discipline was the foundation on which the Town earned its first bond rating upgrade in 27 years, and was the basis for subsequent bond rating upgrades. These upgrades are an acknowledgement by the broader financial community that Branford was well managed during our tenure. A better bond rating allows the Town to get the best rates on its bonding obligations, thereby reducing the costs for capital projects that the Town undertakes.

If elected, we will strive to maintain services and provide them more efficiently, make the investments that will maintain the bond rating, and promote wise decisions about development. We will renew efforts to work with the Town employees and their unions to find creative ways to reduce the costs of health care and other benefits and to coordinate services by and among various Town departments to maximize savings and reduce expenses.