I am using one of my votes in November
to elect Joe Marrone to the Town Council. Mr. Marrone has done an
excellent job in my opinion as a member of the Board of Education. He
shows a great deal of leadership qualities and characteristics in his actions
and has spent a great deal of time in examining all sides of the issues that
come before the Board of Education. That allows him to make in my opinion
valid and effective votes on all topics. Being a parent with three sons
in the school system, Mr. Marrone takes an active role in what is actually
going on in our schools with an eye to the future through articulate ideas. I can see him being a productive voice when
he gets elected to the Town Council transferring these same qualities to the
debate in that governing board.
- Stands up for families - I have young children and family is very important to me. I consistently push for greater access to the public schools and more parental involvement. Just this year, I fought for greater ability for parents to question curricular decisions in schools. I am involved in Scouting because I believe it helps families to raise responsible children.
- Here for the long haul - Ours is a town that attracts families from all over to locate here. Many of these families will relocate once their children are finished with our excellent pubic schools. I grew up in town and my family and I are here to stay.
- Responsible with your money - In my time on the Board of Education, I voted against a number of proposed budgets because I did not believe that they were sustainable over time. Responsible government is always thrifty and tax dollars are money that belongs to my friends and neighbors. Elected officials should take greater care with other people's money than they do with their own.
- Here to help, not here to make noise - I am a dad, and as a dad sometimes you need to be there to fix things, and sometimes you need to stand on the sidelines. If you follow town government, you will note that I am never the one to go out of my way to grab a headline or a soundbite. This type of grandstanding is all too common, and is frankly a counterproductive waste of your time.
- Respects the traditions of our town - We have a well run Electric Division, great police and fire service and great town services. There is always room to improve every service, but we need to focus on what is really vital and be cautious about expanding services in a time when tax dollars are so tight.
- Running for the right reasons - I have enjoyed my nearly 6 years on the Board of Education working to help children and families and I believe I can do more on the Town Council. If the voters don't choose me, Wallingford will still be a great town. I think that my background and common sense approach to government will be an asset to the town.
- Is not afraid to stand alone - Reasonable adults can disagree about a great many things. I have stood alone on a number of issues on the Board, including the budget, excessive early dismissals, and school snack policy. I would be no different on the Council.
- Not interested in trends and fads - We have major issues facing our town, including improvements to the water treatment plant, businesses leaving our town and a stagnant grand list. These are the things we need to focus on. There are plenty of minor issues that we can talk about, but they are often a distraction to real function of government.
- Is forward thinking - I am always interested in what will not only serve us today, but will help us tomorrow. After careful consideration, I supported the cost saving and education enhancing reconfiguration of the elementary schools.
- Is open minded - I am a proud Republican, however, a good idea is a good idea. We currently have outstanding Democrats on the Council and I would be happy to work with them on any issue for the betterment of the people of Wallingford.
I urge my fellow Wallingford voters to
vote for Joe Marrone for Town Council this November.
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