Wallingford's Vote On Tuesday November 5th

Wallingford is a well run and strong town and community.  It has low taxes, low electric rates, AAA bond ratings, a superior school system, a safe community to live and prosper in, an ethical and 
non-egotistical Mayor, a dynamic Town Council and Board of Education that govern effectively, and an incredible variety of businesses and companies that call Wallingford home.
It is an exceptionally well-run town being led by Republicans.  Republicans who want to see the town grow and prosper.  Republicans who are concerned about families, taxes and their physical community.  There is no play to pay in our community nor lack of services. To many others and me it shows by how dynamic and strong Wallingford is in 2019.   It continues to be a model community in our poorly run Democrat led state.
The Republican ticket led by Mayor Dickinson deserve your vote on Tuesday November 5th.   Your vote will keep Wallingford moving forward and growing for the future.

Wallingford's Strong Republican Leadership-Mayor William Dickinson

As we all know Election Day is almost upon us.  On Tuesday, November 5th, legal registered voters are allowed to cast their ballots for the people of their choice to represent them for the next two years in Connecticut's municipal elections.  It a vital part of our democracy that many choose to follow and make their voices heard and a path where many could not be bothered to spend 10 minutes of their lives in actually doing.  In my opinion many of those who choose not to vote are the loudest complainers of what is going on in our society and community.  Do not complain if you do not vote. The time of election here in Wallingford we again hear a tale of two cities, one that is horribly run with massive taxes, high costs,  a lack of technology and a path to economic oblivion.  And then the economic reality of a prosperous, dynamic, efficiently run, low tax, low electric cost community run by a Republican led Town Council and a Mayor who has been office for many years placing Wallingford's needs above his own and his own political gain.  I see a familiar pattern each election here in town.  The Democrat contender paints the town as a backwards and illiterate community with pay to play schemes, etc., with only his new tax and spend policies bring the town into the 21st century.  I do not know what town he lives in but it can not be Wallingford.

We have strong Republican leaders who place Wallingford's interest over their political ego on the Board of Education, Town Council, and in the Mayor's office.  Wallingford's strong Republican leadership has been able to keep a AAA bond rating for many years now, has been able to keep taxes low, has been able to have the lowest electric rates in the state and provide effective local services, and a strong educational system for our youth.  Wallingford's Republican leadership has been a dynamic force in keeping Wallingford moving forward economically and growing.

Wallingford's Republican leadership should become a model for our state.  It is not however the template that our state government uses. It is far from it.

Mayor William Dickinson has led Wallingford and continues to lead Wallingford as an elected official should.  He is economically conservative and understands that taxpayers monies is not unlimited.  He is also legally bound by the countless unfunded mandates that Connecticut government places on its cities and towns that increases our spending.  Mayor Dickinson has led by example never to be brought up on any ethics charge in all of the years he has been in office. 

On November 5th Wallingford voters have the opportunity to extend forceful, economically rational and ethical government in Wallingford by voting for Mayor Dickinson for reelection along with the entire Republican slates for Board of Education and Town Council.  We see a well-run town due to Wallingford's Republican leadership.  They deserve to continue to run Wallingford for the next two years.  Vote Republican on November 5th.

Tom Laffin For Wallingford Town Council

Wallingford Town Council Republican Vice Chairman Tom Laffin is running for reelection this November.  Tom is an articulate and soft-spoken individual on the council who is concerned with neither ego nor fan fare as he looks at and decides on the issues of our community.  His knowledge on issues and his ability to communicate his thoughts to the public will impress all sides of a problem or discussion. He has a desire to serve our town. He is dedicated to his public service to our town and has done an excellent job in his efforts. He is an active member in our community.  

From his campaign literature and website: tomlaffin.com
Public safety has always and will always remain a priority for me in town and I am extremely grateful for the dedication and hard work that our safety and emergency authorities provide.
I worked with Councilor Shortell to add additional police officers to the force in 2017. While we were not successful, it was something that CHANGED in the following two budgets.  The mayor and the council requested and approved the addition of 2 officers each budget year since.
I have continuously supported the requests of our of safety services departments, whether it be for special radio and computer upgrades or bid waivers on fire trucks and specifications necessary to get the job done.

Keep the taxes low.  Wallingford’s taxes are the lowest in the area.  Our millrate is lower than any of the area towns.

I will continue to vote only for fiscally responsible budgets.  I’m sorry that sometimes includes a small tax increase, but in order to have the things we as a community need or would like, those are the choices we have to make.  In order to manage our money responsibly, it is necessary. We cannot manage increased costs in staffing, education, and state mandates, while looking to grow areas of our town for recreation and services for nothing.  The town has been incredibly well managed for the past 30+ plus years so we are fortunate to be able to build off a solid foundation. 

To the those looking to score political points with claiming we can have 0% tax increases by spending down our “rainy day fund” (which is political buzz for a savings account that has money allocated for various projects and purposes) - even with our tax increases that account was spent down approximately $3 million dollars over the past two years.  Cleary, as I stated, your plan was not possible without wrecking our strong fiscal standing.

I have been a consistent defender of the Wallingford taxpayer.  I have fought to cut frivolous budget lines, protecting necessary and carefully considered spending priorities and I will continue to do so.

I have been a consistent supporter of environmental priorities in town, including: the procurement and maintenance of open space, and the expansion of the Quinnipiac Linear Trail into Yalesville. These resources help maintain our community's small town feel and charm.

I am proud of Wallingford's partnerships with various venues and programs which enhance the lives of Wallingford residents.  Through both the private and public sectors, including the Oakdale Theatre, SCOW, Wallingford Symphony Orchestra, and the Choate Paul Mellon Arts Center, the community comes together to participate in and enjoy what these organizations have to offer. 

Tom Laffin has a professional approach to being the Vice Chairman of the Wallingford Town Council.  His leadership is critical and essential to the well being of Wallingford in 2019 and beyond.  On November 5th I urge Wallingford Voters to re elect Tom Laffin.

Joe Marrone For Wallingford Town Council

I am using one of my votes on November 5th to reelect Joe Marrone to the Town Council.  Mr. Marrone has done an excellent job in my opinion as a member of the Town Council with logical explanations and analysis of the issues that come before the council.  He shows dynamic leadership qualities in his actions looking at all sides of an issue and not rushing into quick decisions. This allows him in my opinion to make valid and effective votes on all topics.  He is the Chairperson of the Council Merit Review Committee.   
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.  He is very active in the town with his sons and community organizations such as Scouting.  He was born and raised in Wallingford attending public schools graduating from Sheehan High School.  His active role in the town and with his children gives him an exceptional view of the issues and events that impact Wallingford residents lives.  He understands the problems residents face and works to find answers and solutions to keep Wallingford a well run and economically efficient town.
His website is joemarrone.com
I urge my fellow Wallingford Voters to reelect Joe to the Town Council.  Vote for him on Tuesday November 5th.

Chris Shortell For Wallingford Town Council

One of my votes for Wallingford Town Council will be going to Republican candidate Chris Shortell. He is a dynamic and well established candidate who offers a variety of useful ideas.  He has done  superb work in my opinion as a member of the Wallingford Town Council  He is a family man with two wonderful children.  

I recently got a chance to discuss some issues and ideas with Chris.
The first area we discussed were some of his accomplishments with the Town Council. He led the effort to get Community Pool open longer this season working with the Mayor and Councilor Cervoni and the rest of the Council to find the dollars to keep the pool open to Labor Day.  He was able to do it without raising taxes; repurpose some other funding, including the proposed TC raise.
In the area of Public safety we discussed two issues here:  His concern about the staffing of our police force for several years.  In 2017, Chief Wright admitted during the budget sessions that he wanted more officers, but was afraid to ask given the state’s economic climate.  That budget cycle, Shortell motioned (and Councilor Laffin seconded) to give him two more officers.  They couldn’t get the votes, but they are both convinced it helped him pave the way to get more the last two budget cycles. We’ve now added 4 officers and the Chief feels we are in a much better place.  The increased staff gives him flexibility with patrols, especially at night with the car break-ins.  The added cost to taxpayers is around $16 a month vs. two years ago.   We were both in agreement that it is worth it—public safety is our primary job.  Shortell also feels that Councilor Laffin deserves credit on this issue also.

The other public safety issue is the online transactions safe zone.  People use social media to buy/sell stuff…but then you may end up meeting complete strangers in parking lots or other obscure places.  He approached Chief Wright a few years ago and suggested that we use the Police station parking lot as a designated “safe zone” for online transactions.  West Hartford and other towns had done this, and he agreed. 

A big issue that I have been impressed with has been the modernizing of the town and BOE insurance plans. He has been a vocal advocate of the Town and Board shifting to H.S.A. plans.  He has been the most vocal on this one.  We are making progress—he believes all of the collective bargaining units now offer the HSA, at least as an option.  The bad news is that on the BOE side, the HSA plan is very, very rich and still needs some work.  And on the town side, while their version of the plan is more cost effective to tax payers, they don’t structure the payroll contribution to motivate people to choose it.  He has been beating the drum on this for four years (six, actually, counting the BOE), and will continue to do so in the future.

Some future issues include for example Public Safety:  He is concerned about the aging police station.  Nobody is talking about this (yet) but it’s an issue that’s coming.  He is against satellite police offices, as some members of the public and other candidates are advocating for. He does not see the economic value in those and I will agree with him on that issue.

He also favors a new pool and to continue the tradition of the Community Pool that the town has had for 50 years.

A centralized High School has caused great debate this year. Shortell will not support one high school at a cost of $120 million and the proposals are ridiculous.  The goal should be saving money—that’s the only way to make consolidating high schools work.  And unfortunately, that’s not what is being proposed, for the most part.

It was refreshing for me to speak with Chris and discuss his views.  

His website for more information is www.ckshortell.com

I feel Chris Shortell would be an excellent candidate for Town Council.  I urge fellow Wallingford voters to vote for him and re elect him in November.

There was an election last Tuesday

There was an election last Tuesday.  Locally here in Connecticut depending upon how you viewed the results there were some winners and losers.  Overall approximately 31% of all registered voters in the state actually participated in our democracy by voting.  69% did not vote and many of these non voters end up being the biggest complainers in our state on how it is run. The Connecticut Democrat Party was claiming the local results were a referendum on President Trump who seems to be despised by most Democrats, liberals and RINO's throughout our country.  Many voters who voted for President Trump still support him contrary to what we see in the media driven daily assault of the President that never ends.  Several towns swapped their Mayor/Selectmen/Council majorities from Republican to Democrat, most notably Groton and Southington.  There were several towns that swapped their Mayor/Selectmen/Council majorities from Democrat to Republican, most notably Derby, Killingly and finally a Republican was voted on the New London City Council after many years of one party rule.
To me the results are interesting as on a state level the Connecticut Democrat Party has run the state into massive economic debt and helped make Connecticut one of the highest taxed states in the country and one of the last states in the country in economic development and growth.  Governor Malloy is the second least liked Governor in the country.  This is the record they are running on in 2018.  Therefore it is tough for me to accept on a local level how they will lead any differently than they do on a state level.  How many towns and cities will switch back from Democrat to Republican in 2019?  I will venture to say several as many voters may express remorse for voting Democrat this year. 
Here in Wallingford the results were predictable.  Mayor Dickinson was reelected and the Republicans keep a 6 to 3 majority on the Town Council.  The Charter Revision question passed by a large majority.  The town seems to be happy in the way it is managed.
Politics to me is always local.  On a state level the Connecticut Democrat Party has been a huge failure.  Conservative Republicans do exist in some parts of our state but the bulk of the excessive liberalism that governs us has rotted the core foundations of our state for years now.  Now it apparently is acceptable on a local level.
Maybe we can take back our state to what it once was.   An economically dynamic community that
was governed rationally and conservatively.  2018 elections will be telling.

Wallingford's Vote On November 7th

Wallingford's strength is found in many, many ways.  Low taxes, low electric rates, AAA bond ratings, a superior school system, a safe community to live and prosper in, an ethical and 
non-egotistical Mayor, a dynamic Town Council and Board of Education that govern effectively, a Charter Revision Committee that updated and strengthened our Town Charter and an amazing variety of businesses and companies that call Wallingford home.
It is an exceptionally well-run town being led by Republicans.  Republicans who want to see the town grow and prosper.  Republicans who are concerned about families, taxes and their physical community.  To many others and me it shows by how dynamic Wallingford is in 2017. 
They deserve your vote on Tuesday November 7th.  Also please vote yes on the Charter Revision question.  These votes will keep Wallingford moving forward and growing for the future. 

Wallingford's Strong Republican Leadership

As we all know Election Day is almost upon us.  On Tuesday, November 7th, legal registered voters are allowed to cast their ballots for the people of their choice to represent them for the next two years in Connecticut's municipal elections.  It a part of our democracy that many choose to follow and make their voices heard and a path where many could not be bothered to spend 15 minutes of their lives in actually doing.  In my opinion many of those who choose not to vote are the loudest complainers of what is going on in our society and community.  Do not complain if you do not vote. The time of election here in Wallingford we again hear a tale of two cities, one that is horribly run with massive taxes, high costs and a path to economic oblivion.  And then the economic reality of a prosperous, dynamic, efficiently run, low tax, low electric cost community run by a Republican led Town Council and a Mayor who has been office for many years placing Wallingford's needs above his own and his own political gain.  

Wallingford is a unique community because of this.  Because of strong Republican leaders who place Wallingford's interest over their political ego on the Board of Education, Town Council, the Charter Commission and in the Mayor's office.  Wallingford's strong Republican leadership has been able to keep a AAA bond rating for many years now, has been able to keep taxes low, has been able to have the lowest electric rates in the state and provide effective local services, a strong educational system for our youth and an up to date Charter.  Wallingford's Republican leadership has been a dynamic force in keeping Wallingford moving forward economically and growing.

Wallingford's Republican leadership should become a model for our state.  It is not however the template that our state government uses.

Mayor William Dickinson has led Wallingford and continues to lead Wallingford as an elected official should.  He is economically conservative and understands that taxpayers monies is not unlimited.  He is also legally bound by the countless unfunded mandates that Connecticut government places on its cities and towns that increases our spending.  Mayor Dickinson has led by example never to be brought up on any ethics charge in all of the years he has been in office.  Can that be said about the ex-felon who is now Mayor of Bridgeport?

On November 7th Wallingford voters have the opportunity to extend forceful, economically rational and ethical government in Wallingford by voting for Mayor Dickinson for reelection along with the entire Republican slates for Board of Education and Town Council.  We see a well-run town due to Wallingford's Republican leadership.  They deserve to continue to run Wallingford for the next two years.

Joe Marrone For Wallingford Town Council

 

I am using one of my votes in November to reelect Joe Marrone to the Town Council.  Mr. Marrone has done an excellent job in my opinion as a member of the Town Council.  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 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 urge my fellow Wallingford Voters to reelect Joe to the Town Council.

From his campaign website:

1. 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.
2. 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. 
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. 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.  
7. 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.
8. 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.
9. 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.  
10. 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.

Chris Shortell For Wallingford Town Council

One of my votes for Wallingford Town Council will be going to Republican candidate Chris Shortell. He is an energetic and established candidate who offers a variety of different and useful ideas.  He has done an excellent job in my opinion as a member of the Wallingford Town Council  He is a family man with two wonderful children.  

Some thoughts from his campaign information:

Fiscal uncertainty at the state level and its impact on Wallingford

Maintaining our strong finances and not wasting our surplus on frivolous spending.  This means potentially making tough decisions on services like Community Pool, which has seen a massive decline in usage and is in need of replacement.

Looking for ways to cut spending where possible.  As I have often said at our meetings, there should be “no sacred cows.”  That means that all departments--from police and fire to the school system--should be actively looking for ways to cut spending and be more efficient.

Modernizing our town health insurance program, which will help save money (more on that below).

Continuing to modernize our town health insurance program

Include an HSA or high deductible plan as an option in all future contracts that do not already include it.

Begin exploring strategies to migrate town employees into these lower cost plans via town payroll contribution.

Promote economic development

Support the Plan of Conservation and Development (POCD) initiatives, including exploring more aggressive tax incentives to spur downtown development.

Continue to explore opportunities to assemble parcels and package for developers

Assess the old train station and make a recommendation for future usage

Parking strategy for both uptown and downtown

Protect our community

Our police, fire and public works all do a great job, and we need to continue to support them while being mindful of the tough economy and budget limitations.

Education, advocacy, and support for both the police and organizations like the Coalition for a Better Wallingford, as we grapple with the devastating opioid crisis.  This is a situation, as the Deputy Police Chief said last year, that we “cannot arrest our way out of.”

I feel Chris Shortell would be an excellent candidate for Town Council.  I urge fellow Wallingford voters to vote for him in November.

The 2017 Wallingford Election: Board Of Education

Wallingford is a great town and community.  It has a strong sense of fiscal responsibility and of self government.  It has an excellent school system that has been helped over the past with a Republican majority on its Board of Education.  The election in 2017 is no different with six strong Republican candidates running for the Board.  They include: incumbents Roxane McKay, who chairs the school board, as well as Shauna Glidden and Karen Hlavac.  This year we also have newcomers Ray Ross, Lou Czerwinski, and Erin Corso running for seats.  The Republican candidates believe in fiscal responsibility and getting the most out of the Board of Education budget.  I urge my fellow Wallingford voters to elect a Republican majority for the board on November 7th.