In September, we sent Q&As to the Democratic and Republican Town Committees. Our goal was to give the candidates for the Board of Selectmen a chance to respond with their thoughts and speak directly to all of Stafford. The Republicans chose not to answer.
The next installment of this series comes from Bill Morrison, who is running for First Selectman. Read on to learn more about Morrison and his priorities as a selectman.
Q: What’s Stafford's biggest challenge over the next two years, and how do you plan to address it?
A: The most challenging issue facing the town presently — and likely to continue for a while — is the fiscal picture. The annual budget falls short of addressing the essential needs of the community. An example of this is the Public Works Department. Its budget is only a bare minimum to sustain (minimally) the infrastructure within the town and has no money for sustainable improvements — such as road improvements, paving, waterway improvements, and equipment maintenance, and, of course, the unknown storm damage.
The education budget has been cut to a point where I believe educators are wondering how they can perform the duties expected of them and, in some cases, are concerned if they will continue to be employed by the school system at all. There were several cuts to the school board budget just to meet the bottom line. I do not believe there was a clear picture from the taxpayer to indicate that the School Board Budget was too high or too low. This needs to be fixed.
Three referendums were held to pass a budget approved at a mill increase of .98 mills from a starting point of over 3 mills. A mill represents about $870,000.00, so all boards and commissions will likely feel the adjustment/cut.
My plan to address the issue is twofold. Start by opening up communication with all of the stakeholders, boards, commissions, etc., and begin this communication immediately.
I will attempt a cohesive approach to dealing with the budget downfalls with the BOE, BOF, and the Board of Selectmen. There is an obvious sense of frustration with the Boards when dealing with the never-ending budget issues.
I will send out via Facebook and Everbridge (if possible) information about selectmen's meetings, the budget status, and important information about the budget in an effort to pass a budget by a town meeting that is well thought out and supported by the taxpayers on the first attempt, thus saving approximately $4,000.00 per referendum. I believe the earlier we start working on the budget, the more informed the taxpayers will be. I will be entering the office during the second quarter of an already underfunded town budget, so information sharing and citizen input are imperative.
I will work with the Economic Development Commission (EDC) and request that they actively solicit business to our town that will fit the area's makeup to offset some of the tax base.
I will reach out to the capitol, the governor, state representatives, and our senator and challenge them to bring some money back into our town…state grants, and perhaps a state bond to help kick-start our economy.
I will open up the lines of communication from the town hall to the taxpayers That is, provide the people in attendance of a BOS Meeting an opportunity to participate in the meeting during the meeting — not only at the beginning or the end — and allowing public comment throughout the entire meeting. I will encourage the other boards and commissions to do the same in an effort to get all points of view from as many as possible so an informed decision can be made by the Selectman.
I will make the Town hall a place where problems are solved, not created, based on the points I have listed.
I would develop a succession plan for all departments, utilizing planned meetings for constant monitoring and self-reflection.
Q: Please tell us what you believe the role of First Selectman/Selectman is in the community.
A: These BOS positions should be the voice of reason. The entire board has a responsibility to represent the town in all matters where taxpayers’ issues present themselves. The BOS should be a board that coordinates all activities town-wide, representing all citizens.
The most important responsibility is to protect the citizens by way of public safety. This role would be to coordinate emergencies of all types, natural disasters, large power outages, public gatherings, and to maintain emergencies that are well-trained, equipped, and in a state of good readiness. Working with police, fire, emergency management, and ambulance — pre-plans need to be in place, updated, and prepared to be launched when necessary. The board, through its representatives, should be the conduit to the state coordinating the needs of the town at any given level at any given time during an emergency. All of this should be pre-planned and reviewed as needed prior to any emergency.
The role must include budget oversight — all budgets all the time. The Board of Selectman must work with all of the boards continuously throughout the fiscal year to keep the costs of government down. That is our job!
Q: How has your professional experience prepared you for the job of First Selectman / Selectman?
A: I was employed by the State of Connecticut for 41 years (recently retired) in the office of maintenance. I retired as a Transportation Maintenance Manager with a parenthetical (Bridge). During my tenure with the state, I was responsible for the maintenance and repair of Bridge & Structures within two districts, numbering about 2000. I worked with budgets in access of $20,000,000 utilizing both state and federal contracts. I was responsible for developing and implementing plans for my department.
I held and continue to hold titles and positions in several emergency services organizations, including Civil Defense, EMS, Fire, etc. I am presently the Assistant Chief of the West Stafford Fire Department and have held this title for the last 28 years. I am currently the President of the Tolland/Windham County Mutual Aid Ambulance Association. I have been involved in many town functions where calls for service included road/bridge repair, EMS, and fire-related calls for service.
I was also responsible for scheduling, chairing, and reporting on meetings of various types as requested by the department. I maintained offices in several parts of the state determined by my work location and job assignment.
Q: Between brownfield remediation, new pocket parks, and repurposing old schools, Stafford’s redevelopment is really humming along. Can you tell us a bit about your vision for the future of Stafford and how you think some of these projects could shape that future?
A: The remediation of the old buildings must be the first priority in that there are funding possibilities to deal with these structures (three schools, the Hydeville Mill, etc.) I would work with our grant writer (Amber Wakely) to establish a full plan for dealing with these structures that fall under the criteria as part of an overall plan for the town and to set a vision and share that vision for the future.
I would work with the EDC, Board of Selectmen, and a citizen action group to establish a priority list for the town and a plan that would improve the quality of life for the townspeople now and for the future.
I would engage the community through open forums to have a long-range plan for the future of our buildings and parks. This would involve the Zoning Boards as well. In addition, I would encourage the partnership of the townspeople and boards for a well-planned guide for a productive outcome, a plan that would meet the needs now and for the future.
Q: Much of the work of governing and shaping the future of a town is done at the board level. What initiatives would you like to see boards and commissions tackle over the next couple of years?
A: First and foremost, I would like to see a renewed respect between all of the boards and commissions and the townspeople — and coordinate these necessary organizations and their ideas in a respectful manner by way of planning. I would like to see long-range plans encompassing 5-10-15- and 20-year sustainable plans to include the BOE, BOS, and BOF. I would like to see an annually funded "capital improvements program" that would include equipment replacement, building upgrade, and replacement.
I would also like to see all boards continue, during the budget year, to work on savings on their budget allotments using the focus on wants and needs. Do you need the items programs, or do you want the items? We all want something, but do we need it? Those questions should be answered in part by the BOS.
I would like to do an overview of the agencies we have presently and see if we can combine any of them for cost savings without losing our focus on service. An example of this could be the consolidation of the emergency services.
I would meet with area town CEOs quarterly (Ellington, Somers, Willington, Union) in an effort to see if we can combine services between towns more than we do now.
Information sharing must be town-wide as the stakeholders are the townspeople.
[Responses have been very lightly edited for clarity, typos, etc., but the answers are primarily as the candidates wrote them.]