When we look at our local election on November 7th, one thing is sure: we will have a fresh team of Selectmen who will each bring expertise, energy and deep commitment to their roles. We are fortunate that these talented individuals have decided to run. For the position of First Selectman, I will be voting for Amy Murphy Carroll.
The New Canaan Schools’ budget consumes 64% of our Town’s total budget, according to our Board of Finance Chair. Our outstanding school system is one of the treasures of raising families here, but it leaves only 36% of the budget to deliver everything else. The quality and resilience of our infrastructure, the responsiveness of our fire, police, emergency management, public health and social services departments; recreational amenities and cultural activities: these are also essential for a thriving community. Amy Murphy Carroll is the better candidate to ensure that we squeeze everything we possibly can from that remaining 36%.
Amy has served on our Board of Finance for ten years, co-authoring a comprehensive Town Building Study and Board of Finance debt guidelines. She served on the employee pension sub-committee and on the Saxe and Police Department building committees. She served as the Board’s liaison to the Board of Education, Public Works and Parks and Recreation. Amy knows potholes, pension funds, sidewalks, storm drainage, field maintenance, debt financing, paving, building construction and the granular details of the Board of Ed budget. Her tenure on the Board overlaid the last decade of her thirty-year career in municipal finance. As the lead analyst with JP Morgan for the State of Connecticut and for every town and city in the State, she knows the best practices for financing projects and the impacts of those projects on communities. Her expertise in the job of First Selectman will ensure that our tax dollars are well-spent.
Amy is committed to a community where all residents can participate. She believes that our town is no place for partisan divisiveness and will welcome all residents who raise their hands to help. She knows that failing to fully engage the talent and ideas of the 35.3% of our residents who choose not to affiliate with a political party squanders the most valuable resource of all: our people.
This November will bring new faces to our Board of Selectmen. The challenges we’ve faced over the last few years have shown us that, in order to tackle the issues we’re facing, we need a forward-thinking, open-minded leader with a broad perspective and deep expertise, one who welcomes good ideas from all corners. For this reason, I hope that you will join me on November 7th in voting for Amy Murphy Carroll for First Selectman, the better choice for New Canaan.
Peggy Dannemann
