BETTER CHOICE 2011 First Selectman Candidate Steve Hollander: "What I will proudly say, two years from now"

If I am privileged this November, with your vote to serve as your town leader, I hope at the end of my two year term, when I am asked what I have accomplished; I will proudly say that every promise I made, I kept.

I will proudly say that I stuck to my principles when I gave back the 3% raise to the First Selectman that very first day I took office and did not ask for or receive one in the second year.  I will also say that I immediately changed the unfair practice of senior administrators helping themselves to "medical premium buyouts" which in some cases, amount to over $15,000.00.  I have made it clear that my policy has always been “if it’s unfair to the people of Killingworth, it’s unfair to me” and I will proudly say that I stayed true to this policy. 

I will also proudly say that after long nights of going through the ledgers and balance sheets, and looking for cost cutting measures previously ignored, I along with the Board of Finance had successfully been able to roll back the Iino property tax increase.  The unnecessary anguish this tax caused the people of Killingworth, economically, logistically, and emotionally, outweighed any benefit to be gained from increasing the town's surplus.   The goal I pursued since my first day in office is to reduce government spending, rather than balancing budgets with increased taxes to make up for increased spending, and I will proudly say I kept my promise to achieve this goal. 

To better serve the people of Killingworth, I will proudly say that I reset the Town Hall hours to be closed on Mondays and open late Thursday evenings and open from 9 – 1 every other Saturday.  The reality is that too many working people were simply unable to come to us with their needs during the office hours that previous administrations dictated to them, and as a servant of the public I could no longer ignore this aggravation we were inflicting.  Our town staff now embrace the fundamental idea that our town hall serves the people, not the other way around, and residents applaud this move to make "the peoples house" more convenient for them to come in and assist them with everything from tax disputes to even allowing them to stop by on the way to the compactor and save them the price of a stamp.

The new proposed Town Hall design has been put on hold so the entire project could be re-evaluated.  The price tag of $125,000 on architectural bids, only 90 days before the election, sounded the alarm that we were quickly heading toward yet another unnecessary spending spree the town could ill afford.  When we need our new town hall, we will commission a new town hall.  When we need to be frugal with our funds, we will be frugal with our funds.  I will proudly say that I put an end to the practice of rushing these expensive projects out the door without a proper review of their need and their cost.

I will also proudly say that a new interactive web site, designed and created by the HK 17 Technology program students, is widely considered to be among the most attractive and functional in the state.  It replaced the web site rushed to operation in August 2011 which served no practical use for Killingworth other than to simply say that we had a website.  The revised website not only has the visual appeal to display our small town beauty and encourage people to move to our great neighborhoods, it also gives our residents practical services such as allowing for permits to be applied for and approved on line.  Title Searches are available, and the tremendous cost services allowed us to actually reduce the number of staff needed to effectively administer the residents’ needs.

I will also say that the Historical Society's 150 year lease to the Parmelee Farm had been reviewed and voided in November 2011 due to the illegal circumstances behind its creation.  Our town charter specifically states that a public meeting is required to approve such leases, and the Parmelee Farm concept, as well meaning as it appears, cannot be an exception.  The Historical Society’s petition will be submitted to a town meeting for all residents to attend and have their say, as is proper, and if the residents of Killingworth decide they want this project to proceed, then the project will proceed.  If the residents of Killingworth decline, then they will be allowed to have their say on what they wish to become of the property.  Either way, it will be the choice of the people of Killingworth, and not the choice of a privileged few with political connections, to decide if this is the direction we want the town to go. 

A new ombudsman committee of three, appointed by the First Selectman which reports back to the Board of Selectmen, was formed, and is working on its task to find ways to support our local business and find ways to assist our local business’ to grow and thrive and continue to employ local residents.  When my term of office is up I intend to say the program will have been an outstanding success, because we will be successfully holding out our hand for businesses to develop and grow while keeping alive the wonderful small town charisma of Killingworth that we all know and enjoy.  We will have successfully found the balance of fostering progress and preserving our New England heritage and beauty. 

Above all else, I will proudly say that I was a man of my word.  When I first campaigned to be your first selectman, I laid my cards down on the table for everyone to see so that they might know how I planned to bring effective change to our town.  I will be proud to say that my campaign promises were the rule book for how I would conduct myself while in office, and I will be proud to say that I never wavered from fulfilling my campaign promise to get to the destination we needed to go.

This is where I stand and this is what I intend to say, two years from now, when I complete my term in office and I am asked “what have I done for the town of Killingworth.”  Now, during this election year of 2011, I therefore ask my current political opponents who are seeking their own terms in office, “what have they done for the town of Killingworth, and what do they intend to do"?

Together, one step at a time, with planning, creativity, being frugal & transparent, our God’s little acre known as Killingworth will be our gift to many future generations to come.

-Steve Hollander

Candidate for First Selectman, the BETTER CHOICE 2011 political action committee