Over the course of the campaign I will write a number of posts to give voters a more complete picture of me as a candidate. All of the posts are collected here to allow you to easily review them and get to know me better as a person and a candidate as we embark on the 2023 election season. I wrote a similar series during the 2021 campaign; you can click here to read them!
2023 TABLE OF CONTENTS
(click a topic to jump directly to it)
WHY AM I RUNNING?
As I was deciding whether or not to run again in this election, the question my family and friends all asked was…..why? Such a simple question……but so hard to answer briefly. While there are many reasons; the short answer is I truly believe we can be better.
We love our community; we have made many great friends and this has been a wonderful place to raise our family. Heidi just commented recently that this is the longest we have ever lived in one place; military life kept us moving every couple of years. I have always felt strongly about civic duty as a citizen; being a part of your community and working to make it better. As a life-long military officer, I have never run for any elected office before, but I firmly believe we need strong leaders with character and integrity in elected office. Leaders that will serve the citizens and find solutions to make our community better.
Our community is facing many complex issues and we need strong leaders to help navigate the difficult path to solutions. We need deeply dedicated leaders of integrity, conviction, and vision to solve them. I served our Nation for 28 years in the Air Force, I am now retired, and I want to serve this community. I can dedicate my full time and attention to focus on serving the voters of District 9 and work with other town officials to represent you and find solutions to the issues facing our District and Town. I spent my entire adult life learning the art and science of servant leadership; skills that were forged in some of the most demanding situations imaginable. I truly believe I have skills of value to give back to our community and make Fairfield and District 9 better for all of us.
IMPORTANCE OF LEADERSHIP
Many of the conversations I have with voters about issues they are experiencing can be solved by good leadership. That means electing strong leaders, so let me share some thoughts on the importance of leadership.
Leaders are grown, they are not born. A person must possess strong character and integrity; it is the foundation everything else is built upon. It takes years of personal growth, mentoring and deliberate study to learn the art of leadership. These skills must then be tested, honed and refined by actually leading and continuing to learn and grow from those experiences. If people put in the time and effort, they can become leaders, and potentially great leaders. Great leaders are a precious commodity; they can make any organization successful.
Leadership is critical to an organization. The leader sets the tone with their character and example; an organization takes on the character of its leader--good or bad. Good leaders give clear vision and direction and set the conditions for an organization and its people to thrive and grow. They work tirelessly to care for their team and make sure they have what they need to succeed. They ensure accountability up and down the chain. Their character and energy will permeate everyone in the organization. It will be a place people want to work--the members will be dedicated to each other and to the mission. Leadership is hard work, but done right there is nothing more rewarding than seeing your team grow and excel.
By contrast, poor leadership will infect every level of an organization. The people will be lost and uninspired. There will be no camaraderie, only discontent. The organization will be opaque and unpleasant to work with. It will fail and hurt its people in the process.
Elected officials lead our town; so their leadership skills are critical. We need to elect leaders of character and integrity to represent us. Who do you think has the leadership skills to lead your town and represent you?
ATTRIBUTES OF LEADERSHIP/LEADERS
INTEGRITY
The attributes of great leaders are numerous, and we could discuss it for days. However, over my 28-year career leading thousands of Airmen there are four things that stuck out as non-negotiable; 1) Integrity, 2) Service before self, 3) Excellence in everything you do, 4) Being present. The first three are so fundamental they have been codified as core values of the Air Force. Over the next several posts I will discuss these four attributes in greater detail.
Integrity. This is a fundamental requirement for any leader; it is the foundation on which trust is built. If your people do not trust you, you cannot lead. Embedded within integrity are the ideals of honesty, courage, and accountability. Honesty is the most basic underpinning of integrity; your word must be your bond—it can be no other way. Courage drives leaders to do the right thing despite their fears. It demands the taking of calculated risks, both personal and professional, making decisions, and owning mistakes. Finally, accountability demands transparency, accepting and giving honest feedback, and owning your actions and decisions.
Integrity is every bit as critical in an elected official as it is in a military leader. So many of the issues facing our town and the associated frustrations many voters feel can be addressed by electing leaders with integrity. If we elect the right people, they will infuse the entirety of town government with the attributes of honesty, courage, and accountability and we will all be the better for it!
As you evaluate each of us running for office, your evaluation of our integrity should be a key part of your decision.
SERVICE BEFORE SELF
Service Before Self. This trait is an absolute must for a leader. We discussed in an earlier post that true leadership is hard work. The demands on a leader are tremendous and to be effective the needs of the organization, the mission, and the people must come first. Real leadership means you put your personal desires aside and serve your team first—always. Embedded in Service Before Self are the concepts of duty, loyalty, and respect. Your sense of duty drives you to do whatever is required to get the job done. A leader’s sense of duty is deeply personal, and it drives them to excel and make the necessary sacrifices to get the job done. Loyalty is an internal drive for success and serving something greater than ourselves. Loyalty binds you to your team and pushes you to have your teammates back. Loyalty to the organization also ties back to accountability and adherence to standards. Finally, respect is simply treating others with dignity and valuing them as individuals. It is a cornerstone of building a cohesive team and setting the conditions that allow your team to succeed.
The concept of Service Before Self was fundamental to serving in the military, and we want the same commitment from our elected officials. Done properly, elected office takes a great deal of time and demands sacrifice. When we elect people who fail to understand Service Before Self, we get individuals in office for personal gain and will not do the work required to represent us. They will be focused inward; they will not discuss issues with you or seek your input. They will not be responsive, and the voters will not be their priority--they will be self-serving.
As you evaluate candidates, decide who is going to sacrifice their time to serve you. Who is going to choose service to the voters over personal desires—who will be there when you need them?
EXCELLENCE
Excellence In All We Do. This trait exists in all great leaders; excellence is their trademark. It drives a leader to always be better and increase their knowledge/skills. It doesn’t demand perfection; but it does demand we never settle and always push to be better. It demands a passion for improvement and innovation to drive accomplishment and performance. Embedded in Excellence are the concepts of Mission, Discipline, and Teamwork. Every organization has a mission that includes operations, products, and resources. Leaders must harness the ingenuity, expertise, and skills of every member. They approach mission excellence from a stance of stewardship, initiative, improvement, pride, and a commitment to anticipate and embrace change. Great leaders are disciplined; they uphold the highest of personal and professional standards. You can see it in their attitude, work ethic, and drive to be better. Finally, Teamwork--it is the cornerstone of a successful group. Every member contributes to the group’s goals and strives for organizational excellence. Leaders not only give their best, but challenge and motivate others to do the same.
Excellence should be the hallmark of your elected officials. As you look at the candidates, who has shown their commitment to excellence? Who will lead and drive improvement in our town; who is committed to making it better? Who has the skills to lead teams and get things done? Who will never settle, always strive to be better, and make you proud of your vote?
BEING PRESENT
Being Present. Over my career I saw examples of people “leading” from behind a desk. They would “lead” by email, messaging apps, video apps, etc. The idea was leading by “Virtual Presence”. The leader got trapped in their office and tried to use other means to lead their teams. What I saw in those organizations was a lack of vision, focus, and dedication. The unit was not cohesive, and the mission suffered. What I came to realize was “Virtual Presence” was actual absence.
The leader was not there, walking the ground, looking people in the eyes. They did not understand what was required to get the job done because they were not on the ground. They could not accurately assess what resources were needed to accomplish the mission because they were not present. They did not understand the lack of morale/cohesion and its impact on the mission because they were not talking to the people doing the work. They could not make effective changes and corrections because they didn’t understand what was truly happening. They were not able to inspire by their example; they were not there to set one.
You cannot effectively lead if you are not present. You must walk the ground, see the people, feel the organization—things you cannot do virtually. I commanded four different units during my career. I spent considerable time being present, talking to people from the most senior to the most junior to get a true feel for what was happening. I learned about the health of the unit and mission effectiveness by being present and engaged; there was no other way to get the information or develop a feel for what worked and what did not and what the people needed to succeed. The positive return on investment of being present was ten-fold and it was a lesson I passed to every young leader I trained and mentored.
Elected office is no different, the elected official must be present. They must be with the voters they represent and the people they work with to lead. They cannot truly understand issues from an e-mail; they must be present. You cannot develop good solutions if you do not see the problem. You cannot effectively represent people you do not know.
As you look at the candidates, who will be present? Who will walk the ground, look people in the eyes, and have the pulse of the District? Who will be there when you need them?
WHY AM I RUNNING UNAFFILIATED?
One of the questions I was often asked by voters two years ago is why I chose to run as an unaffiliated candidate. Well, that question has started to come up again as more people have been stopping me, so let’s talk about it.
There are many reasons, but for brevity here I will focus on two. First is the lack of transparency and responsiveness I have seen from our government; a problem that I feel has gotten worse since 2021. The defining moment that drove me to first run in 2021 and be unaffiliated was the town’s unwillingness to answer basic questions about the 2020 revaluation process and associated budget growth that same year. I was surprised at how opaque the processes were and the refusal to provide even the simplest of data to citizens. The result was a huge tax increase that continues to impact all of us. Since then, I have been concerned about a number of other decisions that will have profound impacts on our District, the most recent being the process the led to the decision to allocate another $11M+ to the Penfield Pavilion.
The second driver was the lack of an independent elected voice fighting for us, the citizens of District 9. It seems most votes in the RTM come down to party lines. In a super local body like the RTM, I don’t think that should be the case. I saw Representatives I felt weren’t interested in the feedback and needs of their constituents, but instead followed the lead of the party and voted accordingly.
These issues above made it clear to me the only way to true transparency, responsiveness, and accountability was to have an independent voice that was not tied to any party and could speak freely for the voters! So, I decided to run as an unaffiliated candidate.
Again this year, I filed petitions with the State, working directly with the CT Secretary of State’s election division, to be formally recognized as an unaffiliated candidate and to officially be placed on the ballot as a petitioning unaffiliated candidate in November. If you elect me, I will be seated as an unaffiliated candidate; the only one in the RTM and I believe the only unaffiliated elected official in Fairfield! I will not be under either party; I will be your representative and your voice--I will answer directly to you, the voters; not to party leadership. I am also fully self-financed; the only boss I have you.
We are on the path to doing something that hasn’t been done before; we can elect an independent voice that speaks for us! Together we can build a stronger `Fairfield!
The Yellow Bike
One of the questions I often get is how I came up with the idea for the Yellow Bike, or as my daughter and her friends dubbed it, the Banana Bike! When I first considered running for office as a self-financed unaffiliated candidate, one of the largest obstacles to success was how to gain name recognition without the money and work force that comes with being a major party candidate. The one thing I had was time to spend in the district, but how did that create name recognition? Some friends created the idea of the Yellow Bike; it is unique. But how did we get people to stop and look at it; how did we make it unmissable? The idea was to put flags on the bike to create an increased visual signature; something that couldn’t be missed!
The entire bike tells a story. First, there is a balance of red and blue flags. Red and Blue are traditionally associated with the two political parties, so combining the two colors as an unaffiliated candidate made sense. Why did I choose the flags you see? I spent my entire adult life in the military sworn to support and defend the Constitution of the United States; the American Flag is the symbol of our nation and so it sits highest on the bike. Below that is our State flag; I am running to be an elected official in our state. On the back are two sets of flags. The top flag on each pole are prints of my campaign sign; they have my name in large block letters; when you look at the bike, the first thing you see is my name. Below those flags are two others; the flag of the United States Air Force (my professional background) and a flag with “Unaffiliated” in large block letters to let people know how I am choosing to run for office. Finally, I have my campaign sign on the front and back of the bike so people passing in cars can clearly see my name and know I am running for office.
Between the two campaigns I will have ridden the bike over 2,000 miles through D9; when I knock on people’s door, they already know who I am. The system my friends helped create worked; it built the name recognition I needed to run a viable campaign.
That is the story of the Banana Bike. The bike is nothing more than a way to create name recognition; it tells a story about me, Jim Bowen. It is simply a way to engage my fellow citizens in D9 so we can share our thoughts, concerns, and hopes for our District and our Town.
What Makes Me Different From The Other Candidates?
OVERVIEW
There are four things that separate me from the other candidates; my extensive leadership background, my in-depth knowledge and first-hand experience developing and executing budgets in the billions of dollars, my personal experience as a teacher and leader in academia, and the time I have available to serve the citizens of D9.
LEADERSHIP
I am a proven leader. My leadership abilities were tested, honed, and evaluated every day of my 28-year career serving as an officer in the Air Force. Over my career I was selected for promotion to the rank of full Colonel. As a Colonel, I was a Senior Military leader in the top 1% of the 1.4 million strong active-duty force. It was a humbling experience and incredible honor to lead Airmen at so senior a grade; it was an experience that tested my skills in the extreme. I learned every day in those senior leader engagements and command positions.
I am a combat tested leader; I built my professional life on the foundations of Integrity, Service Before Self, and Excellence. Four separate times I was competitively selected as a unit commander, because I successfully led my organization during in each prior command. I led thousands of Airmen in the most grueling and demanding environments, including the unforgiving environment of combat operations. I know how to build a team and create an environment that allows everyone to succeed. I know how to get the job done, no matter the obstacles or difficulties.
Many of the problems we see in government at all levels; lack of transparency, being dismissive/unresponsive to citizen inquiries, hiding behind bureaucracy to avoid oversight, lack of accountability, etc. are due to failed leadership. Organizations exhibiting the behaviors above are often led by individuals lacking integrity, courage, vision, and a sense of duty. They are not present and consequently do not lead by example. Since they are not present, they do not know what is happening and therefore there is no accountability. Strong leadership will solve many of the problems we face in government.
I spent my entire adult life studying and executing the art of Leadership. I am ready to put that leadership to work for you, the residents of District 9 and the Town of Fairfield
BUDGET EXPERIENCE
I bring 12 years of extensive budget experience to the table. I have worked on multi-billion-dollar budgets all the way up to the Congressional level in Washington D.C. I understand how the budgeting process should work and how to review, question, and find waste at every level of budgeting to ensure every cent people are taxed is necessary and is spent efficiently.
During my seven years as a military Commander, I was responsible for developing, defending, and executing the budget of each of the four units I commanded; many millions of dollars over my career. There was no safety net; I had to execute what I was given and adjust within my existing funding as needed to meet ever evolving mission needs. I was responsible for every aspect of the budget and ensuring it was properly executed. When the environment changed, it was my responsibility to prioritize the funds and shift them as needed to ensure the unit was always combat ready. It was an intense environment, one that I excelled in.
Additionally, I spent five years as a Secretary of the Air Force’s (SecAF) Congressional Liaison officer. I was responsible for helping to craft the service’s $130+ billion-dollar annual budget and prepare it for the rigorous scrutiny of multiple committees in the House and Senate. I developed critical legislative strategies on major national security issues to ensure the Senate and House had everything necessary to justify and approve the annual budget. I provided the necessary leadership and expertise as I successfully leading SecAF’s most challenging and complex budgetary issues.
This level and scope of budget experience is uncommon. If I am elected, I will work with other members to improve the rigor and efficiency of the RTM’s budget approval process; a win for D9 taxpayers!
EDUCATION BACKGROUND
I bring an extensive educational background to the job. I spent eight years of my career as a teacher/instructor at the University of Notre Dame and on the fighter jet flight line. These were incredibly rewarding positions given my passion for education; I understand the importance of inspiring young people to grow into the best versions of themselves and I know what is required to resource and deliver a quality education.
I spent three years teaching at the University of Notre Dame. I served as the Department Chair for Aerospace Studies and was a professor teaching National Security theory and strategy. As a Department Chair, one of my responsibilities was to build and justify our academic budget. I was a sitting Fellow at the Notre Dame International Security Center, part of the Department of Political Science. Additionally, I served on the Faculty Senate and was a member of Notre Dame’s Honor Committee entrusted with the University’s Honor Code for students.
Additionally, I spent five years as an instructor and flight evaluator teaching and certifying aircrew to operate and employ the F-15E fighter jet in combat operations. This was a challenging job which required I constantly adapt my teaching style to many different students to ensure they were ready to face the unrelenting rigors of combat aviation.
These experiences give me a unique skillset. I have first-hand knowledge and experience both as a teacher (and all that entails), an academic administrator, and developing education budgets. These skills will be vital in my role as an RTM member charged with reviewing and approving the BOE budget as part of the overall town budget. These skills ensure the budget I help oversee and approve will allocate the resources to provide the absolute best education for our kids while being mindful of every dollar spent. You and your families deserve nothing less.
TIME TO SERVE THE VOTERS
We don’t normally think of “time” when we look at elected officials; the person is elected, and their job is to serve the people. However, the RTM is a local body; it is not considered a full-time position and the elected members are not paid. As you evaluate each candidate, who has the time to dedicate to serving you? Who will be fully focused on the voters?
I believe to execute the job of RTM representative well and faithfully, and fully serve the 6,000+ constituents takes an enormous amount of time. I believe your RTM representative should be your first call when you are not getting the support you need from the town or when you have a problem or concern you want addressed. They are the elected official closest to you; they are your neighbors! Additionally, the topics the RTM must deal with are numerous and complex; they have an enormous impact on your daily life in Fairfield. To do due diligence to fully grasp and understand the issues without relying on somebody else to tell you what to do takes a lot of time and effort.
I am fully retired; supporting, representing, and fighting for the members of D9 will be my full-time job. When you need help or assistance, I will be there to support you. When you have questions or want to talk, I will be available to listen and provide the answers you deserve. You see me every day, out there in the District working for you. The citizens of D9 will be my priority!
Communication
There is a lot of discussion on the campaign trail about a transparent and accountable government. A critical aspect of those two traits is communication. Continuous communication allows residents to know exactly what their government is doing and keeps elected officials accountable to their constituents. I feel this is an area we have been missing from the RTM side of the house. If I am elected, I want to make a fundamental change in communication; I will actively engage you. There are four areas I will start working on immediately: a newsletter, in-person group updates, social media sites, and being present in the district.
First is the newsletter. I will contact every home in the district and give you the opportunity to sign up for an e-mail newsletter. There are too many things going on in the town for everyone to follow; you are busy living your lives. It is my job as your elected official to distill the issues into easily digestible bullets to keep you up to date. If you want more detail, it is my job to provide it.
Second is in-person discussions. As your closest representative to Town government, I should be meeting with you frequently to give you updates and get your direct feedback. I think quarterly is a good place to start and then adjust the frequency based on what you, the voters, want.
Third is active social media sites where you can get information. I will keep my Facebook and website operating and will make the website your one-stop shop for data and info on the go!
Fourth is just being present. I will continue to ride around the neighborhoods multiple times a week so you can talk to me anytime. I also want to be in the District frequently so I see firsthand everything that is going on and can proactively address the issues.
This will be a fundamental shift in how your elected officials engage and represent you. All too often I see meetings where elected officials tout a few hundred emails as a mandate from the people. There are almost 62,000 people in town and ~6,000 in D9. I want to walk into critical votes with feedback from thousands of you in D9!
Effectiveness as an Unaffilaited RTM Member
One of the questions I am often asked is how I can be effective as an Unaffiliated member or the RTM. If I am elected, I will be the only Unaffiliated elected official in Fairfield, a situation which makes me uniquely situated to be an effective representative for you. There are three key things I will bring to the RTM; 1) an independent voice, 2) extensive leadership, budget and education expertise to increase the RTM’s effectiveness, and 3) the ability to be a consensus builder so we can get things done.
INDEPENDENT VOICE
First let’s talk about the incredible power of an independent voice. As an Unaffiliated member, I am uniquely positioned to bring about the transparency, accountability, excellence, and efficiency you deserve from your elected officials and government. The first issue I talk about concerning my vision for District 9 is building the transparent and accountable government you deserve. As an Unaffiliated RTM member, I am free of the constraints of a Party and I have no Party leadership to answer to; I work solely for the citizens of District 9. This gives me the absolute freedom to ask the questions you want asked in a public forum; questions that otherwise wouldn’t be asked. My independent voice will be the light that shines into the shadows to show the truth and bring about the transparency effective governance requires. When there is transparency and truth, accountability naturally follows. Failures will be corrected and those responsible held to account for their actions. This in turn reinforces a culture of excellence and improves the organization’s efficiency; all things we deserve from our government! The next post will discuss the leadership, budget, and education expertise I will bring to the table.
LEADERSHIP/BUDGET/EDUCATION
This post will cover the skills I will bring to the RTM and how I will work to arrest the unsustainable property tax growth we have seen in D9.
I believe the single most pressing issue facing the citizens in D9 is the large property tax growth over the last four years; 12.2% on average across the District. I have visited the homes of over 2,400 of you since I started campaigning on August 10th; this is the most common topic of conversation. To address this issue, I bring 12 years of extensive budget work and eight years of education background to the table (you can read more here).
The RTM is the sole body vested with the authority to approve and appropriate funding for the town budget; a huge responsibility impacting every facet of life in Fairfield. I know how to review a budget and find waste/misallocated funding. That review process is critical to producing a risk-balanced budget that properly funds the organization to accomplish its mission; in this case the town government to create the Fairfield we want.
I will use my budget expertise to work with my fellow RTM members to make our budget review process more rigorous and challenge every dollar in the Town budget proposal ensuring all appropriated funding makes Fairfield better. A strong budget review/approval process is key to arresting the large growth in property taxes impacting so many families in D9.
CONSENSUS BUILDER
This is the third and final post in a series about how I will effectively represent you as an Unaffiliated RTM member. This post will cover my ability to be a consensus builder so we can effectively address the complex issues facing our Town.
Acting as a consensus builder wasn’t something that occurred to me when I ran two years ago. Over the last two years I have had the privilege of working with several bi-partisan groups to address issues of interest to our citizens. These groups consisted of multiple R and D members, but I was the only unaffiliated member on the team. First, I learned a huge amount from the individuals in these groups about local politics and the art of consensus building in a political environment. It was an incredible experience and vastly improved a skillset I had only occasionally called on in my professional life. The second thing I discovered was the value as a consensus builder I brought to the table by being an Unaffiliated member. I was able to act as an honest broker between the sides and help identify common ground. That common ground was the foundation we were able to build upon to move forward and tackle the issues and make progress.
This role will be especially important in the RTM. I will be able to work with the parties to find key areas of agreement so we can make real progress in the people’s body of government to address the issues that will improve your quality of life and make our Town stronger!
Campaign Promises
TRANSPARENT/RESPONSIVE/ACCOUNTABLE GOVERNMENT
We are all familiar with candidates who promise things during the campaign and as soon as they are in office those promises are “forgotten”. We all know that is not acceptable. Since I started campaigning on August 10th, I have talked about a Transparent/Responsive/Accountable government, controlling property tax growth, strengthening our schools, and safe streets for our families.
Here I will outline all of the things I have said regarding these topics and how I will go about achieving them. Keep this list and hold me accountable!
A transparent, responsive and accountable government is at the heart of why I am running; we need elected officials that serve and represent us, the citizens, not a party or a personal agenda. Here are the things I will do to fulfill this promise:
- I will be the sole independent voice that represents you, not a party. I will work with you to get the answers you deserve.
- Critical to a transparent, responsive, and accountable government is communication! If I am not routinely engaged with you, I cannot represent you. I will use my personal funds and reach out to every home in the district. I will provide bi-weekly emails, quarterly in-person meetings, and I will run an active website and FB page that will be one-stop shopping for information about District 9! You can read more about my communications plan by clicking here.
-- As part of communication, I will ask you to copy me on emails to the town for issues you need help with so I can advocate on your behalf.
-- You don’t have time to watch the endless hours of town meetings. I will take the complex issues the RTM works on and boil them down to critical bullet points you can easily digest so you can offer feedback as desired. I will always be available to provide more detail to all who want it, but as your elected official I owe you clear, concise, accurate communication.
- Accountability is key to effective government operations. I will use the RTM’s budget power to bring the accountability we deserve. I will not fund failed projects and will not fund personnel that are failing this community. The RTM has considerable power and I intend to use it to ensure every member of District 9 is well and fairly represented.
- On November 8th, I will send an e-mail to the winner of the First Selectman race and request a Stop-Work of any non-fill removal actions at Penfield Pavilion. The Stop-Work needs to remain in effect until:
-- We have the full costs of the project; it is unacceptable we do not know what this will cost.
-- The results of the Flood Study. This project should not have been started until the study was complete. We need time to understand and discuss the study results with residents, determine what mitigation will be required to protect the residents of District 9 because of lowering the beach height and allocate the funding to pay for the mitigation measures. Or, if the mitigation costs are too high, we need to choose a different path forward.
- I will be present in the District. I will be proactively engaging with you so I know your issues and can effectively represent you.
PROPERTY TAXES
After visiting the homes of 3,000+ voters over the last 2.5 months the most universal concern voiced by citizens is the large property tax growth over the last four years; 12.2% on average across District 9.
The RTM is the sole body vested with the authority to approve and appropriate funding for the town budget; a huge responsibility impacting every facet of life in Fairfield. I will bring 12 years of extensive budget experience to the RTM. I have worked on multi-billion-dollar budgets all the way up to the Congressional level in Washington D.C. I understand how the budgeting process should work and how to review, question, and find waste at all levels of budgeting to ensure every cent people are taxed is necessary and is spent efficiently.
Specifically, to address tax growth, I will:
- Work with my fellow RTM members to make our budget review process more rigorous. We need to scrutinize every dollar in the Town budget proposal to ensure all appropriated funding makes Fairfield better. A strong budget review/approval process is key to arresting the large growth in property taxes impacting so many families in D9 while ensuring we do the best possible job at producing a risk-balanced budget to fund the needs of both the Town and our Schools.
- As soon as the budget is released and the BOS has its meeting, I will deep-dive the entire budget and host an in-person meeting with residents where I will outline the budget and my concerns—so you can then give me your feedback; your feedback is how I represent you! I will work the issues you bring to me with BOF prior to their budget meeting; I will not wait until the RTM gets the budget; at that point it is too late to effectively engage the community.
- I will follow and review every line in the budget. If Department heads cannot justify their budget, I will make a motion to cut the funding. I will not tolerate the executive branch dismissing or ignoring requests for information. If they refuse to support a budget line by providing requested data, I will make a motion to remove the funding; if it is not worth defending, they clearly don’t need it.
- I will be feeding you summaries of concerns and issues during the entire budget process; we will do this together!
I believe budget approval is the most important role the RTM has in town government; it will receive my full attention!
SCHOOLS
The School budget is 57% of the town budget and the budget document is large; I think few people truly understand it. If we are going to control tax growth while ensuring a great education, we need to carefully review every line of the BOE budget and call out things that are not contributing to the primary education mission of our schools for open discussion.
Part of the issue is how current elected officials in the town bodies deal with proposed BOE budget reductions. Currently they propose reducing the BOE budget growth request without stating precisely where the reduction should occur and why; I find this unacceptable. Current officials hide behind the fact the BOS/BOF/RTM cannot direct where BOE makes the reductions; a point that is irrelevant in my opinion.
If I recommend a reduction, I will specify exactly where I recommend the reduction and why. That forces a transparent dialogue on the genuine issues/concerns. The normal school reaction to these random and undefined reductions is to state they will cut teachers and increase class size, but we need to focus on the real concerns, not let hyperbole cloud the issues. To do this, any reduction must be accompanied by a clear statement of where it should come from and why. Additionally, I will not accept any reduction recommendation from BOS/BOF if they do not clearly articulate where they recommend the reduction and why.
The education our schools provide is the foundation for our future. I will work tirelessly to ensure we produce an efficient budget that funds a great education.
SAFE STREETS
One of the first things I noticed after we moved here was the hazardous driving in the neighborhoods; speeding, ignoring Stop signs, etc. After running two campaigns, residents in District 9 have been clear they want safer streets and feel like the police are not doing enough to enforce the laws.
I tend to agree from my personal observations, but there are always two sides to every story. Therefore, on November 8th I will send an email to the Chief and Deputy Chief requesting a meeting to discuss the issue of safe streets. I will explain our concerns and request a briefing that covers enforcement options, staffing, officer scheduling, officer coverage ability, utilization of officers to do things other than law enforcement and the impact it has on District coverage, and the challenges the Department faces. I want to hear their assessment of the options available to improve street safety and what adjustments are needed to meet our needs in District 9.
I will include feedback from this meeting in my updates and work with you to decide what future actions need to be taken to make our streets safer for our families.
Approved by James E. Bowen, Jr.
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