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Positive and Friendly

The responsibility of Branford tax collector is to collect taxes on real estate, personal property, and motor vehicles. However, over the past 12 years, our elected Democratic tax collector, Joanne Cleary, has done much more. Joanne has been an extremely bright light to Town Hall, the Tax Collector’s Office, and Branford citizens. Her own staff labeled her not a boss, but a leader and friend to the entire Branford community.

Just ask the thousands of people who visited her office to pay their taxes. The overwhelming comments relate to a friendly, pleasant, and understanding person, staff, and operation. Wow! They’re talking about a governmental agency that takes their money. Well, Joanne is retiring, and we all wish her well.

The citizens of Branford will be relieved to find out that a person, Roberta Gill-Brooks, has enthusiastically decided to run for tax collector, with her professional and educational experience and great people-skills focusing on improving Branford’s quality of life.

This is a guarantee that Roberta will continue and improve on the positive and friendly format Joanne created. Joanne and Roberta are friends and agree on the continued path of success of the tax collector’s environment and collection rate more than 98 percent.

Roberta not only will continue the successful operation, but will create and develop public relationships and collection methods that will take Branford into the next decade. Roberta is motivated to reach that 99- to 100 percentrate.

Branford citizens may remember her father, former chief of police Robert Gill. Now Roberta will continue the Gill tradition to give back to Branford for all that Branford did for her.

I encourage your readers to support Roberta Gill-Brooks on election day. Taxpayers of Branford can sigh with relief, where there is a will, there is a Gill-Brooks.

Stanley Konesky, Jr.

Branford