This is a printer-friendly version of an article from Zip06.com.

The Trusted Leader

On Nov. 7, residents of this great town will head to the polls and choose who we trust to govern and lead Guilford for the next four years. In that election, I am proud to choose Matt Hoey.

Much has been said in this campaign about the state budget’s possible impact on our town. It’s true that we had difficulty balancing the budget this year and various proposals along the way called for our town to lose state funds. This is not a new phenomenon; each year I’ve been in office and before that, our town has been slated for cuts. Each time (including this year), those cuts have been anticipated and planned for by our local leaders and successfully reversed by our state delegation thanks to good old-fashioned teamwork.

Matt Hoey has led that teamwork as Board of Finance chair. Based on constant communication with our delegation and along with First Selectman Joe Mazza and Board of Education Chair Bill Bloss, Matt crafted a budget that prepared for a $1 million cut. When we in the delegation were able to minimize the cut to only $182,000, their smart planning and fiscal responsibility enabled them to add $800,000 to our rainy day fund.

Even though we are from different parties, I’m not afraid to say I think Joe Mazza has done a great job managing our town for the last eight years. From blizzards to bad budgets, first selectman is a tough job. When it comes to managing a town, experience matters and Matt has it. If and when proposals come back removing our state funding, Matt is the trusted leader we need to plan for the worst in a responsible manner and see us through. He’s done it before and will do it again and I’m proud to endorse him for first selectman.

State Representative Sean Scanlon (D-98)

Guilford