A Human Touch
On Nov. 5, I will be voting for Carl Fortuna for first selectman. I have known Carl a long time and, simply put, good character defines him. It is my personal opinion that as the chief executive officer of the Town of Old Saybrook, he has done an excellent job for the last eight years. But it is also important to have someone in this leadership position who is honest, approachable, and forthcoming. As so many residents have come to know over the years, Carl is all of these.
Town regulations require the first selectman to be a full time job, which is at least 35 hours per week. I happen to know that first selectman is Carl’s job 50 hours per week and he is always there for the residents. His open-door policy is liberally used by our residents and he is never too busy to return a phone call or make a house call for a resident concern. It is this type of hands on leadership that is required of the job of the first selectman, and Carl does not take it lightly.
In addition, there are big picture accomplishments: Old Saybrook is financially as strong as it has been in a generation, capital projects are saved for and completed, and costs savings totaling hundreds of thousands of dollars have been implemented. That’s all great, but it also takes a human touch to be the person we want in the leadership position for Old Saybrook. Based on that, Carl Fortuna has my vote.
Chris Rixon
Old Saybrook