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Real Cost Savings

I am honored to have been nominated to run for Westbrook’s Board of Finance.

My wife, Melissa, and I moved to Westbrook more than 19 years ago, raising our two daughters, Zoe and Gabriella, both graduates of Westbrook Public Schools. For almost as long as we have lived in town, I have volunteered or been elected to various boards and commissions.

As selectman, I demanded transparency within town government and chaired the ad hoc Health Department Committee to study our health department, which was not compliant with Connecticut Health Department regulations pertaining food inspections. Working with committee members, we hired the town’s first full-time health director and established the framework for the staffing of the health department that exists today.

As a former member of the Board of Finance, I was involved with hiring Westbrook’s first finance director, a position that was greatly needed to manage Westbrook’s day-to-day finances. I voted for responsible budgets and supported a 10-year capital improvement plan to ensure we were putting monies aside to proactively respond to Westbrook’s financial needs.

Currently, I chair our ad hoc Energy Committee I work with a great committee of volunteers who have undertaken two energy initiatives—the street light purchase and replacement project and solar array energy purchase—mitigating our energy costs, saving the town millions of dollars over the span of these projects.

I ask for your readers’ votes on Nov. 5 for the Board of Finance to provide real cost savings solutions to Westbrook residents and businesses.

Chris Ehlert

Westbrook