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Incumbent Republican Bruce Farmer Running as Write-In in Clinton

First Selectman Bruce Farmer was originally endorsed by the Republican Town Committee in the summer, but was defeated in the Sept. 12 primary by Kirk Carr, who will be running for first selectman on the Republican line in the municipal elections on Tuesday, Nov. 7. Farmer then decided to continue his campaign as a write-in candidate, which means his name will not appear on the ballot.

Farmer won his first term in 2015 with a one-vote margin against then-incumbent Democrat Willie Fritz. He cited his corporate background as a reason why people should vote for him.

“I came out of the corporate world where I managed $38 million as part of a reinsurance company,” Farmer said of his experience prior to getting involved in town politics. “I was able to hit the ground running and haven’t stopped.”

While Clinton’s tax rate has increased by more than 10 percent during his term, Farmer said that the circumstances he inherited, such as payments due on the new high school and a potentially massive decrease in state funding, mean that it could have been worse under less frugal leadership

“The year of 2017 is a perfect storm. If you look at all the things we needed to cobble together all at once, the new Morgan School, the bonding package, the increase in medical insurance costs, and the fact that the governor’s budget plan could be so devastating to towns and small cities with greatly reduced educational cost sharing and reduced reimbursement on the town side really created a firestorm of concern for all of us,” Farmer said. “As you would expect, I will do everything in my power to work toward the financial sustainability of Clinton in the long run…Unfortunately I don’t have any quick fixes.”

While Farmer said he thinks “partisan politics is disheartening,” he also said he doesn’t see it as a large issue in town. “The majority of our people do not engage in that activity and I do not wish to engage.”

During his term in office, Farmer has often been reluctant to respond to inquiries from the press. Farmer said part of this reluctance stemmed from being advised by legal counsel not to comment on some subjects, and that some questions he received were “on matters that hadn’t been settled yet” and he didn’t want to send a false message. Farmer said that going forward he’s willing to be open with the press.

As for changes to town he’d like to make if elected to a second term, Farmer said, “I’d like to see changes to land use, and a director of planning...I’d like to see some of our economic development opportunities come to fruition.”