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10/11/2017 08:00 AMRepublican Kirk Carr, a former publishing and advertising executive, is particularly proud of his service in town. He currently serves as an alternate on the Board of Finance and has served on the Planning & Zoning Commission in the past. He also has volunteered with the VITA income tax service at the library, and has worked with the Economic Development Commission (EDC).
In his work with the EDC, Carr created seasonal restaurant and event guides to distribute at Hammonasset Beach State Park and the Clinton Crossing Outlets.
Carr is probably best known in town for his involvement with the Clinton Taxpayers Association (CTA), and has in the past focused his campaign on the tax increases associated with the last budget. At the budget referendum in June, voters passed a budget that called for a roughly 10 percent increase in taxes the mill rate.
“The first thing everyone has to understand is that it is imperative we figure out our tax problems,” Carr said. “Our taxes are not competitive…We’re not the only town facing this, but we’re not doing a good job facing it.”
Carr said one solution would be to renegotiate town contracts—”We’ve been renewing vendors and contractors” without seeking bids, he said.
Carr believes his stance on the budget issue sets him apart from his opponents. Carr said that during the budget season, the Democratic Town Committee places signs encouraging voters to say “Yes” to the proposed budget.
“They own that,” Carr said. “I’m on the Board of Finance as an alternate and voted ‘No’ every chance I got. I took a very hard stance against the tax increases,” Carr said.
Carr drew the ire of some members of the community when he referred to “the craven coven of parents, teachers, administrators, and RINO football coach” on his YouTube post during the town budget season. Carr said his comments were made in reference to what he perceived as indifference by the PTA toward poor people in town who would be affected by the tax increases stemming from the budget, but he now “believes there are ways we can come to an agreement and work” with them when it comes to funding education.
“We have to make sure we don’t...reduce the quality of service [by] making cuts. We cannot cut education,” said Carr.
Carr would like to bring change to the town’s economic development process.
“We’ve invested almost nothing in the EDC,” said Carr. “We really need to target businesses in Clinton and find ways to sustain them.”
Carr said he’d like to find a big-name company to move into the Unilever property which has been vacant for five years.
“We need to find economic development people will embrace without damaging our neighborhoods,” he said, adding, “Moving a business from one place to another isn’t development.”
Carr would like to target the kinds of development the town wants, and try to attract those business to Clinton.
While he sees the town’s natural beauty as one of the reasons to live and do business in town, he also said the sense of community is a big factor.
“The people really do care about one another,” Carr said.