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10/16/2017 06:30 AMBranford Republican Selectman Jamie Cosgrove is seeking a third consecutive term. The incumbent candidate said he wants to continue moving Branford forward in a positive direction with solid, fiscally responsible leadership to respond to the town’s needs and meet challenges.
“I think we have a record to be proud of. I think where we were four years ago, and where we are today; it’s a stark contrast. We’ve ended a lot of legal disputes, we’ve ended a lot of divisiveness that was happening the town,” said Cosgrove.
In addition, the town has undertaken major projects including the Walsh Intermediate School (WIS) expansion/renovation and the new Senior/Community Center, with both projects approached by a “thoughtful process” that engaged the community over many months to build “consensus and support,” said Cosgrove, adding, “[T]hat’s why I think we’re able to maintain, even in these times, support for these projects.”
Under Cosgrove’s leadership, Branford put the $88.2 million WIS project into gear.
“It wasn’t my administration that first identified [the need for] it; in fact, it spanned over several administrations. Several board of educations, superintendents, parent organizations have all identified this as a need in our community,” said Cosgrove, a Branford native.
His administration continues to shepherd the project forward even as state reimbursement funding remains an open-ended question.
“People ask right now, considering everything that’s happening at the state, should we hold off on moving forward with this? And my response to that is what we’re doing right now is putting ourselves in a position to move forward with this project,” said Cosgrove. “There’s three things that we all recognize are real: escalation is real, [it] can easily add five percent to the [cost of] project; interest rates have been historically low...however they’re not going to go down; they can only go up. The third thing is the state is considering changing the [reimbursement] formula, and anytime they adjust the formula, it’s not going to benefit Branford, it’s only going to cost us more.”
Cosgrove also credits Branford Finance Director Jim Finch with sound financial management of the town’s bonding issues.
“Right now, about eight cents of every dollar goes to funding our infrastructure with these projects,” Cosgrove said. “And we’re structuring it as such to continue that level of roughly eight cents of every dollar going toward investing in our future. [Since] I took office, we’ve really ramped that plan up. My first year, we accelerated debt paydown, we restructured debt savings. So we’ve done a lot of these measures, putting ourselves in a position where we can actually still consider and move forward with these projects. So we’re in good shape.”
Cosgrove said he feels one of his strongest traits is that he will listen to concerns and input from citizens, as well as share his position and why he supports it.
“I hope everybody feels that their opinion or their point of view is respected,” said Cosgrove. “I truly do listen to the people and I do consider everybody’s point of view. Ultimately, the decisions will have to go in a certain direction, and it may not be exactly what one group may want, or another group. But I think if we’re able to listen to each other, plus articulate our own position—which I think is just as important as listening—I think people will then respect one another and respect the decisions that are made.”
Through that process, “we’re working together to accomplish some great things for the Town of Branford, even during a very difficult time, with the state budget that wasn’t anticipated at the time—at least not to this magnitude,” he said. “But we’ve been taking some proactive measures to ensure that we are able to continue to remain a town that has a relatively lower tax rate, provides quality services, and is able to invest in its future.”
As other municipalities struggle with the potential fallout of further costs and cuts imposed by the as-yet-undetermined state budget, Cosgrove said Branford is well prepared to weather the storm for the 2017-18 fiscal year.
“Branford has historically budgeted very conservatively on both the revenue and the expense side,” said Cosgrove. “I have to give a lot of credit to everybody: Jim Finch, the Board of Finance, and the RTM for really taking this bold move to budget this way. I can tell you, a lot of municipalities didn’t, and now, you read the headlines—there’s a lot of infighting, there’s talk of supplemental tax bills going out. Because [other municipalities] didn’t take those steps, they’re seeing their bond ratings being lowered. So I think it was the right move [for Branford], and it will pay off in the end.”
That said, Cosgrove’s also adamant the state can’t continue to go to the municipal well to help close the budget gap.
“We were able to take those proactive measures, but that’s not a sustainable way to budget. We did it to really insulate the town—the taxpayer as well as those who rely on services. So we need the state to get its house in order, and it’s going to take time. These liabilities were not created overnight, and they’re not going to be fixed overnight.”
Cosgrove said he feels privileged to lead Branford, and wants to continue to lead change and growth while preserving the character of the town for future generations.
“I think I’m really committed to the town,” said Cosgrove. “The quality of life in Branford is something that’s important to me, and in all of my decisions, I kind of weigh ‘How does that impact the quality of life of Branford residents, and for the next generation?’ That’s what I continue to look for—‘How are we leaving the town, are we leaving it better off?’ And we should be leaving it better off.”
For more information, find Jamie Cosgrove for Branford on Facebook, or find Friends of Branford Republicans on Facebook.