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10/17/2017 12:00 AMDemocratic first selectman candidate Alan Sturtz wants to improve the town’s planning process and ensure that the town remains affordable and interesting for all.
Sturtz is a higher education administrator by training, with more than 40 years of experience with colleges and universities in three states, though most of that time has been in Connecticut. He also has prior experience in town government, as he was formerly a North Haven town clerk/tax collector from 2007 to 2009 and a North Haven selectman from 2011 to 2013.
He said that his previous work in higher education prepared him for the town clerk/tax collector position, and helped him to work with large databases and analyze trends. Sturtz said he had the highest tax collection rate in town history, coupled with zero foreclosures.
On the Board of Selectmen, he said he worked well with his fellow selectmen to find out the best way to present an issue or solve a problem for the town.
“I feel that as a public servant, once you’re elected or appointed to a board or commission or even an executive office, you really need to drop the party affiliation after your name,” Sturtz said.
One thing Sturtz would like to institute if he wins is a strategic planning model, where each town department will set goals, objectives and initiatives they’d like to accomplish in the short-term (one year), and then three to five years out.
Attached to that would be the resources the departments would need to carry out those goals, and to strengthen the department. He said the needs would be prioritized, and they’d work down the list, funding what they can. At the end of the year, departments would be responsible for reporting their accomplishments to the town, and that would be the basis for the next year’s budget.
Sturtz said he will attempt to keep the tax rate flat, possibly reducing it a bit depending on the Grand List.
He said he would like to base the entire budget on tax revenue, and any money received from the state, federal government, or other outside sources would be kept in a separate fund that would only be disbursed to the appropriate department later in the year so the town doesn’t run into a problem like it potentially will have this year with state funds in limbo, as the legislature and governor try to come up with a budget they can agree upon.
Sturtz would like to continue economic development in town, but would like to work with developers and entrepreneurs to bring in smaller, local-based businesses. He wants to give young professionals and families a reason to come to North Haven and stay here.
How would he attract a younger generation? He’d like to bring coffee houses with live performances or a music venue to town, noting that northern Washington Avenue near Quinnipiac University would be a good location for something like that.
Improving the quality of life for all citizens in town is important to him. He would like to freeze the tax rate for seniors as much as possible (and also the whole town), increase the tax credits for seniors and veterans, and have a tax freeze for veterans. He also wants to strike a balance between affordable housing and housing that’s affordable, saying not every house has to be a $500,000 home.
Sturtz said he will be as involved as he can be with the Board of Education to continue to improve the quality of schools and make sure adequate programs are in place for students of all abilities, including special education students.
He also wants ensure all citizens are treated with respect during town meetings and public comment, even when bringing up an issue that may not be popular.
In closing, Sturtz said, “I’ll just continue to show a high level of integrity and transparency, and, as I did in the Tax Collector and Town Clerk office, treat all citizens with the highest level of respect.”