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05/14/2019 12:00 AMThe race is on. At the Madison Democratic Town Committee (MDTC) meeting on May 13, current MDCT Chair Peggy Lyons announced her intention to seek the Democratic nomination for the office of first selectman in the upcoming November 2019 municipal elections.
Lyons’s announcement officially kicks off campaign season, making her the first candidate from either major party to announce. No other candidate is expected to seek the Democratic nomination for first selectman and a Republican candidate has yet to formally announce.
At the meeting on May 13, Lyons’s announcement was welcomed by a room of cheering supporters. Lyons formally stepped down as MDTC chair to start her campaign and spoke to the room about why she wants to run.
“After living in town for 12 years and taking on different volunteer roles in our community, I strongly feel that we have a significant void in our leadership today and that we need and deserve better for our future,” she said. “We are at an important crossroads in our history. While we live in a spectacular place, surrounded by natural beauty and great schools, we can no longer govern our town with the ways of the past through a policy of procrastination and stagnation. We can’t keep kicking the can down the road. We need progress now in order to preserve and protect what we value the most.”
Since moving to Madison in 2007, Lyons served on the Economic Development Commission and Board of Finance and currently sits on the Board of Police Commissioners. She described herself as an active school mom and lives in town with her husband David, a Madison native, and their two young children, both of whom attend Madison Public Schools.
“Many of you may not know that before moving to Madison…I spent over 17 years solving complex strategic and financial problems for companies both big and small,” she said. “I have experience in corporate finance, in mergers and acquisitions, and in strategic planning—the right kind of skills our town government needs now to tackle our growing fiscal challenges.”
Lyons has an undergraduate degree form Cornell and an MBA from the Wharton School of Business. She worked for more than a decade on Wall Street at two major investment banks, served as a managing director at Deloitte, and as a manger at GE, among other positions.
“If elected as your first selectman, I promise to use these skills to fill that leadership void,” she said. “I will be a leader who offers a sustainable vision for our future with a roadmap on how to get there. I will be a leader who proactively tackles our challenges as a shoreline town by planning for them rather than neglecting them. I will be a leader who collaborates with others to create a fiscally responsible community supported long term plan, one that preserves our strong value proposition to the Madison taxpayer and protects Madison’s reputation as a premier, multi-generational community.”
In speaking to the MDTC, Lyons promised to be a respectful and responsive leader, one who listens to the people and avoids personal agendas.
“My husband’s family had a simple house rule growing up: A in effort, A in conduct,” she said. “I share those values today with my family and I promise to bring them to the office of first selectman in our town, giving us the leadership we need for our future.”
According to a press release sent out shortly after the announcement, Lyons has the support of the two sitting Democratic selectmen, Al Goldberg and Scott Murphy.
“I’ve had the opportunity to work with Peggy for over 12 years in her various volunteer roles in town government,” said Goldberg. “Her strong character, executive background, respect for our town’s history and institutions, and collaborative leadership style, give her a unique ability to tackle our challenges head on with a fresh perspective. As a former first selectman of Madison, I know that Peggy has the right complement of skills to lead our town during this important time. I think she will make an excellent First Selectman and has my full support.”
An announcement of the complete candidate slate for both parties is expected in the coming months following the formal local nominating conventions.