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10/26/2021 03:16 PMWhen Westbrook voters take to the polls on Nov. 2, they will be casting the votes that can decide the direction of the town for years to come. The highlight of the race is the one between Republican John Hall III and Democrat Chet Bialicki.
In Westbrook, this year’s election means a guaranteed change at the top level of municipal government. For the first time in nearly 15 years, Westbrook is guaranteed to have new leadership. Earlier this year First Selectman Noel Bishop (R) announced he would not seek an eighth term as first selectman.
The Harbor News caught up with both candidates to get their final thoughts ahead of the election; their responses follow. For information on all the candidates and all the races as well as letters to the editor and expanded voter information, visit Zip06.com/election.
John Hall III (Republican)
John Hall III is the Republican nominee for first selectman and has a decades-long history of experience in municipal government. Hall has been a selectman in Westbrook for close to 12 years and before that was the chairman of the town’s Zoning Board of Appeals for more than 20 years. He’s also been engaged with church groups and served as the chairman of the Westbrook Foundation for 10 years. He was also a candidate for state representative in 2020, though that campaign was ultimately unsuccessful.
Hall said that voters should vote for him for “strong fiscal management, experience, and public safety”.
Asked to clarify what he meant by public safety, Hall said “I’m looking to expand the police officers in town by one shift, if not right after the election then by the beginning of the next fiscal year,” Hall said.
Historically Westbrook has had two resident state troopers as well as constables. However, the cost of having the troopers has risen to around $200,000 per trooper. Instead, the town has recently moved to having two full time police officers in addition to the constables and one trooper.
“I think having a patrol at night would deter the late-night break-ins Westbrook has had a bad rash of lately,” said Hall.
When it comes to the town budget, Hall said that he would “follow the same practices I have been the last 12 years. I ask to justify every expense.”
Hall acknowledge that in the next budget he would like to look at staffing levels beyond adding a police officer. Hall pointed to vacancies in the Land Use Office as an are that also needs study.
“We need to look at staffing levels including adding full-time, versus part-time, versus maybe consultants,” Hall said, noting that there needs to be a balance between adding salary and keeping the budget fair.
On the topic of attracting economic development to town, Hall pointed out that business in Westbrook continue to recommit to the town, especially The Water’s Edge and The Lee Company.
“I think we’re a fairly attractive town for businesses with our taxes,” said Hall.
As for developing the downtown, Hall said he would like to see more small eateries and cafés in the area.
“I believe those would be a good addition,” said Hall.
Hall pledged to work in a bipartisan manor if elected and to make sure that party politics do not hamper progress in the town.
“Since I’ve been elected, bipartisanship has been my middle name,” said Hall. “I encourage everyone to go look at my record on the Zoning Board of Appeals and Board of Selectmen. I always worked with everyone and made sure everyone gave their thoughts. To me, party politics has no place in Westbrook after Election Day.”
In closing, Hall said “I want to keep Westbrook the nice small town it is as the jewel of the shoreline.”
Chet Bialicki (Democrat)
Chet Bialicki is the Democratic nominee for first selectman. He is a longtime educator in Westbrook and also been a been a member of the recreation board and even ran for selectman 18 years ago.
Bialicki said that voters should vote for him because he has the creative thinking and modern skills needed to move the town forward.
“We are facing new challenges that require all of us to understand each other’s issues and unite with our skills for decision making that will move the Town of Westbrook forward. I have been trained in these skills and proof is in the past decade or two in the school system,” said Bialicki.
He also added that he will work to connect the various boards and commissions to move the town forward with common goals.
Bialicki said that if elected, the main issue he would work on is developing the town center.
“There is no other route to revitalize our town center then to move forward with the septic needs that have been identified for future growth and expansion. It has been long enough talking about this project and time has come to act on it in a responsible fashion,” said Bialicki.
Bialicki also said that he would form a resiliency committee that would focus on the shoreline, as well as “build upon our Police Department.”
When it comes to the budget, Bialicki said that he would pursue grants that help keep the taxes from rising. Bialicki said that he would be in favor of returning the full-time planner to town.
“We need a full-time town planner who can focus on funding through grants and resources that could become to our avail. Recently I have seen large and small towns alike on the Connecticut shoreline obtain funding to move their projects along without taxing their citizens,” said Bialicki.
“As far as all the other employees, commissions, and boards are concerned, I see well-trained individuals in positions who are ready to embrace change with the leadership that I can bring,” he added.
Besides the town center, Bialicki said that he would bring economic development to the town by advertising what Westbrook has to offer.
“One of the first ventures I would undertake if elected first selectman is to have a town-wide economic development tour or economic fair. I will partner with a local real estate agent and invite people from all of Connecticut and neighboring states to come and take a tour of all our commercial property for sale and lease trying to entice investors to our friendly port,” said Bialicki.
On the topic of partisan politics in town, Bialicki said that he would not fall into that trap.
“There is no partisan in my vocabulary. For the last 44 years I have worked with students, parents, teachers, administrators, and the community to bring our students forward with success. There has never been an ‘us’ or ‘them,’ only a ‘we,’” he said.