The Citizen’s News asked candidates running for Town Council in Prospect in the Nov. 7 municipal election four questions. The responses from Democratic candidates are below:
Name: Theresa Cocchiola-Graveline
Age: 58
Party: Democrat
Education: Bachelor of Arts and Sciences from Salve Regina College; double major in Nursing and Spanish
Political Experience: Town Council (11 terms, 1993-2015); Served as chair of the Land Use Subcommittee, chair of Ordinance Subcommittee, chair of the Open Space Study Committee, vice chair of Open Space Purchase Advisory Committee; Elderly Housing Feasibility Study Subcommittee; Liaison to Region 16 for contract negotiations; Current vice chair of the Prospect Democratic Town Committee.
Occupation: Owner and Finance Manager for 25 years of United Capital Services Corporation, a sales finance company licensed by the State of Connecticut Department of Banking
Why are you running for Town Council?
“I grew up in Prospect and my husband, Mark, and I chose to raise our family here because we believe in the value of life in a small town. My deep love for Prospect motivates me to use my knowledge, education, skills and talents to safeguard and ensure Prospect’s financial stability and to preserve its character and community values.”
What do you feel is the most important issue facing Prospect? How will you address it?
“We need to protect Prospect’s future by bringing our government processes up to modern standards of efficiency, oversight and policy. Our two accounting systems are inefficient since they require double entry of data and cannot communicate with each other. The current use of personal email addresses by town departments is not proper or secure for any municipality. There are very few written policies, procedures or standards for town practices such as bid processes, financial checks and balances, economic development, facilities management, and many others, including hiring and benefits for employees. (Prospect does not have a payroll service or Human Resources Department.) Most of this information is not shared, but rather, is locked up in the mind of the one person who has controlled this town for four decades. This lack of written policies to ensure continuity for all town operations puts this town at great risk since it is inescapable that, one day, the current regime will change. I am committed to improving efficiency, achieving cost savings through technology and innovation, and to making certain that the inevitable transition in Prospect’s future is a smooth one.”
How will you approach crafting a budget and setting a mill rate?
“In the upcoming term, the Council will face the impact of diminished state funding for Prospect. I will continue my practice of paying attention to details, evaluating the budget by reviewing historical expenditures, with emphasis on making accurate projections and preparing for future needs, continuing to provide essential services as well as additional programs which enhance the quality of life in Prospect. The mill rate must always be set to achieve collection of sufficient revenue to cover our budget, without over-taxing our citizens.”
What is your message to the voters?
“The primary focus of every initiative and decision I make as a Council member will always be to safeguard Prospect’s financial stability and to enhance life in our town. It is vital to ensure a system of checks and balances for financial health and planning for the future of our town. It is detrimental and costly to elect a political majority which simply rubber stamps one individual’s outdated methods and directives. I encourage all voters to evaluate the capabilities and experience of each candidate and to consider the significant benefits of electing individuals who will steer Prospect into the 21st century. The best choice for Prospect’s future lies with the election of this year’s Democrat and Petitioning candidates.”
Name: Larry Fitzgerald
Age: 66
Party: Democrat
Education: BS, MS, 6th Year in Education Administration
Political Experience: Prospect Town Council (2015-17)
Occupation: Catholic School Principal
Why are you running for Town Council?
“I am running for a second term on the Prospect Town Council in order to continue to work for the citizens of Prospect. We are working on a lot of projects such as bringing sidewalks to the town center and perhaps beyond. I serve on the ordinance committee, the buildings committee, and the public works committee. The committee work is important as we recommend to the council changes that need to be made in the best interest of our town. We must bring Prospect into the 21st century. Town Hall uses archaic internal accounting and auditing practices which need to be updated. We continue to have rising taxes but no increase in services to our citizens. Prospect is a good town. I want to continue to work to make it better.”
What do you feel is the most important issue facing Prospect? How will you address it?
“We need to attract more businesses to come to Prospect. We need to revitalize the Economic Development Committee which hopefully can bring businesses to Prospect and increase the tax base. We need to modernize how Prospect does business in order to ensure that decisions are made with the best interest of the taxpayers in mind.”
How will you approach crafting a budget and setting a mill rate?
“The budget process has to be open and we need to be diligent in crafting the budget. We need to change the way the town does business in some cases in order to save money. The town cannot keep doing business the same way is has for the last 40 years if it does not benefit the residents. We need to make tough decisions to ensure that the budget is accurate and the mill rate does not rise significantly.”
What is your message to the voters?
“My message to the voters is that I will continue to work to modernize and improve our town. Changes need to be made in the way the town conducts everyday operations in order to save taxpayer money, and I will work to ensure that these changes are made. We must continue to have checks and balances, and I promise to conduct oversight to make sure that business is conducted according to the town charter.”
Name: Carla M. Perugini-Erickson
Age: 49
Party: Democrat
Education: Fairfield University Cum Laude 1990; Suffolk University Law School Cum Laude 1994
Political Experience: Prospect Town Council (four years); Chairman, Prospect Water Pollution Control Authority (five years).
Occupation: Attorney
Why are you running for Town Council?
“I’ve lived in Prospect nearly all of my life, my mom still lives here, my husband and I have raised our four children here, and I have a law practice in town so I have a vested interest in this community. I am running for re-election because I strongly believe that having Democratic representation on the Town Council is essential to ensuring a system of checks and balances. I continually advocate for options to save our residents tax dollars, and I seek to increase the quality of life for every Prospect resident. I have made great progress in four years, but I still have work to do and hope to continue my mission.”
What do you feel is the most important issue facing Prospect? How will you address it?
“The complacency that has come with having one party in control for the past 40 years is a concern. We accept the status quo, and fail to see options that can reduce our tax dollars, increase our quality of life and foster local businesses. Over the past four years, I have worked to bring these options to light. I established a Sidewalk Task Force to explore the possibility of sidewalks on Route 69 and identified grants to fund them. I advocated for a Public Works Subcommittee in order to explore budgeting options. Finally, I support town Charter compliance and greater accountability. Our current administration opposed the Charter revisions which would have brought Prospect up to speed and into compliance with current practices. As a result of the failed charter vote, taxpayers incurred over $150,000 in legal fees and Prospect has nothing to show for it. Further, it was discovered that certain Charter mandates have not been followed by this administration, which has been costly to residents.”
How will you approach crafting a budget and setting a mill rate?
“I have discovered that our outsourced public works repair labor and parts are one of the largest expenses in our annual budget ($360,000 annually), and compared to neighboring towns, our budget is higher and covers less services. To address this, I requested a Public Works Subcommittee and I currently serve as chair. I am exploring options for more comprehensive services that may reduce our overall outsourced costs. To keep the mill rate reasonable, Prospect must attract more small businesses that can contribute to our general fund by building a better business climate.”
What is your message to the voters?
“Consider that your vote for a Democratic candidate and the qualified third line candidates means a step towards a better balanced government. The Democrats serve as checks and balances in this administration, which has become too complacent with the status quo and often unwilling to explore options that might reduce our tax dollars or provide better services. A Democratic vote will improve your quality of life, possibly reduce your tax dollars and increase your access to town government.”
Name: Patricia Sullivan-Geary
Age: 72
Party: Democrat
Education: Bachelor of Science Degree in Secondary Education, English major, Southern Connecticut State University; Masters in Educational Foundations, Central Connecticut State University; Sixth year in Education, University of New England
Political Experience: Town Council (16 terms, current vice chairman); former chairman and present member of the Pension & Benefits subcommittee of the Town Council; present member of the Town Buildings subcommittee; former member of the Land Use subcommittee and the Elderly Housing Feasibility subcommittee; former member and vice chairman of the Prospect Board of Recreation; Justice of the Peace.
Occupation: Retired teacher from Regional School District #16
Why are you running for Town Council?
“I have always felt that it’s important for citizens to become involved in their community. That, coupled with my interest in government and a desire to make Prospect a most outstanding place to live, motivated me initially to seek elected office. Today, as a result of my tenure on the Town Council, I have the experience, the knowledge, and the capability to make informed financial and legislative decisions based on responsibility to the taxpayers, viability and common sense. It has been a pleasure to serve the citizens of Prospect on the Town Council and I hope the voters will allow me to continue in that role.”
What do you feel is the most important issue facing Prospect? How will you address it?
“In this time of economic unpredictability and apprehension, an important issue facing Prospect is finding a way to expand our revenue base so that we can reduce the burden of taxes on our citizens. Coupled with attracting new businesses, we must develop and implement a plan to safeguard the businesses that already exist. This includes improvement of the infrastructure, particularly on the Route 68 and Route 69 commercial corridors, and an integral part of this plan is the Economic Development Commission. Although relatively inactive over the past several years, their involvement now is imperative. The aggressive pursuit of state and federal grants, though not as abundant as they previously were, can also be an effective means to complete infrastructure projects and help alleviate the tax burden on taxpayers.”
How will you approach crafting a budget and setting a mill rate?
“This year crafting the town budget was especially difficult due to the financial uncertainty surrounding the state budget and the inability to accurately predict what revenues we would receive. Keeping that in mind, we proceeded very carefully and frugally in our budget process. We first addressed the town’s necessities: utilities, public safety, public works, education, senior services, etc., and then considered our ‘wants’ including department requests and infrastructure improvements. We scrutinized each request carefully. Once our budget was completed and approved by the voters at a town meeting, the mill rate was set to ensure that the revenue needed to support the budget would be collected. Balancing the needs of the town with the citizens’ ability to pay is always the highest priority. Elected officials are taxpayers too, and keeping the mil rate low matters to us also.”
What is your message to the voters?
“My message to the voters is a simple one: Get involved! Your elected officials are your representatives. If we are to do our jobs well we need your input. Communicate with us. Share your thoughts, ideas, questions and opinions. Attend a meeting. Write a letter. Make a phone call. Be an activist! Participate! Prospect is your town. Get involved!”
