Why are you running for this office?

I want to work together with other volunteers and members of my community to have a positive impact on Tolland.

What is the most pressing local issue facing your community and how would you solve it (within the capacity of the office for which you are running)?

We have spent most of 2017 facing a very uncertain financial situation. Right now, I believe that this issue casts a shadow on all other issues in Town. As a member of Town Council, I would continue to collaborate with the Board of Ed to find efficiencies and strategies in short- and long-term planning to save money while continuing to offer the high level of education we currently provide to our children. Within the Town Services side of the budget, again efficiencies and cost savings must be found. Working with other towns and regional partners is another way to find reasonable cost savings.

With the state's ongoing budget crisis looming over the election, what are your plans for your community's budget? Is there anything you can do make your town less dependent on revenue from the state?

I believe that we need to find regional savings and re-evaluate the way we fund many services in the State and Towns. The current model of funding we are using is not sustainable, and we need to come together to find real solutions. I would urge Tolland, our regional partners, and the State to begin the long-term change necessary to keep Connecticut and our Towns vibrant, attractive and a wonderful place to call home.

The legislature has been debating various ideas to allow towns to raise revenue locally through something other than property taxes. If you could ease your residents' property tax burden by adding another method of taxation, is there anything you might consider for your town?

Yes, I would be interested in exploring alternative methods of taxation to ease the property tax burden. There are many different models currently in use in other States, which should be explored, evaluated and analyzed to determine the best model to use in Connecticut.

Are you in favor of regionalizing more services in conjunction with other nearby communities? If so, which ones?

Yes, there are many services that can be regionalized to find cost savings. Tolland is currently exploring regionalized Police services with the hope that we can save money and provide a higher level of public safety services to our residents. Other regionalization services we should continue to explore include large equipment purchasing (such as a road line striper, which is only needed occasionally and can be shared among several towns), the ability to purchase employment services as a regional (such as health insurance, payroll, etc), and others as they become available.

Should your school district get the same amount of education funding from the state if your district's enrollment is dropping?

Educational Cost Sharing models need to be adjusted, but any change should be spread over several years so our school funding does not suddenly reduce without the ability to plan for the change.

What's one thing most people don't know about you?

I make my own jewelry.