Why are you running for this office?

My journey began back in February seeking a supportive role, then upon attending numerous meetings and asking questions, it all evolved into running for office today due to the lack of transparency in our budgets. The Board of Finance serves as a check and balance and therefore any budget presented should be reviewed thoroughly with supporting documentation, and our town now needs a detailed focus. We are facing fiscally difficult times and it has become necessary that a fresh set of eyes and questions examine what the town truly needs to not only survive, but to thrive.

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)?

The state's financial crisis is the most pressing issue we are facing as a community. We are fortunate that the Democratic controlled Board of Education had the foresight to anticipate cuts to education by the current administration and state, thus placing us in a healthier position. My intentions for Avon are finding new ways to make our town an attractive place to start or grow a business, and create a comprehensive plan for development to ease the burden on residential property taxes.

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?

It is my personal belief that our town can partner with our neighboring communities to leverage purchasing power for goods and services. It is the board's responsibility to ensure that contracts for goods and services are competitively bid so we don’t find ourselves making purchases with unfavorable financing. It is our duty and more importantly our moral and ethical responsibility to ensure that the town's money is not spent wantonly or frivolously.

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?

Just like my fellow candidate Cathy Salchert, I am not in favor of new taxes or tax increases as a way of easing the local property tax burden. I am for seeking preventative measures to ease new burdens on communities and to enable local communities to keep a greater percentage of existing fees that are collected for the state and remitted to the communities.

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

Absolutely. I would focus on combining services with neighboring communities such as such as snow removal, grounds maintenance, waste management and other similar types of services that are of an economical and sensible cost saving move. Unifying our needs will create a better bargaining position.

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

Avon's ability to be fiscally responsible should not be penalized. Therefore, it's my personal belief that the state should provide funding to cover the cost of state mandated services to the maximum extent possible for all schools to support students.

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

My three favorite musicals are: Thoroughly Modern Millie, Gigi, and Seven Brides for Seven Brothers.