Issues
Mike Freda's Position Statements
Statement #1 : LEADERSHIP
Leadership is one of the most important qualities that a municipal official must posess. A complex component that has both abstract and tangible qualities, leadership involves setting a direction for an entity and putting the right people in place to perform their roles and responsibilities in an effort to ensure that the overall goals of the entity are achieved.
Effective leadership involves motivating people but not micromanaging them. It also involves listening to alternate suggestions and maintaining an open mind to other points of view. Effective leaders must have the ability to communicate clearly and be able to project themselves in a fashion that does not confuse people - but does energize them. The truly great leaders are those that do not tell everyone that they are the boss or continually demand respect by reminding everyone that they are in charge. The most effective leaders are those that earn the respect of those they serve and work with. People will want to follow this type of leader as opposed to one who tells people that they must follow.
An effective leader must have the ability to lead through adversity and not appear to be shaken by unseen events that occur. The ability to galvanize a community versus polarizing a community is essential to the overall health of any municipal government.
In my business career, I have had the honor of leading companies through very successful times and I have been faced with the challenges of navigating companies through turbulent times. I am comfortable as a leader and a manager and clearly understand the differences between the two. My experience encompasses three very important areas:
1) strategic management in terms of setting the blueprint for organizations and ensuring that people are clear as to what needs to be accomplished;
2) operational management in terms of managing finances, managing and motivating people and creating growth opportunities for the entity; and
3) crisis management in terms of having experience in dealing with major problems as they arise and dealing with those problems in a swift and productive fashion.
Leadership is not something that can be learned overnight and a municipal government cannot afford to have its leaders learning on the job.
I have led corporations, sat on various corporate boards, blended and refined the culture of various organizations, chaired leadership councils, led the sports teams that I have played on and been a mentor to develop young executive leaders in many organizations.
I am confident that this overall experience can serve me well as your First Selectman.
Statement #2: ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
Economic development planning must be consistent with the identity of the community. This means attracting businesses that contribute to the fulfillment of our vision for North Haven. Strategic economic development is critical to minimizing the tax burden for the citizens of North Haven and, as a result, I view strategic economic development from 4 different perspectives:Number one, it is important for a municipal leader to establish relationships with the top grand list members. This is something that I have had a great deal of experience with in my corporate career and intend to focus on - I will tap my experience in meeting with CEO’s of companies to benefit North Haven. The importance of this cannot be minimized because these types of relationships will lead to expansion opportunities with the top grand list members. Recently, we found out that our largest Grand List member is moving their Norwalk facility to another municipality. Our current leaders had no plan to try to move this business into North Haven. This is unacceptable to me and is something that I will work hard to prevent. Businesses of all sizes and from all industries are important to the Town. My emphasis on establishing relationships with the top Grand List members should not be considered a slight to smaller businesses. In fact, it is my concern for the smaller businesses that causes me to make relationship building with the larger taxpayers a priority. Not only do the largest businesses in Town have resources that can benefit the Town, they also provide “trickle down” business for the smaller businesses.
Secondly, in difficult economic times there are still opportunities and rather than going into a shell and blaming the economy, now is the time to position our Town for the rebound. It has been my experience that there are businesses that are successful in tough times and those businesses are looking for opprtunities in a down market. A municipal leader has to have the ability to bring parties together to create opportunities. This is what I have done in helping to bring Bozzutos to our town and this is what I am currently doing in working with Rabina Properties.
Thirdly, I continue to be disappointed when I drive around our town and see the dilapidated buildings and facilities, as well as the “For Lease” and “For Sale” signs. My economic development agenda will include a strategic plan to meet with the commercial real estate agents who are showing those properties and develop a plan on how to create interest in those facilities with other suitable businesses who are looking for opportunities.
Lastly, I will seek new business opportunities by attracting new industries to North Haven. I believe that smart and well planned expansion that does not create an excessive demand on our services can generate incremental revenue to our town to help minimize the tax burden for our citizens and provide us with the top line revenue growth we need.
All of this designed to do two things:
1) increase our grand list by generating additional revenue, thus decreasing the tax burden for each tax paying citizen of North Haven; and
2) enhance the quality of life for all North Haven residents and business owners.
Specific Game Plan
Our Town has many natural advantages, including our location. I will use my 32 years of business experience and all of my business contacts to market the advantages of North Haven to businesses who can contribute positively to our community. Together, we will:
1) Institute meetings with the top grand list members on a trimester basis to review the state of business of those members and also review North Haven with each one of them to create a bond and relationship versus having those members isolated.
2) Establish business council districts in which we have groups of businesses organized on a geographical basis and establish meetings on a trimester basis to listen to the issues that the small business owners are faced with and to also review North Haven's progress and plans with them.
3) Establish a professional presentation about North Haven which includes a very organized and polished product that describes the benefits of locating in North Haven and describes what North Haven has to offer to new industry. I will actively be involved in preparing and presenting this product to prospective businesses who might consider coming to our town. We must have the ability to present North Haven in a highly professional fashion to recruit new industry.
4) Analyze sections of town that are in desperate need of aesthetic enhancement to redevelop unsightly structures and convert them to productive facilities that are generating incremental tax revenue.
5) Work with the Board of Education and our business community to develop mentoring programs, internship and externship programs and summer job programs for North Haven’s youths.
Statement #3: PUBLIC SAFETY
Public safety should be of the utmost concern for any municipal leader. Our police and fire departments are the guardians and centurions of North Haven. Our tax paying citizens should always have the peace of mind and confidence knowing that in any emergency situation, they will be protected by police and fire departments that are highly organized, very efficient in what they do and are supported by the best that we can provide for them in terms of technology and resources. When North Haven was selected a "Top 100 Place to Live" in the nation, its public safety score was one of the reasons. This doesn't happen by accident - decades of planning by Republican administrations, along with the skills and dedication of our employees and volunteer commissioners, led to this impressive result.One of my goals as First Selectman will be to ensure that these two very important departments understand that they will have a resource in me that will respond to them when they need to speak and consult with me. I will advocate for these departments. I understand that each department has a level of expertise that ensures that the town is protected 24/7. As First Selectman, I view my role with each department as one that will regularly interact with and support each department but not interfere with their areas of expertise.
I also believe that these very important departments need to have a First Selectman who will proactively communicate with them in terms of the latest developments in town regarding economic development, as redevelopment of vacant properties is important to avoid fire and crime risks. I will also be open with matters involving town finances and include each Chief in any negotiations that the departments may have with their respective unions. We are fortunate in North Haven to be served by a Police Chief and a Fire Chief who are very experienced, intelligent and extremely dedicated. I am equally impressed with the high level of training secured by our paid and volunteer firefighters and police officers.
I was disappointed when the vote for paramedics was inextricably intertwined to the vote on passage of the budget for fiscal year 2010 by the current administration. This is the type of gimmick that is unnecessary in this town and could have jeopardized the institution of this important program. The North Haven electorate should have been given the opportunity to vote separately on these important matters and in so doing be given the respect to make decisions that are honest and transparent.
Our Police and Fire Departments, as well as all other Town departments, require a First Selectman who will share with them what the vision is for North Haven's future and the goals to realize that vision. Together, we will work as a team--one that respects individual contributions and puts the interests of the North Haven community first and foremost, one that relies on planning and creativity to achieve great success for our wonderful Town.
Statement #4: EDUCATION
With nearly 4,000 students annually enrolled in our school district, we have the opportunity to inspire, educate and prepare our children. The school system of any municipality needs to be strong, vibrant and have the ability to provide a very high quality of education for our children. The quality of education we can deliver depends on many factors: a focused, dedicated and effective administration; highly motivated and superbly trained teachers; facilities that provide a positive learning environment; a diversified and challenging curriculum and a tangible set of goals and objectives so we can measure our performance and progress. In addition, the overall education of our children should provide opportunities for them to participate in extra curricular activities such as athletic competition, clubs, music, the arts, community service and other outside activities that can help develop our children into well rounded young adults and prepare them for their college years and beyond.I believe that as your First Selectmen, I have an important role with our Board of Education and our Superintendant of schools. That role, in my view, should be one of a support system to work in a collaborative fashion with our Superintendent and to also work in a collaborative fashion with our Board of Education. I want to work with the school system to understand and promote their goals, explore and take advantage of operational synergies between Town government and the Board of Education, and promote our youth to North Haven businesses by developing mentoring programs and summer job fairs. I strongly believe that my work in the area of economic development and my mission to make all residents proud of their Town will have a very positive, tangible and intangible impact on our school system. I will tap the resources we have in our business community in a way that will directly benefit students of all ages.
I will be in close, regular, communication with our Superintendent of Schools and work with her to see if there are areas where I can be assistance in terms of meeting with teachers and administrators to let them know how important they are to us here in North Haven . While test scores are certainly not the best measure of a student’s abilities, we need to prepare our students to compete in a global economy and cannot ignore the fact that test scores are important to many colleges, universities and employers. We will set goals as a town in terms of test scores and we will work together to identify other tangible goals that are designed to measure our progress against our established goals and objectives.
As First Selectman, I would welcome the opportunity to work with our administrators to meet with our children at all school grades to speak to them on their respective levels in an effort to engage them in what is happening in North Haven and to provide them the opportunity to speak with the other leaders of our town in a “Career Day” format.
I also will recognize as First Selectman that I have an obligation to both the Board of Education and the town residents to ensure that the dollars that we are spending on education are well spent and providing maximum value to our children and our tax paying citizens. As First Selectman, I will work with our state representatives to determine how, and what mechanisms there may be, to increase our share of ECS dollars. I would like to develop a plan where we present our case to the state and monitor our progress to see what we can accomplish in this area. I do not want to have an environment here in North Haven where our state representatives are not constantly presenting our case on a regular basis. I simply do not and will not accept the status quo. We will constantly be looking to improve how we do business.
North Haven has always had an outstanding reputation for its quality of education and its school system. We are fortunate to have outstanding teachers, passionate parents and a supportive community. Yet, we must continue to improve by setting goals and objectives that challenge our students and teachers to reach even higher levels and to continue to keep North Haven in the forefront of being a municipality that seeks to provide the highest quality education for its children.
Statement #5: TOWN GOVERNMENT
Town government is responsible for providing services which directly affect the lives of our residents. Through fire, volunteer fire, paramedics and police protection, the Town safeguards lives and property. Through Public Works, the Town constructs and maintains streets, provides facilities for sewage, storm drainage, sanitation and waste disposal, and also provides land use, engineering and building inspection services. Through Community Services and Recreation, the Town looks after recreational and social needs. North Haven is fortunate to also have an Town Library that provides a number of programs and opportunities to residents of all ages. Other vital town services in include the offices of Finance, Town Clerk, Tax Collector, Assessor and information services - all of the employees of these departments and offices are crucial to the successful operation of Town government.The employees of our town are, in my opinion, ambassadors for North Haven and are performing services that are vital to the overall operation of our town. Leadership starts in the First Selectman’s office and it is imperative that the proper direction and communication emanates from the First Selectman.
I will focus in on creating a cohesive environment where all town employees are communicated with, motivated and understand that I will be a resource for them to go to if they have problems or issues that they need advice on. I will be actively involved in the professional development of our workforce, meeting with our various departments and communicating with each of them our goals, objectives and the challenges that we have and we are faced with. I believe that a workplace that is properly communicated with is a highly motivated one. A highly motivated workplace can be a very productive one.
My goals and objectives for North Haven also include ensuring that we provide a very high level of customer service to our tax paying citizens. As part of that process, I believe that the outstanding level of customer service starts with the First Selectman’s office. As a by product of that fact, I will be instituting a call back policy in which any calls that are placed into the First Selectman’s office will be returned within 24 hours.
It is my opinion that when phone calls or e-mails are ignored or not timely responded to, citizens feel disrespected and disillusioned, like any other customer or client who is ignored. This manner of operation will not be tolerated by me. Having presided over several companies, I can attest to how a high level of customer service is very important to any entity.
Providing a high level of customer service and responding to all of our citizens, regardless of political affiliation or lack thereof, will be a major focus of mine and one that will always be delivered on.
Statement #6: PROPERTY TAXES
In her first year in office, Janet increased taxes by an average of 9.2% per household. This year, as an election year gimmick, Janet raided the Town's savings account for millions of dollars to avoid a tax increase. Think of it this way: if your family's budget allows you to spend $500 per month on various household items and you spend $600 per month but take the $100 per month overage from your savings account, are you living within your budget? We all know what happens - the savings will run out, leading to financial devastation for your family. This is a very telling analogy of how Janet has managed your Town.
Due to Janet's failure to budget in a fiscally responsible manner and failure to grow the top line, North Haven is facing a financial disaster in the immediate future: there will be a $5.5 million hole (or worse) in the 2010-2011 budget. The administration has offered no plan, no defense and no discussion of how it intends to deal with this crisis - a crisis that they are solely responsible for by spending excessive amounts of non-recurring (i.e., one-time) revenue and millions from the Town's savings account.
Why You Should Be Very Concerned About the FY2009-2010 Budget
In two budgets, the McCarty administration has expended nearly $6 million of the Town's fund balance and non-recurring revenues. In less than 2 years, the Town's fund balance has decreased dramatically. This spending depletes a critical resource of the Town that took years for past administrations to build up, creates huge holes in future budgets, limits available funds for large unforeseen expenses and jeopardized the Town's bond rating.
Recent articles in the New Haven Register highlighted the importance of the fund balance for local towns. An April 4th article about Guilford's budget notes that Guilford is not proposing to use any money from its fund balance for the proposed budget because, according to its Finance Director, "This (drawing money from the fund balance) really isn't a good budgeting practice, but when you eliminate it, you're automatically going to see a mill-rate increase because it's like lost revenue." In the same article, Guilford's First Selectman noted that "the town was told by two bonding agencies that it should reduce use of the fund balance in order to maintain a high bond rating." In an April 1st article, the NH Register reported about East Haven's precarious financial condition. East Haven's Mayor reported that "the town's fund balance appears to be severely eroded."
In addition to representing year two of a depletion of the fund balance, the FY2009-2010 budget is based upon phantom revenues. For example, the budget includes an INCREASE of the projected tax collection rate to 98%; unrealistic projections of revenue from the collection of delinquent taxes from past years; more extraordinary or special revenue in the form of monies the Town expects or anticipates receiving from the CRRA, and other speculative and risky projections.
BOTTOM LINE = NOT ONLY IS THERE NO "ZERO BASED BUDGETING" BEING PERFORMED…..THERE IS NO HONEST, ACCURATE OR FISCALLY RESPONSIBLE PLANNING! SMOKE AND MIRRORS IS NOT AN ACCEPTABLE STRATEGY!