Montville has crowded political pool

Montville - Voters can choose seven from a pool of 14 candidates for Town Council.

Democrats include five incumbents and two newcomers, while the Independence for Montville party and the Republicans have cross-endorsed a slate of six. One party-endorsed incumbent Republican, Gary Murphy, is campaigning on his own.

Democrats include incumbents Catherine A. Buebendorf, current council Chairwoman Rosetta E. Jones, John F. Geary, Edward W. Radgowski and William P. Caron, deputy chairman, along with newcomers Charles H. O'Bday III and Cyril A. "Chuck" Longton.

The Republican/Independence for Montville ticket has only one incumbent candidate, Howard "Russ" Beetham Jr. The rest of the slate consists of Donna Belle Jacobson, a Democrat running with the Independence party, along with Michael Brycki III and James Andriote Sr. Republicans who have been cross-endorsed by the Independence party include Dana J. McFee and local GOP committee Chairwoman Ellen L. Hillman.

Buebendorf sees the council having to find more creative ways to save money, requiring the town to do business differently and focusing on more regional efforts. She said the council must focus on building what she described as a "desperately" needed new public safety building.

Jones said she hopes to provide property tax relief through regional cooperation in purchasing goods and services, soliciting state and federal grants, evaluating whether reductions can be made in operational costs and encouraging commercial and industrial development.

A 10-year incumbent, Geary said year after year the town's capital improvement initiatives take a hit. The town receives $500,000 annually from the Mohegan Tribe to put toward those improvements.

Geary said the town should match that amount and should consider consolidating the town and school financial services.

As the chairman of the council's finance subcommittee, Caron said he strives to keep taxes under control and will work to keep his peers focused on fiscal responsibility, while maintaining quality services for the town. He wants to continue to work with the senior center and the youth service bureau so that both generations know their issues are being taken to the council.

Radgowski said his three key issues are keeping taxes low, maintaining services and keeping Montville's educational system "first rate."

Longton said that, if elected, he'd like to first "bring stability to the existing tax code, eliminating unnecessary burdens to the residents, and balance the government and services provided by it to the available income resources."

O'Bday wants residents to feel they're being heard and to know he understands some of their economic plights; he and his wife had lost jobs in the recession but were fortunate to find new employment. With this in mind, although he has goals such as updating the police facilities and increasing road work, he understands the necessity of keeping taxes low.

While he'd like to lower taxes, Murphy is skeptical of whether that can be done, particularly because of the pending first payments on bonds paying for a multimillion-dollar federal court judgment against the town on behalf of Rand-Whitney Containerboard. However, he said, the council can stabilize taxes through regional efforts and applying for more state and federal grants.

GOP Chairwoman Hillman said "more than ever now the town must take advantage of grant money and be a leader in sharing costs with area towns."

New to the Republican party, McFee said his chief reason for running is to see to it that the Montville Road Bridge is fully repaired. Second, he'd like to improve customer service at the town assessor's office. He also wants to evaluate the feasibility of townwide trash collection.

Beetham said he wants a requirement that all bids worth more than $10,000 are opened and acted upon at a regular Town Council meeting and that there are checks on the Water Pollution Control Authority budget, something the current council has let slide, he said.

He'd like to institute a spring and fall townwide cleanup, continue bridge work, including Montville Road, and the construction of a new police station, without spending a lot of money.

Andriote, chairman of the Independence of Montville party, said if he's elected, his main goals include relocating the police department to a better facility and ensuring the council receives all information regarding grants and ongoing projects within the town.

"It's time for me to play my part and back up my own words," said Brycki, a newcomer. A manager at The Home Depot at Montville Commons, Brycki said he sees efficiencies in private business that should be applied to public governance.

Jacobson, a former council member, said she would prioritize projects based on financial need.

She said government accountability is her first goal. She wants to stabilize the tax rate, improve educational standards, foster cultural understanding and maintain services.

m.bard@theday.com