Incumbent again in Waterford

Daniel Steward isn't a braggart but he does give himself high marks for his management of Waterford the past six years.

The incumbent Republican first selectman is seeking a fourth term - this one a four-year stint as a result of a charter change approved by voters last year - and he's running on his record.

Mr. Steward believes he has been a responsible fiscal manager, helping the town to maintain its quality schools and services while adjusting to a $20 million decline in revenues as a result of the deregulation of the Millstone Power Station. That significant drop in Millstone monies occurred over a period of 10 years, a time during which the town invested about $100 million in its schools.

It has not been an easy balancing act, with the town's incurred debt from the school projects coming due and increased health care costs. But Mr. Steward, who served 30 years in private business management before assuming the first selectman's post, is suited to the task ahead.

His opponent is petitioning candidate Kevin Ziolkovski, who acknowledges he got started in the race after he became disillusioned with Town Hall as a result of the historic March 2010 floods and the resulting damage to his property off Millers Pond Road in Quaker Hill.

His inability to get answers about a dam on private property from municipal and state officials led Mr. Ziolkovski into the contest. A full-time employee at Groton Utilities and part-time firefighter in town, Mr. Ziolkovski admits he is running in part because he believes it is wrong to have a first selectman candidate run unopposed.

A fiscal conservative, he is an advocate of a town manager form of government, and has called for tighter scrutiny of the town's police department.

But Mr. Ziolkovski lacks the business acumen that Mr. Steward has. And with five of the town's 10 municipal employee contracts open for negotiation, that is going to be critically important. Mr. Steward has said he plans to seek higher co-pays from workers to help reign in municipal costs.

And in very parochial Connecticut, Mr. Steward has been an advocate of regionalization, albeit in small doses. The town is working with East Lyme toward construction of a new animal shelter, and has reached out to several neighboring municipalities about coordinating dispatching or police services.

While Mr. Ziolkovski's presence in the race has made it a more democratic process, this newspaper believes Dan Steward is doing good work in Waterford and should be re-elected.