Stonington — The selectmen race actually features two women: Democratic Board of Finance Chairwoman June Strunk and Republican school board member Deborah Downie.

The two top vote-getters between them and the losing first selectman candidate will fill the two available seats on the three-person Board of Selectmen, along with the new first selectman.

If unaffiliated first selectman candidate Danielle Chesebrough defeats Republican John Prue and both Strunk and Downey outpoll Prue, it would be the first time in the town’s history when not just two but all three members of the Board of Selectmen would be women.

Strunk has served on the Board of Finance, the Planning and Zoning Commission, the K-12 School Building Committee and its finance subcommittee and the Retirement Board. A financial advisor, she is the executive vice president of private client group for Janney, Montgomery, Scott in Mystic.

Strunk said she is running for selectman for several reasons. She said the Board of Selectmen is a different aspect of town decision-making and because she is committed to living here the rest of her life, she wants to make sure the town can sustain itself with a good tax base and the best schools in the area.

She said some of those decisions start with the Board of Selectmen, which also has an important role appointing the best volunteers to the town’s various boards and commissions.

While she said she feels her eight years of work with the finance board is complete, she said she feels her service to the town is not.

As for why residents should vote for her, Strunk said her experience on several boards and commissions give her a good understanding of how the town works. And being a financial adviser gives her a unique perspective on what worries residents. She also pointed to her commitment to the town.

“The decisions made on our boards and commission can last decades, even lifetimes. These are not frivolous positions. These decisions shape the culture and future of this town,” she said.

If elected, Strunk said one of her priorities would be to build and connect sidewalks in town, beginning with a stretch of Route 1 from the high school to downtown Pawcatuck, which she called a top priority. She said the town also needs to improve security at Town Hall and make repairs and upgrades to its sewer system.

She said that now that the school system infrastructure is updated for decades to come, the town can look at these other infrastructure needs.

Strunk said the town should complete the development of the Mystic River Boathouse Park project to improve public access to the water for both residents and visitors.

As for what will happen with the former Connecticut Casting Mill property in Pawcatuck, Strunk said the town needs to wait to make any decision on its future until it is clear if the town will take ownership of the contaminated site, which has been abandoned by the group that owns it.

As for protecting the town from flooding, Strunk said that there are zoning changes that can be made to protect the 73 percent of land in town that is vulnerable during storms. She said the town could begin putting away money each year to fund priorities in the town’s coastal resiliency study, a strategy the town already uses for other upcoming projects, such as the eventual replacement of the high school turf field. She said protecting property in town from sea level rise also is important because bond rating agencies look favorably on communities that do so.

In addition to the Board of Education, Downie serves on the Inland Wetlands Commission, the K-12 School Building Committee, the Water Pollution Control Authority and the Stormwater Task Force. She also co-chaired the Submarine Base Superfund Site Restoration Advisory Board.

As a licensed environmental professional, she works for the firm Haley and Aldridge, an environmental and engineering consulting firm. 

As for why she decided to run, Downie said her parents always told her that it was important to use her experience and education to give back to the community.

"I've tried to do that here in Stonington and now that I'm working 20 hours a week, it's important I give back to the town. I love this town," she said.

She said her term is ending on the school board and work winding down on the K-12 School Building Committee. She said whether she would continue serving on the wetlands commission and WPCA if elected would be determined by how much those responsibilies would be impacted by being a selectman.  

If elected, Downie said she would like to work on improving communications and trust between boards and commissions.

"Sometimes the interactions feel like it's us vs. them," she said, adding that so many trust issues come from poor communication. "It should be that we're all part of Stonington." She would recommend scheduling more joint meetings between the boards and commission to improve the situation.      

Downie said one of the biggest issues facing the town is dealing with its aging infrastructure, such as its sewage collection and treatment system, which she is familiar with from her work on the WPCA.

While the town will be able to send some of the sewage from the overburdened Mystic plant to the underused borough plant to improve treatment and lift the moratorium on new connections in Mystic, Downie said there is a lot more work that needs to be done on the sewer system.    

She added her environmental work experience will help provide perspective as the town decides what to do with the contaminated Connecticut Casting Mill property and the boathouse park property. Downie said the town does have to do something with the boathouse park site, even though she has not always agreed with the plans for the property.

She said there needs to be more public input and discussion to better determine what residents want done with it and what makes sense. 

Downie, who has worked on contaminated brownfield projects, said that while it's great to have the debris from the demolished casting mill off the Stillman Avenue site, "we can't stop there." She said the town is in the initial phase of deciding what to do with the property, as it has to determine who owns it and what grant funding is available, along with other issues. 

Downie said there also needs to be a study done of parking in downtown Mystic. She said a lot where people would pay to park might be a good idea but the question is where to put it. 

"We need to be transparent and listen to residents," she said. "And we want people coming to our town."

Downie said that from an engineering standpoint, the completion of sidewalks from the high school to downtown Pawcatuck is not an easy project but it needs to be done.

She said the town has good baseline information from its coastal resiliency study and that sea level rise is affecting the town's sewer system. She said the town has to consider future sea level rise when considering new development. She added the town has to grow its grand list through development in part to help fund coastal resiliency improvements, such as replacing the Masons Island causeway.

But she said development has to be done in a way to protect the character of the town' villages, done on the appropriate scale and take into consideration the effect on traffic and parking.

As for why residents should vote for her, Downie said she has a lot of experience on town boards, understands a lot of the issues facing the town and enjoys talking to people."  

"I love this town. I believe in this town. And I want to continue finding ways to give back to this town," she said.               

The three candidates for the Board of Education, Democratic incumbents Farouk Rajab and Craig L. Esposito, along with Republican Heidi Simmons, are running unopposed for the three available seats. In the race for town treasurer, Republican Dan Booker will challenge incumbent Democrat Sandy Grimes.

There is a contested race for the three seats on the Board of Finance among Democrats Deborah Norman and Bob Stachen, Republican incumbent Blunt White and Republican David L. Motherway Jr.

Republican Gisela M. Harma is running unopposed for the Board of Assessment Appeals.

j.wojtas@theday.com