Branford Election 2021: Roberta Gill-Brooks For Tax Collector

BRANFORD, CT —The state Municipal Election is Tuesday, Nov. 2.

Patch contacted candidates to answer questions about their campaigns.

Democrat Roberta Gill-Brooks, 58, is running for Branford Tax Collector.

Occupation: Tax Collector, Branford

Experience: Tax Collector, Branford

Family in government: No

The single biggest issue in town is ______, and I plan to do this about it:

If reelected, I intend to maintain the delivery of exceptional customer service, work to make paying taxes easier and more convenient, and focus on the more aggressive delinquent tax collection options.

Critical differences between me and my opponents:

The critical difference between myself and my opponent is simply experience on this job during this time. Branford's tax office is in a rebuilding stage following the retirements of veteran workers who took all of their experience with them. This is not a job that can be mastered in just a year or two—this takes years and years of experience and training, and it would be detrimental to the Town to change leadership in the tax office at this time, and when the staff is still early in their tax collecting learning and performing. A change in leadership at this time would result in a NEW Tax Collector/Department Head having less experience than staff members who have less than a year of experience.

Accomplishments:

I have 4 years under my belt of learning the complexities of tax collection and have completed and passed all courses required to be eligible to sit for state certification, which will occur in December 2021. The Branford tax office lost all veteran employees during my tenure. As a result, the tax office staff has had to rebuild from scratch. Despite being short-staffed for long periods of time, being asked to perform more with less, managing tax collection through Covid-19 and the Governor's executive order for tax deferral, I have led this office, dedicated myself to superb customer service, and rid the office of some of the outdated methods of tax collection. This was all accomplished by maintaining a tax collection rate of 98+%, and have done it all with courtesy and respect. There is a very steep learning curve to this job and while there have been challenges and mistakes along the way, I am dedicated to continuing to strengthen the efficiency of the tax office, and make it more accessible and convenient for the taxpayers of Branford.

Other issues:

As Tax Collector, not only to I work for the Town, but I also work for the taxpayers. I do my best to look out for their interests, educate them on tax collection rules and statutes, and keep a keen eye open to ensure that the taxpayers are being properly billed, and do all I can to ensure that taxpayer rights are paid attention to, and just as much as the taxation statutes are followed. I truly care about my taxpayers and go out of my way to help them in all ways that I am authorized to.

What else would you like voters to know about you?

I am not a "yes" person. I do not just tell people what they want to hear. I speak truth to power and speak up and stand up when I witness something I believe to be unfair or improper and even if that means standing alone.