Candidates want road repairs off the bond agenda

By Scott Benjamin

BROOKFIELD – The two contestants for first selectmen say at least ideally the town should not bond for its road repaving, however the incumbent indicated that it will take time to accomplish that goal.

Republican challenger Mel Butow, a veteran financial manager, and Democratic two-term incumbent Steve Dunn, a former vice president at J.P. Morgan Chase, both indicated that bonding for road repairs limits the town’s borrowing capacity.

During an October 28 debate sponsored by the Brookfield Chamber of Commerce, Butow said, if elected, he would seek to not borrow money for road repairs.

Dunn, who was elected in 2015, said over the last four years he has reduced the amount of bonding by about $100,000 a year in a $1.5 million road repair budget.

He told Brookfield Patch earlier this year that he believes that the bonding will be down to $450,000 for road repairs in the new fiscal year that will start next July.

The town approved a $10 million, five-year plan in April 2010 under former Democratic First Selectman Bill Davidson after road repaving was reduced over a number of years, partly because of the proposed municipal budget being defeated at referendum.

Municipal officials have bemoaned that when money needs to be trimmed, the road repair budget is usually one of the first items examined.

Davidson said less than a year after the road bond package was approved that he had received many favorable comments from residents on the improved quality of the roads.

Both candidates said they personally oppose the revised tolls program that Gov. Ned Lamont (D-Greenwich) is expected to present in the coming weeks, according to CT Mirror.

Most elected officials from the metro Danbury area have opposed tolls because it would likely, among other things deter out-of-state customers from shopping at the Danbury Fair Mall or Brookfield’s southern Federal Road corridor, which includes Costco and BJ’s Warehouse. Over the last generation, the town also has added several furniture stores through that corridor.

Dunn said that although he personally opposes adding tolls of any kind, he encouraged residents to express their position by contacting state Rep. Stephen Harding (R-107) of Brookfield, who was in the audience at Whisconier Middle School.

Harding said this fall that he would oppose any tolls package.

Butow and Dunn also endorsed expanding the term of office for first selectman from two to four years.

Butow said, if elected, he believes that he will be spending countless hours studying municipal and state issues.

Not speaking about Dunn, in particular, Butow said probably the people who support a two-year term are the ones that are unhappy with a first selectman and want him ousted from office.

Dunn told Brookfield Patch this Spring, "When I took this job – even with an extensive background in management and finance and things you need to know to do this job well – it's still a very steep learning curve for the first six months. I was working seven days a week."

"I honestly believe this job should be a four-year term," he said.

"Potentially, you can have a new elected official every two years," Dunn said this spring. "They may have very different goals in what they want to do. It can completely change the direction of the town.”

Among area towns, Ridgefield and Bridgewater have recently adopted a four-year term.

In 2012, Brookfield voters rejected at referendum a proposal to expand the Board of Selectmen from three to five members and adopt a town manager form of government.