Scott Halstead Running For Farmington PZC

FARMINGTON, CT — Democrat Scott Halstead, 53, is running for Farmington Plan and Zoning Commission in Farmington.

Occupation: Director, Talent And Organizational Development American Eagle Financial Credit Union

Family: Scott Halstead Marie Pollio (spouse) Zachary Halstead (17) Ethan Halstead (14

Experience: Currently Town Plan and Zoning Alternate

Family in government: No

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

I moved to Farmington because of its consistently high rankings in Connecticut for public education and quality of life. My priority will be to continue to make decisions for the town to sustain those high rankings without burdening taxpayers. We must maintain a balance of smart growth and continue to add to our tax base while conserving open space and preventing overdevelopment and minimizing traffic impacts. Protecting the quality of life in Farmington is of the utmost importance to me.

Critical differences between me and my opponents:

There are never easy votes for Town Plan and Zoning. Each one requires research and careful consideration while balancing traffic implications and impacts to schools and the character of Farmington. Myself and the other Democrats on the Commission take a very measured approach that sometimes requires pushing back a bit on developer plans and/or saying no to developments that do not make sense for our community.

Accomplishments:

I have lived in Farmington for 11 years with my wife of 20 years, Marie, and our two teenage boys, Zach and Ethan (both attend FHS). I have a B.S. in Psychology from DePauw University and a M.S in College Administration from Miami University (OH). I recently celebrated 14 years as Director of Talent and Organizational Development at America Eagle Credit Union. I am a current member of the Town Plan and Zoning Commission as an Alternate. Much of my town involvement has revolved around my kids’ activities including several years of coaching youth basketball, and volunteering with Little League and serving as Treasurer for Cub Scout Pack 68.

Other issues:

See previous

What else would you like voters to know about you?

My family has benefited greatly from the quality of life and schools here and I feel a responsibility to give something back to the community. I have taken my role as a TPZ Alternate very seriously and worry about the issues that we are hearing. The position requires significant research time but even more importantly it requires listening to the community. Talking to neighbors and community members and listening to public comment in meetings or reading community feedback on Facebook are all critical components to making good decisions. The clear message from the community is that they want to see new development in town while maintaining the high quality of life Farmington provides and preventing overdevelopment and additional traffic.