Glastonbury Candidate Profile 2019: George Norman, Town Council

GLASTONBURY, CT — Glastonbury's election season is heating up, and there are plenty of contested races with candidates eager to represent their town in November's municipal election. Patch asked candidates to answer questions about their campaigns, and has been publishing candidate profiles as election day draws near.

George P. Norman

Age (as of Sept. 1, 2019)

54

Town of Residence

Glastonbury

Position Sought

Town Council

Party Affiliation

Republican

Family

Arwen Norman (wife and Hopewell music teacher), Genny Norman (daughter - 2016 Glastonbury High graduate; currently a senior at Boston University), and Andrew Norman (son - senior at Glastonbury High School)

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

My wife is a music teacher at Hopewell Elementary and LINKS academy

Education

B.S. Electrical Engineering (RPI), MBA (Clark University), MA in National Security Studies (Naval War College)

Occupation

5 years in as a Financial Services executive. Formerly Vice President for Prudential and now Regional Manager for Navy Federal Credit Union. ... 27 years in the Navy where I commanded two nuclear submarines and was the head of budget analysis for the Joint Chiefs of Staff

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office

Serving my first term on the Town Council (elected in 2017)
Previously served on the Board of Assessment Appeals

Campaign Website

www.GlastonburyRepublicans.org and Facebook @GlastonburyRTC

The single most pressing issue facing our town/district is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.

Managing our finances responsibly, especially given the costs that the state will thrust upon us as a town - teacher pensions, less ECS, etc. I have proposed a change to our Town’s budgeting process to provide input on what we can afford before we decide what we will spend. I don’t write a budget for my house, and then tell my boss how much I need to make. Similarly, we need to change how we think about budgeting and start with what we can afford.

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

Speaking personally about myself, I think I have the most experience in budgeting and financial management. That background has given me the tools to analyze budgets more rigorously than other candidates, to ask the touch questions of those submitting budgets, and perhaps most importantly to be able to make the difficult decisions needed.

Speaking more broadly about the Republican slate, I believe our key differentiator is our experience and balance that can best represent the needs of all of Glastonbury’s residents. We have members with significant council experience and some with new ideas. We have members with experience on TPZ, the Commission on Aging, and the Board of Education to name a just a few. We have members who have lived in Glastonbury for essentially their whole life, some who have moved here and stayed after their children graduated, some with children in the schools, and some who just moved here to start a family.

List other issues that define your campaign platform

Republicans have a proven track record of success in Glastonbury. I like to say that Glastonbury is successful by design not luck. For most of our town’s history since the current charter; and most recently from 2003-2017; Republicans have been in the majority. We have a nationally ranked school system, improved business development, a revitalized riverfront park, a well-funded pension plan, and all while maintaining a AAA bond rating. Compare how well our town is run with Connecticut where Democrats have held a legislative majority for last three decades and have completely run the state since 2010. I think we’ve proven our ability to do what’s right by Glastonbury.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

I think my professional experience as commanding officer of two nuclear submarines and the head of budget analysis for the Joint Chiefs of Staff show that I can handle the job of Town Council; as well as my first term on the Council. I've learned throughout my career how to listen to others, how to work to find common solutions but also how to ultimately make a decision that best serves the long-term strategic needs of an organization.

The best advice ever shared with me was ...

Be yourself. I heard this when I was a young junior officer in the Navy and it has stuck with me to this day. For anyone, but especially a leader; you have to be sincere, genuine, and consistent. That gives people you work with comfort they can trust you.

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

After years of moving, my wife and I love finally having a “home” and being part of a community. What I learned in my professional career is that you will ultimately face difficult choices, and not everyone will agree on how to proceed. When you face a difficult choice, you must look at the data, analyze it, make the best decision you can, and then communicate your rationale. The only promise I will make is to operate just like that to make Glastonbury a better community.