Greenwich Election 2021 Profile: Miriam L. Kreuzer For BET

GREENWICH, CT —

Election Day on Nov. 2 is fast approaching, and there are a number of key races on the ballot in Greenwich.

Patch reached out to candidates for local office to get more information on their campaigns and the issues that are facing the town.

Democrat Miriam L. Kreuzer, 44, is running for Greenwich Board of Estimate and Taxation in Greenwich.

Occupation: Community Volunteer

Family:Married to college sweetheart, Tom Kreuzer. Two sweet daughters, 9-year-old Mara and 13-year-old Juliana. Two spunky pups Auggie and Tibby.

Experience: Current BET Member and Past RTM Member

Family in government: No

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

Our biggest challenge is the Town's unwillingness to plan and prioritize capital projects over the long-term. Our portfolio of capital assets is deteriorating. Delays and road blocks under specious calls of "fiscal prudence" are not smart investments, particularly with construction inflation at multiples of consumer-price inflation and borrowing rates still at historically low levels. Delays cost tax payers money in emergency repairs, risk and reduced quality of life.

I would fully support the reintroduction of the First Selectman's Capital Improvement Program Committee. I would encourage transparency and a frank discussion on our Town's values. More directly given the powers of the BET, I would advocate that the prioritization allow for low and predictable taxes with use of common sense financing options.

Critical differences between me and my opponents:

As a parent of two young children in Town, I have a great deal of "skin in the game". We are avid users of Town services and we plan to be taxpayers for many decades to come. While I do not want to burden future generations with needless debt, I certainly do not want to pass on a Greenwich with costly, risky, and deteriorating capital assets. We need to make progress in a measured way now.

Accomplishments:

As a former hedge fund investor and research analyst, I am comfortable weighing risk versus reward given imperfect information. I am comfortable with reassessing my views when new data is available in order to find pragmatic solutions. I am never weighed down by inflexible political party dogma. I have managed teams and have negotiated special terms with various large hedge funds throughout my career. From a pragmatic standpoint, I have already been a member of the BET for the last two years and fully up to speed on the budgeting process and the responsibilities the office holds. I have been on the Human Resources Committee and the Investment Advisory Committee, as well as the liaison to the Parks and Rec. Department and the Retirement Board.

Other issues:

1. We need to support our Schools. The constant arm wrestling between the Republican members of the BET with our very competent GPS Superintendent and Chief Operating Officer (especially during a pandemic!) is an inefficient use of professional time and expertise, particularly as unspent annual education budget are always returned back to the Town coffers. Strong schools lead to strong property values.

2. We need to use our cash surpluses wisely, not simply by reducing the mill rate as a one-time windfall, but rather as a mitigator to the cost eye-water number of capital projects before us. The size of capital projects is large only because we have delayed execution and squandered cash to artificially reduce the mill rate. We are now left with deteriorating assets, higher risk to the Town and a liability growing at multiples of consumer price inflation and borrowing costs.

3. We need to improve our Town athletic fields. Whether it is remediation (Western Middle School), poor drainage (too many to mention), or outdated configurations that don't serve sports of the 21st century, Greenwich's kids and active adults deserve better after decades of inaction and complaints.

4. Fund a plan to confront the inevitable effects of climate change on our coastal Town with notable watershed areas. Republican BET members have neglected planning over numerous budgets.

What else would you like voters to know about you?

It is a true pleasure to work along side my fellow Democratic colleagues - Laura Erickson, Leslie Moriarity, Jeff Ramer, Stephen Selbst and David Weisbrod. We bring different, but complementary attributes to the table. Collectively we vow to listen to constituents and work in your best interest as stewards of tax payer dollars. In order to do so, we need the important tie-breaking vote, which we can only achieve with a collective majority of votes. We have listened to you and now we need you. Please vote for all six Democratic BET members.