In-Depth Look At Guilford Democratic First Selectman Candidate Matt Hoey

By Jack Kramer, Correspondent

GUILFORD, CT – The way Matt Hoey looks at his experience as head of Board of Finance for close to two decades makes him uniquely qualified to be the town’s next first selectman.

Hoey, who is a senior manager in the tele-communications field, is the Democratic candidate for first selectman this fall. He is running against Republican Robert Hartmann.

No matter which man wins, there will be a new top executive running the town, as incumbent, two-term Republican First Selectman Joe Mazza announced recently he is retiring.

Last week Guilford Patch profiled Hartmann.

This week it is Hoey’s turn.

“Guilford is in a very good place,” Hoey said. He added that even though Mazza is from a different political party, “He (Mazza) has done a great job. He has good judgment and leadership.”

But, Hoey is quick to add, “Joe would be the first to admit that he didn’t do it all by himself.”

Hoey said he’s very proud of the fact that the three big boards in town – Selectmen, Education, and Finance – “all work well together, toward a common purpose.”

Hoey has been chairman of the finance board of 19 years, but an overall member of the Board of Finance for 26.

He said: “I’ve seen 24 budgets through referendum; 19 of them on the first referendum.”

Hoey said good leadership helped the town just pass a 2017-2018 budget, calling for a 2.4 percent tax increase.

He stressed that the town did not borrow from the rainy day fund to keep the projected tax increase at 2.4 percent, as was stated in the article about Hartmann last week.

Hoey pointed out that the town decided that it may dip into the rainy day fund – may – if the decrease in funding from the state is even more than Guilford anticipated in adopting next year’s budget.

The finance board chairman said while other towns are struggling to make up for funding that has been shaved from municipal budgets by the state, the issue “isn’t as draconian in Guilford.”

That’s because, Hoey said, “We do not get that much in the first place” from the state, pointing out that 15 years ago the state funded 12 percent of the town’s education costs and that percentage is now down to 5 percent.

“We’ve already weathered a significant cutback from the state,” Hoey said.

Besides budgets, Hoey said his other goals, if elected would be to: improve civic engagement, perhaps by holding more public meetings, online video streams, etc; and, to continue to focus on expanding business development in town “as long as it fits in the character of Guilford.”

He said that currently about 91 percent of the grand list is paid for by residential property taxes.

“We need to look at ways to challenge some large firms to come in.” He said the type of firms that he sees fitting into the character of the town would be hi-tech type businesses.