Monroe Election: Kevin Reid For Town Council

MONROE, CT — Election Day is approaching fast, and a number of key positions in Monroe will be on the ballot.

To help readers make an informed decision on Nov. 2, Patch has reached out to local candidates to share their views on various topics of importance in town.

Patch will post these candidate profiles over the next several days, so check back often to see the latest.

Republican Kevin Reid, 50, is running for Town Council in Monroe.

Occupation: It Executive

Experience: Councilman

Family in government: No

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

In my 8+ years of experience on Monroe Town Council, I have learned there is rarely one single issue, topic and/or condition we legislate. Everything, all the time, must have focus. More times than not, everything we vote on is connected in some way to another. A vote for one thing has knock-on effects to many other things down stream. So, it’s important to look at legislation and the administrative approaches of how we govern, in totality. There is no doubt that road upkeep, lower taxes, more business, a safe community, well run parks to enjoy, and many other topics are all important. What I reflect on looking back in my experience on Council is what I want to see going forward. We have a strong and dedicated group of elected officials across all boards and commissions, led by an extremely smart and focused First Selectman that any town, or city would be incredibly lucky to have. The last two years have been difficult. There were many times where far overreaching and draconian policies, even beyond what the State implemented, could have been implemented if Monroe followed what other towns moved ahead with. Instead, under the guidance and leadership of First Selectman, Town Attorney, and key members of other elected boards like the Board of Finance and Education, we kept a cool and collected tone and approach that yielded great results as we lift ourselves out of the pandemic and other economic issues we currently and will no doubt continue to face in the upcoming months and years. Recently, we have seen Fortune 100 presence in our town helping with the grand list and tax revenue as well as seeing our property values rise. There has been reinvigorated developer interest in beautifying their buildings and curb appeal. We are seeing knock-on effects of some big business names coming in inspiring adjacent property to quite literally clear the slate break some of the stagnation that has been there before and during the pandemic. We also see residents all over town beautifying their properties resulting in a sense of community and pride.

So, it’s not just one thing I see “affecting” us as a town. I would like to answer this by pointing to an action, and that is to, “keep the ball rolling.” Keep bringing in the business. Keep cleaning up the land and beautifying. Continue keeping us safe. Keep making smart planning decisions within town hall and within our elected boards that promote tax revenue and responsible development. Continue to be keep bering smart with policies that protect and nurture our citizens from the youngest to the oldest. And keep being true to our cause, with a plan that is transparent and clearly for all people of Monroe. There is no doubt that more needs to be done. More roads paved. More development and cleaning. More development and more smart policies that are less restrictive and still undeniably responsible. Keeping the ball rolling while looking at how everything is connected, not leaving out one piece of what we are responsible for, and will tackle this. It will ensure it happens and will secure the prosperity for years to come.

Critical differences between me and my opponents:

Experience in a wide variety of industries and skills. The ability to understand how issues and topics are connected resulting in the best solutions and decisions for our town's tax base and safety and health of its people.

Accomplishments:

Successfully managed and delivered massive transformation programs in my career and on Council. Big part of previous strategy committees ensuring we make the right long term decisions for our town. Big part of combining like-for-like services like IT across the Town and Board of Ed to not only save money but also leverage expertise and processes across both sides.

What else would you like voters to know about you?

That I represent all people of the Town of Monroe. That health and safety is priority, and that Monroe folks grow up in a place they can be proud of and enjoy the services, and culture and spirit of the Town.