Newtown Candidate Profile: Jeff Capeci For Selectman

NEWTOWN, CT — The 2019 municipal election is heating up in Newtown and there are plenty of races with candidates eager to serve in elected office.

Newtown Patch asked candidates to answer questions about their campaigns and will be publishing candidate profiles as election day draws near.

Jeff Capeci is running for Selectman as a Republican.

Occupation: I have worked 30+ years in the high tech industry in various roles in software development including programmer , database development, project management and reporting. My current role is as a Business data analyst for ASML, Inc in Wilton.

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office:

From 2005 - 2013 I served as a member of the Newtown Legislative Council, two years as chairman. I also served as chairman of the 2015 Charter Revision Commission and I am currently finishing my first term as a Selectmen.

The single most pressing issue facing our town/district is _______, and

this is what I intend to do about it.

Taxes. The Board of Selectmen is responsible for about a third of the town wide budget and at just over $43 million this fiscal year, it represents a significant amount of taxation on the residents of Newtown. It is very difficult to outright cut taxes without a commensurate reduction in the services we all enjoy. Road maintenance for example, is a budget item that often gets targeted to reduce spending but this short term benefit is quickly outweighed by resident's frustration with driving on poorly maintained roads that end up costing more to reconstruct as opposed to performing less expensive routine maintenance. This Board of Selectmen has prioritized road work throughout the town and in the past two years many of the worst road conditions have been addressed.

Under Dan's leadership we have reorganized certain town departments by combining those with similar functions. Such efforts coupled with a broadened tax base have worked to offset some of the increases in the cost of delivering municipal services. As the minority member of the Board of Selectmen, I look forward to working with both Dan and Maureen to continue these efforts and finding new ways to control costs over the next two years.

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

The Board of Selectmen is comprised of three members; the First Selectmen and two Selectmen. In this election, all three incumbents are running unopposed. In this Board's first term Dan, Maureen and I have worked well together. We intend to continue to operate in a non-partisan fashion as we concurrently provide needed services to all residents in the short term while planning for Newtown's future in the long term.

List other issues that define your campaign platform:

To continue to seek opportunities for private investment at Fairfield Hills in an effort to reduce the risk of the aging campus becoming a financial burden on the Town.

To keep talking with Newtowners on the direction they would like to see Newtown taken. I will continue to listen to everyone’s ideas; often I learn much from my interactions with the public that enriches discussions at Board of Selectmen meetings.

Finally to help preserve the historic charm of Newtown.