Oxford Economic Development Clarifies 2009 Position

Recently there have been observations (criticisms?) about the Oxford Economic Development Commission's,  "...endorse[ment of] a candidate for first selectman in the last general election...such action is improper and divisive and has no place in a commission that should seek to present Oxford in its best light."  This comment was made during our Residents' Forum on October 13th and repeated, in print, on Patch.

As we pointed out during the Forum, our goal is to avoid politics and, thankfully, we generally do.  We have been successful in working among ourselves and with town boards and commissions and others at the state, regional and municipal levels, representing both parties, to be recognized as a welcome destination in the state for businesses; we are proud of what we have accomplished with the concerted effort of our Director, Herman Schuler, who has worked and works closely with key constituencies for the betterment of the town for all.

Having said that, after earnest discussion during our October 20, 2009 meeting, we did take a position.  Continuity, experience, confidence in abilities to get projects done and supportive understanding of our goals, mission and the Town's Plan of Conservation and Development are critical to our endeavors. The Commission recognized that we had a highly regarded P&Z team in place that was not being supported during this critical time (with impending development opportunities and threats regarding unsound projects and regulations); we felt it was important to our efforts to make a statement and we resolved, "To recommend to Oxford voters that they restore [three Republican candidates who represented a combined 34 years of P&Z experience] to the Planning & Zoning Commission through the municipal election process..."  We also knew the success we had and the momentum built in the prior two years under existing leadership and the resolution went on, "...and recommends the re-election of Mary Ann Drayton-Rogers and Dave McKane to the Board of Selectmen."  These people/team (regardless of party affiliations) helped us earn this distinction and we, as a Commission, felt they deserved our support as they had supported us.  While some may see this as, "improper" and "divisive" we ultimately felt that it was more about the best candidates for the jobs, regardless of party, bringing Oxford together and continuing our well earned reputation as a premier get it done destination in Connecticut.