Patch Candidate Profile: Tony Morrison, Southington Town Council

SOUTHINGTON, CT — Southington Patch asked candidates to answer questions about their campaigns and will be publishing candidate profiles as Election Day draws near.

Southington resident Tony Morrison is running for the Southington Town Council as a Republican.

The following is Morrison's questionnaire sent to Patch:

Name

Tony Morrison

How old will you be as of Election Day?

68

Does your campaign have a website? If so, include the URL here.

https://www.southingtonrepubli...

What city or town do you live in?

Southington

What office are you seeking?

Southington Town Council

Please give us your party affiliation.

Republican

Education

BA, University of Sussex; MA Clark University

What is your occupation?

Retired. Previously Global VP for SAP.

Do you have a family? If so, please tell us about them.

Wife, Mindy; Children Sara & Raya; Grandchildren Finn & June

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

No

Have you ever held a public office, whether appointive or elective?

Currently on the Board Of Finance (3 terms)

Now we'd like to ask a few questions about your reasons for running and your general views on politics and government. First, why are you seeking this office?

I have worked on the Board Of Finance in Southington for three terms. In that time, I can be justly proud of the Board's oversight of Southington's fiscal issues in very challenging times. I am running for Town Council this year as I believe I have more to offer in the overall service of the Town. Challenges for the next few years will be in other areas. How do we protect the Education of our children, our public safety capabilities, our desire to constantly improve our infrastructure and our need to grow the Grand List while respecting our desire for open space? In other words keep on delivering our Republican promise to make Southington a wonderful place to live, work, and play.

Please complete this statement: The single most pressing issue facing my constituents is ___, and this is what I intend to do about it.

Investment. We face serious decisions on how to invest our taxpayer dollars for the benefit of all constituencies in Town in an economic environment that will continue to be challenging going forward. I will push for, and be part of, extra planning efforts and community discussions on the best way forward.

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

None with my fellow Republican candidates for the Town Council. We are focused on articulating our excellent record of service during the last four years and our plans for the future of the Town. The difference with the other candidates for TC is they are unfortunately running a negative campaign based on personal unwarranted attacks and single, sometimes contradictory, issues.

If you are challenging an incumbent, in what way has the current officeholder failed the community?

Republicans have a super majority on the Town Council, so in that sense, we are not running against incumbents.

What other issues do you intend to address during your campaign?

Public safety (particularly SPD efforts to contain crime). Preserve our neighborhoods while growing our tax base. Fiscal, programming, and infrastructure support for all, especially senior citizens and veterans. Provide leadership to develop solutions to problems forced upon us by State and Federal actions and legislation.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

My experience as an executive running global business operations for various high-tech companies (Gartner, Sybase, SAP) has given me an excellent background of analysis, judgment and decision-making capability. In addition, my three terms on Southington's Board of Finance have had wonderful results. We have protected services, delivered on our infrastructure plans and kept taxes low during some very challenging times. And our fiscal strengths are the best they have ever been. This year S&P, our credit rating agency, described Southington's fiscal strengths: "Strong financial management ... with good management practice and policies." Very strong economy." "Very strong liquidity."

What is the best advice anyone ever gave you?

Let everyone sweep in front of his own door and the whole world will be clean. Practical advice that puts the onus on you as an individual to take responsibility for your life, your family and the community.

Is there anything else you would like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

I take my responsibilities seriously, as can be seen by my service on the Board Of Finance and my constant comments on social media and other forums explaining why BOF decisions were made and their impact on the Town.