Letter: Luba On Campaign In Tolland

To The Editor:

The Future of Tolland Is Optimistic ...

"If you're proactive, you focus on preparing. If you're reactive, you end up focusing on repairing.” - John C. Maxwell, author of "How Successful People Think"

Over the past several weeks, I have been privileged to be part of the Tolland Town Council and serve our community. I and the other members of the Republican slate see Tolland as a truly incredible place to live, learn and work and are optimistic for the future of our beloved town.

That is why we are running for office – to ensure Tolland remains a place in which we are all proud to live.

We love our community. We recognize the infinite good in the town and are truly optimistic in seeing the limitless potential it has to offer – and we are determined to fight for the interests of all of our residents.

We are genuinely excited to be involved in this community and want to preserve the history and culture of Tolland. However, we also want to plan, strategize, and remain fiscally responsible. It is our responsibility as elected officials to provide the best town services we can afford while keeping expenses balanced so ALL our citizens can continue to live here. We are committed to helping those who are facing crumbling foundations, water contamination, families and seniors on limited budgets, and other challenges that may arise, as well as attracting more businesses to help defray the tax burden carried by our residents. We look to maintain high-quality education within our schools, provide green spaces for our families to enjoy, and town services benefiting the entire community. But we must also be wise in our expenditures to ensure ALL of our town residents get the highest return on their investment in our community.

It is the duty and obligation of elected officials to ask difficult questions and expect honest answers in order to ensure they have all the facts necessary to make well-informed decisions that benefit the entire community. It is the responsibility of the Town Council to look at all issues that affect the entire community. You cannot prepare for issues you refuse to recognize or even acknowledge, or focus on a singular issue to the exclusion of others. Some may call our approach "doom and gloom," but I see it as being realistic. As demonstrated during the town council candidates’ debate, we are proactive, working to identify and address potential town issues head-on, not reactive and only responding to problems after they arise. We will strive to make reliable, data-driven decisions in preparing a fiscally sound budget, looking to minimize costs and mitigate any potential tax increases to our residents.

We will advocate to our state and federal representatives and work to ensure the CFSIC fund remains viable and funding remains available to help those facing the issues of crumbling foundations. We will advocate for our residents experiencing contaminated wells to EHHD and DEEP and continue to push to determine what is causing the contamination. We will ensure our schools continue to offer the high level of education to our students.

Most importantly, we will look for all potential cost savings in the budget for
all departments, to eliminate waste and provide sensible funding to maintain the high level of services our community deserves, communicating with the community throughout the entire process. As an officer deployed overseas, I was involved in mission planning for numerous operations. I was responsible for setting forth a solid course of action and planned contingencies.

As a prosecutor for over 24 years, I have worked with law enforcement agencies to develop operations combatting the problem of drugs and crime. In each case, we hoped for the best but had to recognize and plan for the worst, to ensure that we were fully prepared for whatever may occur. Failure to recognize and address potential hazards could have dire consequences for the success of a mission, and the same is true for local governance. Upon recognizing hazards, you can build a solid plan. Refusing to acknowledge problems on the horizon or ask difficult questions only sets us all up for failure.

As a Republican slate, we do not believe in ignoring issues or avoiding asking difficult questions, but believe in being proactive, facing problems head-on and fighting for our community. Optimism coupled with a realistic vision and solid planning is being prepared; optimism that refuses to acknowledge potential problems with no plan forward is only wishful thinking. We love our community.

We believe that as a community, we can overcome any adversity that may arise, and by working together we can accomplish anything.

As Benjamin Franklin once said, "By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail." As a Republican slate, we are prepared, and in working with our community, we will help Tolland realize its full potential and prosperity.

Please take the time to vote on Nov. 5 and select Row B across the board to ensure Tolland’s bright and prosperous future.

Lou Luba

Tolland

*This Letter has been reviewed and endorsed by the Tolland Town Council Republican slate.