Tolland Candidate Profile 2019: Madhu Renduchintala, Council

TOLLAND, CT — Tolland's election season is at its peak, and there are plenty of contested races with candidates eager to represent their town in November's municipal election. Patch asked candidates to answer questions about their campaigns, and has been publishing candidate profiles as election day draws near.

Madhu Renduchintala is running for Tolland Town Council as a Democrat.

Occupation

Loan Officer with Freedom Mortgage for the last 15 years.

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office

None.

The single most pressing issue facing our town/district is _______, and
this is what I intend to do about it.

Crumbling foundations are the single most important issue facing our town right now. The consequences of this crisis is far reaching. There are a few things that we can do in the short term.

1. Once a crumbling foundation has been identified, we can help facilitate the reduction in property taxes until the issue has been remediated, while ensuring that this abatement isn’t being abused.

2. We need to maintain, improve, and expand access to the existing program.

-Maintain: Right now the fund is set to run out in the near future, which would leave many without relief. We need to work with our state legislature to maintain this program for the foreseeable future and ensure it’s funding.

-Improve: We need to improve the way the program works. Right now if you are one of the fortunate ones that obtained funding from the captive insurance fund, that money is enough to go towards fixing the foundation, MAYBE. But it won't cover any damage done to your yard, driveways, pools, or decks if you have them which can cost tens of thousands to fix. It also doesn't go to fix any ancillary damage the house sustains as a direct result of being put on stilts for a few months. This puts an undue burden on homeowners to get their houses back to normal.

-Expand Access: What do I mean by this. 2 things really.

Let's start with homeowners. It's no secret that we need to expand the number of homeowners we help. Right now if you go through testing and your home is a class 1 or 2, you are going to be waiting for a while until you can get funding, unless the issue gets worse. This basically forces people to put their lives on hold. If there was any plans of selling your home, that is now, at best significantly more difficult, at worst impossible. We need to expand the number of homeowners we can help.

We also need to expand the number of contractors that are certified for foundation replacement. According to the CRCOG website, there are 36 contractors that are certified to help with this issue. There are potentially 30,000 homes. Unless we want this issue to become a multi-generational issue, this has to change. We need to work with our state legislators to incentivize contractors and builders to gain certification. I am also a firm believer that more competition will help reduce costs which could help with the improvement portion I talked about earlier.

But we can't stop there. We know the problem also extends to communities in Massachusetts. Part of our long term strategic plan is to join with those communities and advocate for assistance from the federal government through our congressional representation so we can eradicate this problem because I do believe this is an emergency. I believe that, as a community, we can meet this challenge.

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

Give the industry that I work in, I have an extensive knowledge and am constantly undergoing training conducted by decision makers and industry experts regarding crumbling foundations. If there is by chance a question that is outside of my area of expertise, I have a network of professionals including engineers, home inspectors, and real estate brokers whom I can rely on to get accurate information. Up to the minute information and a network of collegues like this is vital and it's that knowledge, experience, and information I will bring with me to the Town Council.

List other issues that define your campaign platform:

We need to stop treating our public schools like a liability as opposed to the asset that they are. I would encourage an open, collaborative relationship with the Board of Education, as well as our other boards and commissions so we can serve all of the people of Tolland.

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

I have been the leaders of other organizations in the past, namely the Freemasons, along with other professional committees with organizations that I have served on gives me the confidence that I can work collaboratively with all sides, take different points of view into consideration, and make informed decisions.

The best advice ever shared with me was ...

Always have a plan, a plan B, and a plan C.

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your
positions?

I have done volunteer work for most of my adult life for various organizations throughout the years. I've always believed in serving the Community in any way that you can that best suits your skillsets. The skills I can bring to the service of my town will help create a collaborative environment between our boards and commissions. Tolland is a great town, with great people, and we are facing some challenges, but together, we can do this!