Monroe Candidate Profile: Patrick O'Hara For Town Treasurer

MONROE, CT — The 2019 municipal election is heating up in Monroe and there are plenty of races with candidates eager to serve in elected office. First Selectman Ken Kellogg will face no challenger, but the races for town council and other offices are contested.

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

Patrick O'Hara is running for town treasurer as a Republican. He has been a farm owner for 30 years. He has extensive experience as an elected official in town, including time as treasurer.

Are you running for office in Monroe? Contact Rich Scinto at rich.scinto@patch.com for information on being featured in a candidate's profile and submitting campaign announcements to Monroe Patch.

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office:

• Treasurer- Town of Monroe 2019
• Monroe Board of Finance-2017-2018
• Chairman-Fire Services Strategic Planning Study Committee
• Monroe Planning and Zoning, chairman, vice-chairman.
• Lead rewrite of Town of Monroe ordinance on Zoning Penalties.
• Overhaul of 30 year old zoning regulations.
• 2010 Monroe Plan of Conservation and Development.
• Monroe Town Council- 2006-2009.
• Lead successful revision of local commercial tax abatement ordinance.
• Establish Monroe's Farmers Market.

• Monroe Board of Education- 2002-2006.
• BOE Committees- Policy, Calendar, Curriculum, Negotiations and Executive Search.

• Helped establish Monroe Right to Farm ordinance.

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

Democrats controlling Hartford continue to raise taxes and shift the cost of their bad decisions onto towns like Monroe. As current Town Treasurer I surpassed the investment budget number by 178% in fiscal year 2019 earning taxpayers $905,000 in investment income. Part of this success was taking a hard line with financial institutions on interest rates paid on town investments and moving taxpayer funds to banks paying our residents the best interest rates. Going forward I intend to continue working to find the best investments with the highest rate of return which keeps taxpayers money safe while providing income to the town's general fund.

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

The primary duties of the Town Treasurer are chief investment officer, pension committee member and counter signer to the First Selectman on all checks drawn against the Town's general fund.

I have owned and operated a farm business as my family's sole source of income since 1990. In building the client base, negotiating with vendors, handling hiring (and firing), writing the checks, collecting money, running a self employed pension (SEP) and dealing with all regulator issues I've accumulated a wealth of experience which is relevant to the duties of Town Treasurer.

Since 2002 I have been an elected official of the Town of Monroe. I am familiar with budget lines items of the education side and town side of the budget having served on the Board of Education, Town Council and Board of Finance.

My decades of experience as business owner and elected official enable me to know checks written against the general fund are for valid expenditures, that taxpayers invested money needs to be safe and secure and that those who manage our pension dollars must be scrutinized.

List other issues that define your campaign platform:

Lifetime Monroe resident, product of Monroe Schools, 29 years owning a business and 17 years experience as Town of Monroe elected official.

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

I've kept a business alive in Connecticut, enjoyed a great marriage and raised two grown children who both graduated Monroe's fine public schools. As an elected official I've always prescribed to doing what's best for Monroe when making decisions.

Upon becoming Town Treasurer I immediately contacted a financial institution which held 2.5 Million in taxpayer funds earning interest rates lower than what another bank was paying. I offered them the opportunity to match the higher rate in order to keep Town of Monroe business. When they could not match the higher rate, I exercised my power as Treasurer and transferred taxpayers funds to another institution where our money was safe and earning a higher rate of return.

The best advice ever shared with me was ...

Money is the life blood of a business- My father in law said this to me when I proposed to his daughter.

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

I am a lifetime resident of the Town of Monroe. My Mother served on the Board of Education and my Father Chaired the Conservation Commission when we bought Webb Mountain Park and Chaired the 1978 Masuk Building Committee which added sports fields, pool, gymnasium, class rooms and more to serve our growing community. My parents were the example and their lesson was that as elected officials we work for what is best for the Town of Monroe.

I have always held to their teaching.

As an elected official I have always asked myself what is best for all the
people of Monroe.

Monroe is a special place to live. People move here because they recognize
how special Monroe is. Our community is safe, but still close to jobs. Our
schools, parks, Churches and civic organizations all thrive. Our elected
volunteers debate vigorously, but continue to be respectful of each other's
opinions and move our community forward for the betterment of all.

I have held a number of positions in Monroe's government but I find the
Treasurers job most rewarding of all because the job of Treasurer starts with
giving back to the community in a very measurable way. The general fund
received $905,000 in interest in 2019. Interest income exceeded budget by
over $500,000 which translates into real opportunity to help Monroe.