Why I am running for Wallingford Town council

In my idealistic mind, government is supposed to help people. Good government gives consideration to the needs of all citizens, regardless of which side of the political fence you are on. This is especially true in local elections where most, if not all, decisions have significant impacts directly on everyone’s day to day living and wellbeing. Wallingford currently seems to have a different philosophy about what government is, what government should be doing and what, I feel, government should be. That is why I have decided to run for a seat on the Town Council. I want to see our town government work for everyone. Wallingford is a good town but it can and should be great. We can make that happen with the right people and the right leadership.

How many times have you heard at Council meetings, “sorry but your three minutes for public question and answer is up”? There is more consideration given to the amount of time of your statement than in the actual content of your statements. A large timer counts down precious seconds of your limited speaking allotment about issues that are important to you and likely important to others as well. How many times have you heard “sorry but elections have consequences” which means your comments are ignored and they won’t be considered. How often do you not get a direct answer to your question about a council decision or other important town issue? How many times have you hear, “we will get back to you” and an answer never comes. Have you been tried adding an important issue to the Town Council agenda for discussion only to be denied?
Elections do have consequences but the consequences should not be denying to listen and not consider the concerns of those in the minority. This is how I perceive how the current Wallingford Town Council operates. My belief is that our town government should work for its residents, all residents.

Healthy public discussion and input is critical to good decision making. There have been many instances in my long tenure as a Planning and Zoning Commissioner where members of the public have brought up items that I had not considered. The public often has specialized skill, expertise or insight into items that I and possibly other commissioners may not have. We need people on the council who listen and are able to consider this constructive input. I have gained valuable experience in active listening from my various leadership roles in Information Technology. I know that I don’t know everything and very often you may hear me say, “I don’t know”. If I don’t know something I will do the research to find answers and I will seek out others with the right knowledge. I’m then able to make sensible and rational decisions from the research I’ve done and the valuable input from others who have expertise in those areas. I will continue to do the same if elected to the Council. I will push to eliminate the three minute speaking rule. A good Chairperson has the gavel to keep comment from swaying. I will listen, consider and always take input from everyone to make the best informed decision for the Town. Compromise and fairness will be a cornerstone me. Collaboration and compromise among nine town councilors can result in good decisions. Input from a larger group which includes public input can result in great decisions. I want great decisions for our Town, for everyone in Town and will work hard to achieve those results. I will ask the hard questions as I have done on the Planning and Zoning Commission.

I will strive to get direct answers from town officials regardless of party. Our town government not only needs to work hard for everyone but to be responsive and accountable for decisions. I will follow up as to the progress of issues. As a recent example, a resident should not have had to wait a decade to get their short street paved. Work was done only after being exposed on local news when years of attempts went ignored by the Town.

We have other important issues to consider with this election. We just witnessed one of the largest tax increases in town history and the future of our school system has been stymied for many years. Residents have shouldered a 20% tax burden while commercial enterprises did not see a tax increase. We need to approach Choate and come up with an equitable monetary solution as they have removed a significant number of residential properties from our tax rolls while sending 35 children to our school system. Our education system rankings have declined significantly over the last decade. We need fresh, new thinking and ideas to deal competently with these very critical issues. I will fully support educational funding but I will also ask for a scorecard and metrics to insure those funds raise the level of our school system. Our school system is the most valuable asset we have in this town and we need to protect and enhance it.

I will be 100% committed to improvement. I will consider the needs of all residents and work tirelessly to collectively succeed for everyone. I will seek better solutions regardless of who gets credit. This is what I’ve always done in my professional career and this is what I will do as a Town Councilor.

Jeff Kohan