Patch Candidate Profile: David Bindelglass​, Easton First Selectman

EASTON, CT — The 2023 municipal election is heating up in Easton and there are plenty of races with candidates eager to serve in elected office.

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

Retired physician David Bindelglass, 64, is running for re-election as Easton first selectman on the Democrat ticket.

Education.

Harvard College Bachelor's, Columbia University, MD

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

Wife Gloria who has been a registered nurse for almost 40 years, age 54. Two sons raised in Easton. Andrew 28 who lives in St. Paul Minnesota and is a college football coach and Scott 25 who lives in Frederick, Maryland and is a pilot for JetBlue

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

No but my wife has been active in Easton on several boards and commissions

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

I have been the First Selectman for 4 years and was previously on the board of education.

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 believe in the last 4 years we have accomplished great work. Government in Easton is more transparent. Our citizens are more informed and as a town governed by a town meeting we have given our citizens even more power. We have made our town more welcoming and inclusive. We have maintained our rural beauty preserving farm land, protected our seniors and maintained excellent schools. We have taken problems like the fate of the South Park property which had been a source of conflict for many years and solved the problem. I believe this is what effective government can do and I hope to continue.

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

Right now it is providing a serviceable EMS building which we are on our way to doing, but there is much work to be done.

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

I believe I have shown myself to be a highly effective leader, particularly drawing on my experience in the private sector running a large medical practice. I also believe I have brought a level of communication to our government that is unprecedented. Lastly, the level of caring which has defined my career in medicine carries into my first selectman duties. My opponent has experience in town government but not in any leadership role. Leadership is very different and does not come naturally. I have navigated this town through the pandemic and major storms among other challenges. That experience is hard to duplicate if you haven't been there.

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

We have a lot of farmland worked by aging farmers. We will need to actively preserve those farms or find other uses for them which are consistent with our town's character. That goes with the overall goal of preserving the character of our town overall. We need to continue to take great care of our seniors and invest in our schools. We need to always strive for more effective government and communicate with our citizens in a way that keeps them informed and engaged. To do that I will continue to give everyone a platform to speak and to listen, especially to those who disagree with me and work with everyone in town to accomplish our goals That is what I intend to campaign on.

What is the best advice anyone ever gave you?

If you listen to people and watch what is happening around you you can learn things and better yourself every day. In my career I did thousands of operations, but if you were open minded you were still learning every day.