East Windsor Candidate Profile: Jason Bowsza, First Selectman

EAST WINDSOR, CT — The 2023 municipal election season is heating up in East Windsor, and there are plenty of races with candidates eager to serve in elected office.

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

Name: Jason E. Bowsza

How old will you be as of Election Day? 41

Does your campaign have a website? If so, include the URL here.

https://www.jasonbowsza.com/

What city or town do you live in? East Windsor

What office are you seeking? First Selectman

Party affiliation: Democrat

Education: Master's Degree - Public Administration (Westfield State University); Bachelor's Degree - Political Science (Sacred Heart University)

What is your occupation? First Selectman - Town of East Windsor (four years)

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

My wife Alex and I have two wonderful children - Elliott (4) and Sadie (2)

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government? No

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

Yes. I currently serve as First Selectman (4 years). Prior to that, I served on the Board of Selectmen (6 years) and the Board of Finance (6 years). I've also served on the Pension and Investment Board since approximately 2008. I serve on the Connecticut River Valley Flood Control Commission (10 years). I was an appointed official in the Connecticut Department of Agriculture (6 years, last two as Chief of Staff).

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 I have the skillset to best serve our town, and I want to continue to help our community grow. East Windsor has been home to my family since 1930, when my grandfather came to the county boys home as an orphan. Over those many years, my grandparents raised their family here. My parents attended EWHS where they met and fell in love, ultimately deciding to raise their family here. My dad owned a small insurance business in East Windsor for about 40 years. And now, my wife and I are raising our family here. East Windsor has been a great community for my family for nearly a century (my kids are fourth generation), and I want to do my part to make sure that other families can have similar experiences.

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

The single most pressing issue facing my constituents in the cost of living. Much of the issues driving affordability are outside the scope and powers of local government to control (gasoline, food and energy costs, state tax rates, etc.). Town government has a delicate balancing role between providing services that people need, and controlling costs of local property taxes. That's where I am strongest.

Over the last four years, the Town has seen it's tax rate lowered each year. I came into office, and the mill rate was 34.72, and now it stands at 34.28. We have been able to increase services offered to the community AND reduce the mill rate at the same time. That has been achieved through growth in the Grand List, which is up more than $110 MILLION since I took office.

I have also been extremely successful in securing state and federal grants over these last four years. In that time, I have secured for the Town more than $16 MILLION in grant funds - by far the most ever received by the Town of East Windsor in a four year period. Those funds help make meaningful infrastructure improvements in the community without local taxpayers having to pay more in property taxes.

We understand that post-COVID supply chain issues and inflationary pressure is hitting people hard. That's why my successes to date are ideally suited to continue to move the Town forward while shielding taxpayers from having to carry the costs for needed improvements in the community

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

I've live in East Windsor my entire life; my opponent has not.

I have known key constituency groups and leaders and worked with them for years; my opponent does not.

I have an intimate understanding of how municipal budgeting works; my opponent does not.

I bring a large rolodex of key contacts in state government to assist the Town as needed; my opponent does not.

I have served in elected office in East Windsor for sixteen years and know our community well; my opponent served in elected office in another community and does not know ours.

I have a demonstrated leadership style of bipartisan cooperation; my opponent favors confrontation.

As of this writing, I've knocked on nearly 1,000 doors in this election cycle to listen to the concerns of our voters. I cannot speak to how my opponent is trying understand the concerns of our voters.

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

State law needs to change concerning the siting of large-scale renewable energy projects. Our community is facing a challenge there, and under state law, Towns do not have a say in the siting of these projects. I've been extremely vocal at the state level about the need for local control so that we can protect our landscape in East Windsor. I will continue advocating for local control in my next term as well.

I hear concerns quite often about the condition of our schools. The Town and the Board of Education have been working quite closely together to develop a master plan concerning facilities needs at all three buildings. That collaboration will well position us to address issues before they become most costly.

We have a number of community investment projects that will benefit the townspeople that need to be properly managed - clean water projects for Park Hill and School Hill, the redevelopment of the Community Center, roof replacements on two schools, and most importantly - the development of a replacement plan for our emergency radio system.

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

The last four years have been filled with accomplishments, but the one that stands out most to me is that my board has worked increadibly well together, in a bi-partisan fashion that is rooted in mutual respect. We function as a team that is focused on the best interests of East Windsor, first, last and always.

That is the thing I am absolutely most proud to have led, and with their help we have had many successes. Here are a few examples:

I was responsible for managing the COVID-19 pandemic, which began only weeks after I took office. Working as a townwide team, we quickly established testing protocols, food distribution, and ultimately vaccine adminstration.

I hold a Masters Degree in Public Administration, with a focus on employee motivation. This has led to a renewed commitment among Town employees to customer service.

I have experience negotiating municipal labor agreements.

I have had tremendous success securing grant funds for the Town of East Windsor ($16 Million over four years).

I continue to work to build a better sense of community through quality of life improvements. To date, we have built a splash pad, bandshell, handicapped accessibility to the waterfront at the park, installed a new playground, expanded and replaced community sidewalks, and secured funding for projects including the installation of pickle ball courts, walking trails, and the bmx skate park.

I have experience and training in emergency management, including pandemic management, disaster relief and mitigation, thirteen certifications in FEMA training, and the trust and confidence of our first responders.

I have developed policies and programs that have made East Windsor more business friendly. Under my leadership, we developed a local small business/nonprofit relief grant during COVID, utilizing federal funds, to support businesses and nonprofits that were forced to close due to COVID lockdowns. (That program became a model and has been emulated in no less than six other towns in Connecticut). We have focused on building a stronger sense of customer service among town staff, getting away from the unfriendly attitude of "the code gives me thirty days, so I'm going to take thirty days." This change in demeanor is evidenced in every employee in the Planning Department and Building Department, all of whom I have hired.

What is the best advice anyone ever gave you?

When I was a kid, my dad would tuck my brother and me into bed each night and ask us three questions: "Did you do the right thing today? Did you treat others the way you would want to be treated? Did you do the best you could?"

He would be the first to admit that, if you are being honest, you won't be able to say yes to all three questions every day, but on days when you can, it means you had a pretty good day.

I always try my best, try to treat others the way I would want to be treated, and I always try to do the right thing.

Is there anything else you would like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

I am extremely proud of having worked so well over the last four years with the current members of the Board of Selectmen - Marie DeSousa, Alan Baker, Sarah Muska and Charlie Nordell. All five of us have put party politics aside and focused on what is best for East Windsor.

We have always been civil and respectful of each other, and because each of us has been committed to that, we have had tremendous successes.

I'm very grateful to each of them for their partnership.