Friday, October 28, 2011
Town Times Election Section
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Walking through the Durham ballot This is our special election issue when we print information on many of the candidates who will be on the ballot in the Nov. 8 municipal election. Before we get to the ballot, let us remind you how this election works. The offices up for grabs this election are first selectman, selectman, town clerk, treasurer, tax collector, Board of Finance, Board of Assessment Appeals — full term, Board of Assessment Appeals — two-year vacancy, Planning & Zoning Commission, Planning & Zoning — alternate, Zoning Board of Appeals and Zoning Board of Appeals — alternate. Like every town in the state, Durham is bound by Connecticut’s minority representation laws when filling seats in municipal offices — whether those are elected or appointed offices. State law asserts that one party cannot dominate more than a designated majority (generally twothirds). In other words, a six-member board can have no more than four members of the same party; a three-member board can have no more than two members of the same party. (Minority party has no reference to specific parties; in fact, it can change from board to board. This way, multiple voices and at least minimum party diversity is on every board.) Though your ballot looks like candidates listed vertically are running against each other, they may or
may not be running against each other. A sample ballot is printed below for your reference. Looking at the ballot below, columns #1, 2, 4 and 5 are all regular elections, so the person with the top vote wins the seat. In columns #3, 8, 9, 14, 15, 19 and 20, it doesn’t matter who you vote for because all candidates will be seated. It’s the remaining columns that are tricky, as the minority representation law comes into play. The Board of Finance, a sixmember board, already has four Republicans and two Democrats. Due to minority representation law, the Democratic candidate will be elected along with whichever Republican has the most votes. Planning & Zoning, a nine-member board with seven candidates vying for four seats, the four highest vote-getters will be seated. Under Zoning Board of Appeals, a five-member board, four candidates are vying for three seats and the three highest vote-getters will be elected. There is a place to put write-in votes at the bottom of the ballot. Seeing how many candidates we would have to feature before Election Day, you will only find the Durham candidates for first selectman, selectman and tax collector on the following pages. All the remaining candidates for the other boards and offices can be
found on our website, www.towntimes.com, under our special “election” tab. Questions for candidates for first selectman, Board of Selectmen and tax collector:. 1. Tell us about yourself briefly — job, family, education and why you are running. 2. What do you believe is the greatest problem facing your town today? What do you believe is the town’s greatest strength? 3. If elected, what one change would you make to your town government?
Last chance to register to vote Eligible voters who wish to register in-person may do so at their Registrar of Voters office until 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 1, to qualify for the municipal elections. “The municipal elections to decide who will serve in some key decision making roles in your community are approaching very fast, so I urge adult citizens of Connecticut to make sure they are registered now,” said Secretary Merrill, Connecticut’s chief election official. Polls will open statewide from 6 a.m. until 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 8, Go online to www.towntimes.com for information on all the candidates running in the Nov. 8 election.
Laura Francis, R, incumbent, first selectman 1. My husband, Robert, and I moved to Durham 20 years ago. We moved here because Durham was and still is a great place to raise children and live. Our children, Jillian and Eric, are graduates of CRHS and our state university system. Our family has actively participated and supported many town and civic organizations over the years. We have always appreciated the opportunities that Durham has provided, and we have tried to give back as much as we can to Durham. For the past 19 years, it has been my honor to serve the town of Durham, first as assistant town clerk, then as town clerk and now first selectman. I hold a B.A. in political science/public administration from Providence College. Education is important to me personally and professionally. I have availed myself of many training opportunities and
Sample Durham Ballot: Nov. 8, 2011
certification programs as town clerk and First Selectman in order to modernize and improve our town government operations. 2. The greatest challenge I face every day is to provide essential services and institute improvements to the day-to-day operations of town government with the same or less money. The last four years have been very difficult ones for many if not most of our residents. Our state and national economies have left us all with less money to support ourselves and our families. John Szewczyk and I have been working to reduce costs without reducing important services. We have received cooperation and assistance from every department, board, commission and organization that provides or uses government services. The result has been virtually no increase in the town portion of the budget over the last four years. We achieved this success despite increasing costs and a reduction of our Grand List due to the statewide decline in the housing market. I have applied for every state and federal grant I thought the town could compete for and receive. In the last four years, Durham has been awarded more than one million dollars in grants that have allowed us to make major improvements to our road system as well as maintain and upgrade our town Continued next page