Town Committee

February, 2009

Dear Neighbors,

When I came to town in 1986, I was attracted to this community because of its rural nature and affordable housing. I grew up in a small town in Massachusetts which was very similar to Marlborough and from the moment I drove into town I felt at home. Over the last two decades the people of Marlborough have seen many changes. There is a new senior center. The town center plan is taking shape, which includes an enlarged town green. The elementary school underwent a total renovation, which was completed in 2003. The town has acquired property for a business park. And last, but not least, construction is well underway on the town’s sewer project. 

These changes bring with them new challenges. Primary among these challenges is to keep Marlborough affordable for those who lived here long before I arrived and to keep it attractive for new families and businesses. It is a tough balancing act, but the primary goal of the Marlborough Republicans is to provide needed services to residents while keeping costs and taxes under control. 

We are now in tough economic times. We recently lost key businesses in town including the pharmacy and the Marlborough Country Barn. Loss of these businesses negatively impacted our town’s revenue stream and an impact on our grand list will be a key factor when formulating this year’s town budget. Plans to expand our tax base by promoting new businesses are becoming more and more elusive. As a result, we need to scrutinize our budget to find ways to address the needs of our community while minimizing the near term effect on our taxpayers. Together we can get through these tough times, but it will require placing the needs of our taxpayers first and making the most of every tax dollar. That is why the Marlborough Republicans continue to work so hard.

We are proud of those who serve our community through elected or appointed office. We are proud of the many volunteers who devote countless hours to our fire department, emergency medical services, youth athletic programs and numerous civic organizations. It is volunteerism that makes Marlborough what it is and it is that sense of community which will help us to grow stronger as we move forward through these difficult times.

As chairman of the Republican Town Committee, I pledge myself and our party to serve the community and its citizens. With your help we can maintain Marlborough among the best places to live in Connecticut. We owe it to ourselves and we owe it to our neighbors.