1999 Candidates

Joseph Heyman
Board of Selectmen

Previous Board Of Selectmen

By Joseph Heyman, Democratic Candidate for the Board of Selectmen

The actions of the previous Board of Selectmen were littered with waste and mismanagement resulting from errors in judgment, short-term solutions to long-range problems, and a general lack of common sense and business acumen which has cost us all precious tax dollars. This waste of precious tax dollars was exemplified by the Ippoliti purchase.

Rather then doing "due diligence", and making sure the road system was adequate, and/or a second access was legally secured before the land was purchased, the former Board of Selectmen spent their time giving personal tours of the land, during the driest season, on a day with no commuter traffic.

The twenty years I have spent on the Ridgefield Planning and Zoning Commission, (several of which were with Selectman Rudy Marconi) coupled with my city planning background and experience in the private sector, would bring an enlightened change of direction in the governing of our Town.

The issues :

• We must insure that we do not force people to move out of town due to sky rocketing tax increases. From January 1998, to August 1999, the Town's debt has risen 46%, from $30 million to $44 million dollars (not including the $30 million dollars for the middle school.) Although we all want more open space, excellence in education, better roads, etc., this balance must be addressed.

• Ensure that every dollar allocated for the planning and building of additional school facilities is used for services received (no more East Ridge $1.2 million dollar losses).

• Make sure that all land purchases include careful consideration regarding its suitability for potential use (as opposed to the $7.5 million dollars on the Ippoliti property).

• Publicly pursue each potential land purchase option to benefit Ridgefield's future open space (the failure to investigate and pursue the IBM property is our loss).

• Use Ridgefield's resources for its taxpayers and students (the loss of the Notre Dame school facility to a private group is inexcusable).

• Make Ridgefield an affordable option for its elderly citizens by expediently revising the elderly tax abatement program.

I need your vote to continue to change the course of direction our Town has taken.

We can do better, we must do better.

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