Economic development is focus of Chamber of Commerce’s first selectman debate

Some sparks flew between the candidates for first selectman during a debate sponsored by the Monroe Chamber of Commerce.

Democratic challenger Phyllis Kansky promoted the hiring of a combined economic development coordinator and grants writer, claiming Republican First Selectman Stephen J. Vavrek’s administration has failed to attract business or seek outside grants.

“We need to entice businesses back to town,” said Kansky, stressing more should be done to market the town as a place to do business.

“We need to improve the revenue stream,” she said of securing grants.

Vavrek questioned the effectiveness of the last economic development coordinator who served under Democratic first selectmen, claiming the town previously “had no vision and no plan” despite paying someone’s salary to oversee economic development efforts.

He said his administration has focused on reorganizing the land-use department through personnel changes and new policies. “It was like the Wild West,” he said of the land-use operations he found when he took office in late 2009.

Find out more about candidates running for municipal office this year in the Campaign 2011 section in the red bar at the top of this Web site’s Home page

Vavrek said some positive business development is taking place now, despite the difficult economy, and questioned how familiar Kansky was with recent actions by the Planning and Zoning Commission. “If my opponent went to those meetings, she’d know that,” he said.

Impact of grants

Kansky said while government doesn’t create private sector jobs, it can spur economic activity that boosts local businesses by enacting the right policies.

She pointed to a grant she secured for the town of Bethel, where she is employed as the human resources assistant/grants administrator, that allows lower-income and disabled residents to get no-interest loans for home improvements.

The program would bring contractors into town who would shop, eat and gas up at local establishments, Kansky said. “Don’t pooh-pooh these grants,” Kansky said to Vavrek.

When Vavrek said town department heads in Monroe write their own grant applications, Kansky questioned if they had adequate time to do that effectively.

About 50 people attended the debate at Roberto’s restaurant. The Chamber of Commerce provided pizza and salad for the guests, who paid a small fee to attend the “Pizza & Politics” event.

Much of the debate centered on economic development and land-use issues. Vavrek said he has worked closely with the Chamber of Commerce, named a more activist chairman of the Economic Development Commission, modernized the town’s land-use process, and upgraded municipal infrastructure.

‘One-stop’ approach

Developers once had to go from office to office at Town Hall seeking signatures for a project’s approval, Vavrek said, but now a meeting takes place with combined town staff to begin the process as part of a “one-stop shopping” approach.

Kansky said people still tell her they find the process of getting a zoning permit in Monroe “very cumbersome” and time-consuming. “The P&Z process appears to take a long time,” she said.

Both candidates said they support bringing sewers into parts of Monroe to aid commercial activity.

Kansky said she is looking forward to the planning studies of the town’s commercial corridors and potential village districts, part of the master plan process. She said perhaps an office park should be created in Monroe, such as the one in Trumbull on Route 111 near the Monroe border.

Kansky also suggested the Lake Zoar shoreline could be turned into a more active recreational area. “We could have a developer come in and do something with that waterfront,” she said.

Vavrek said the area on lower Route 111 already is zoned for light industrial, but the demand appears to be for retail businesses such as restaurants and it may be zoned to allow that kind of development.

He said he meets with many businesses on behalf of the town, and more companies now are looking into setting up shop in Monroe “because we have our act together.”

School funding

The candidates disagreed on whether residents were satisfied with the status of the schools and education funding. The school system’s budget remained unchanged for the current fiscal year.

“People are happy with the school system we have,” said Vavrek, pointing to the results of a Board of Education survey of parents.

“That’s not true,” shot back Kansky, who said many residents voted for the current town budget because they feared education spending would be cut if it failed.

Vavrek said the town devotes a large amount of its money to the schools, as it should, but that he has made upgrading town infrastructure a priority. “What I’m asking for is a little more balance,” he said, claiming town buildings, roads and vehicles had been neglected.

Kansky again criticized Vavrek for closing Town Hall at 1:30 p.m. on Fridays. “Town Hall needs to be open for the convenience of the public, not the staff,” she said, adding she would provide regular training on customer service to municipal workers.