Board of Selectmen

My wife Jane and I moved to Haddam 21 years ago, coming from a beautiful town in Vermont and hoping to find a similar place in Connecticut to raise our family. Higganum Center, with its access to the river, beautiful hills and bicycling, and locally owned stores perfectly matched our needs.

We have two sons, both of whom graduated from HK’s schools. As recent empty nesters, we now seek new opportunities to contribute to the community that has so supported our and others’ families. I have previously served two terms on the Planning and Zoning Commission for Haddam, and in the last four years have been a member of our town’s Board of Finance. I’m also on the Higganum Cove Committee, which is developing a town park near the Higganum waterfall and Connecticut River.

For most of my time in Haddam, I have worked as a Senior Associate for MDRC, a large social policy research firm based in NYC. At this job I engaged in research and policymaking to tackle some of our largest social problems, relating to poverty, health, education and urban planning. I spearheaded several evaluation projects, including efforts to help veterans with disabilities return to the workforce, improve the child support system, and increase employment outcomes for youth. For the last several years I have worked as a consultant with a community health center which supports veterans and homeless individuals with substance use and mental health challenges. Prior to moving to Connecticut, I was Director of Planning and Evaluation for the state’s Vocational Rehabilitation program and worked with U.S. Senator Jim Jeffords on disability-related legislation.

Why am I running for Selectman? I’m seeing my town at a crossroads. Since my move to Haddam, we’ve experienced several difficult events, notably the closing of Connecticut Yankee, which greatly reduced our tax base, the closing of Haddam Elementary School and the COVID pandemic. All these events reduced the vitality of our town to various degrees, impacted our home values and taxes, and created many challenges which we still face.

But we also have many exciting new opportunities, and I’m eager to work with our town’s leadership to resolve them in a thoughtful, comprehensive manner. Public water and a large new apartment complex in Tylerville, as well as the refurbishment of the bridge, could eventually bring increased business to that area. We also have some exciting development opportunities in Higganum Center, including ongoing efforts to build a town park at Higganum Cove, the development of the Rossi property and Scovil Hoe, and the revitalization of Haddam Elementary School as a key community civic and recreation center for all residents. Higganum has so much potential: thoughtful and appropriate in-fill commercial and residential development linked to Higganum Cove, the Connecticut River, Haddam Elementary, Swan Hill’s hiking trails and Higganum Reservoir could bring real vibrancy, eco-tourism and economic vitality to us. But this will come to fruition only if we do it in the right way, with real public input and thoughtful planning. My professional experiences and past volunteer work in town makes me very well suited to address these challenges.

I’ve come to love Haddam—its hills and forests, outstanding hiking, biking and kayaking, access to the glorious Connecticut River, as well as our small-town feel, locally owned stores and vibrant school system. But I also understand the many challenges we face, and that we have fallen short of our own expectations. I look forward to working with the Board of Selectmen, other town boards and our residents in bringing us to the brighter future we want-- and deserve. Thank you for your support in November!