(October 26, 2023)—We reached out and asked candidates to respond to a set of questions; if a candidate did not respond, their name is listed, so that you know who is running for each office. Updates from all candidates are welcome and will be published as Letters to the Editor. The candidate’s reply is unchanged from the original as submitted. HK-Now.com and Haddam Killingworth News are not responsible for errors in grammar, usage, punctuation or spelling. The questions posed to the candidates were:
- Tell us a little about yourself.
- Why are you running for the position?
- What do you see as the important issues facing your town and how would you address them in your role?
- What are the key things you love about this town and its people?
- Additional thoughts to leave voters with?
Candidate for First Selectman (Unopposed)
Bob McGarry (R):
Tell us a little about yourself:
As my second term draws to a close I want to thank you again for the faith you showed in me by re-electing me to be your First Selectman. It is an honor to serve you. Let’s take a look at what’s we’ve accomplished and what lies ahead for the next two years. I’d be remiss if I didn’t thank our town employees and all our volunteers for their dedication and hard work.
Why are you running for this position? (Why are you seeking re-election for this position)
We’ve made significant improvements and progress over the past four years including:
- Securing $ 9,504,000 in federal and state grants. Of that, $ 9.2 million are for renovating and re-invigorating Higganum Center.
- Purchasing the Scovil Hoe (former DOT garage) and Rossi Lumber properties. The town had been evaluating and questioning whether we should buy them or not for years.
- HES
- Developing and implementing a master plan for the development of Higganum Cove into a beautiful park.
- Significant improvements to our roads, sidewalks and other infrastructure.
I’m proud of what we’ve accomplished and want to be on the team that continues to move us forward.
What do you see as the important issues facing your town and how would you address them in your role?
Revitalizing Higganum Center has been and will continue to be the focus of a lot of time and effort. After years of debating what we should do, we finally made some decisions and are moving forward. There are four major on-going projects in the center: developing Scovil Hoe, developing Rossi, converting HES into an asset for the community, and the development of Higganum Cove.
Tylerville is another area requiring attention. We have to do what we can to minimize the disruption caused by DOT’s projects to revitalize the swing bridge and install the two roundabouts. We’ve made major improvements in Tylerville and need it to continue to develop.
The final critical issue is the development of the master capital plan for RSD17. The plan is going to require a delicate balance between maintaining excellence in the schools and affordability for the tax payers. We have to stay engaged with the Board of Education and district administration as the plan is developed and implemented.
My role in addressing these issues is to ensure town employees and our contractors stay engaged with them while still meeting our routine, but no less important, responsibilities such as road maintenance, public safety, and addressing residents’ issues.
What are the key things you love about this town and its people?
Vivienne and I love Haddam. Since returning here 27 years ago, we’ve made some great friends. We find Haddam’s natural beauty very calming in our hectic lives and something we need to be careful to protect. It was a great place to raise our children in large part due to the quality of our schools and the recreational opportunities here. We enjoy family friendly events like the Haddam Neck Fair and River Days and enjoy seeing the community come together to make those events happen.
Additional thoughts to leave the voters with?
The election is November 7th. Please take the time to vote. With all we have going on, we need a cohesive team to work together to improve our community. I look forward to leading that team. Thank you for your continued support.
Candidates for Selectman:
Kate Anderson (R):
Tell us a little about yourself:
I am grateful to be running once again for a third term on the Board of Selectmen alongside Bob McGarry and a qualified slate of candidates. As a lifelong Higganum resident, I have always been proud to call this town my home and serve my community. I graduated from HK and commuted to CCSU, where I earned a BS in marketing, all while working for HK Park and Rec after school and summer camp for nearly a decade.
I’ve worked as a sales and marketing manager for Gilbane Building Company for the last seven years. I develop proposals and coach field teams to win projects valued at up to $200 million in markets such as public K-12 schools, higher education, healthcare, and life sciences in Connecticut and across the U.S. Working for one of the largest construction management companies in the country, I have the advantage of seeing the latest trends, forecasts, new technology, funding opportunities, and management systems that can help guide my decisions for the town.
In addition to serving on the Board of Selectmen, I’ve continued my role as chair of the Economic Development Commission (EDC). I started serving this year as the town liaison at monthly meetings for the HK Community Coalition and the Board of Education Facilities Committee. Additionally, I’m a certified moderator for election polls. You’ll also find me planning for and attending events like the weekly farmers market, River Days, and the community trunk-or-treat at the upcoming fall festival.
Why are you running for this position? ( Why are you seeking re-election for this position)
Quite simply, our work is not done yet. I look forward to working with Bob and the whole Board to continue the progress.
What do you see as the important issues facing your town and how would you address them in your role? The number of projects in town that have been completed, are in progress, or are in the planning stages is truly impressive. First and foremost, supporting the Tylerville businesses during the Swing Bridge renovations (and subsequent impending rotary constructions by the ConnDOT) is a main priority. These businesses have faced major construction projects to bring clean drinking water to the area, followed by a global pandemic, a sidewalk construction project, and now the multi-year swing bridge construction project. Working with our town planner, the EDC proposed a unique forgivable interruption loan program for eligible businesses negatively impacted by the bridge project. This program received full unanimous support from the EDC, Board of Selectmen, Board of Finance, and finally at a town meeting, and is currently being administered.
In Higganum Center, we continue to work on assembling the jigsaw made up of puzzle pieces: Haddam Elementary School (HES), the Rossi property, Scovil Hoe, and the Higganum Cove. Each project is in various stages of completion, and the town is working hard to develop a cohesive plan where the final uses complement each other and our overall town vision. There’s much information out there about each project, and we try to give regular updates through different channels so residents can be accurately informed about all that’s happening in Haddam.
What are the key things you love about this town and its people?
I’m thankful to be surrounded by a caring community and appreciate the volunteers who work tirelessly to make Haddam the best it can be. Recently, I’ve been focusing on exploring areas of town with which I am not as familiar. The Higganum Cove is a true gem, and the Cove Committee’s thoughtful planning and work is already a noticeable transformation. Likewise, the trails at Swan Hill are another scenic jewel that I hope all residents get a chance to enjoy.
Additional thoughts to leave the voters with?
Local elections matter, and your vote counts! Some races are decided by just a few votes. Please join me in getting out to vote on November 7. With significant projects like the Board of Education Master Plan and finalizing the re-use of HES underway, I encourage our community to attend meetings, ask questions, and offer feedback as we navigate these projects together.
Peter Baird (D):
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!
