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First Selectman Matt Knickerbocker’s Letter to Bethel Voters

Dear Friends,

Rich and I are honored to accept the nomination for Selectman and First Selectman in the November municipal election. We thank you sincerely for the continued confidence you have placed in us.

A lot has been accomplished over the past few years, with your help and with the support of our voters. We have rebuilt or resurfaced more than half of our roads. We have upgraded our public water system using grants and low-interest public health loans. A system that was once almost $2 million in debt, losing tens of thousands of dollars per year and failing to meet state standards, is today one of the best public water systems in the state.

We have supported our nationally recognized public schools and helped launch the long-overdue renovations of our two oldest elementary schools. We secured grants that allowed us to complete the renovation and expansion of our beautiful public library, at no additional cost to taxpayers. We secured grants to add new sidewalks for safe walking routes to our schools and to our downtown shopping areas. We built one of the first municipal solar farms in the State of Connecticut to cut energy costs and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

But perhaps the most important accomplishment was bringing a new level of fiscal discipline to town government. When Rich and I first took office, we discovered a “hand to mouth” budgeting system that held no regard for future planning. Our General Fund balance was dangerously low, our town’s pension plans were underfunded, and our bond rating was downgraded to “negative watch” due to the town’s weak financial health.

Today we use a 10-year forward planning cycle, updated annually. Our bond rating is AAA, the best possible, an achievement that previous Bethel administrations believed impossible. When Bethel sells a bond, the best investment firms in the nation line up to bid. Because of Bethel’s strong financial position, we consistently earn the lowest possible interest rates. Our General Fund balance and pension funds have been restored to health.

Some people seem to think Selectmen should be changed for the sake of change, like a pair of socks. They could not be more wrong. That belief simply reveals how little they understand about the reality of running a complex, multifaceted municipality of nearly 20,000 residents.

The position of First Selectman, especially, requires substantial public management experience, creativity and leadership. It cannot be learned in a few months, or even a few years. It requires in-depth knowledge of public finance practices, public health regulations, engineering, labor law, and effective negotiation techniques – knowledge that can only be gained through experience.

Rich and I have that expertise. We also have a vision for our future, with many challenging goals for the upcoming term:

• Complete the original road reconstruction schedule, now in its tenth year and nearly finished.
• Ensure successful completion of our school renovation projects, on time and within budget.
• Finalize a new, 10-year improvement plan for our town parks and recreational facilities, within budget parameters set by voters.
• Modernize our recycling center to provide more cost-saving waste disposal and recycling options for our residents.
• Continue to pay down old debt to protect our excellent financial position and ensure sustainable budgets in the future.

Rich and I are ready and eager to continue our work for you and everyone in our town. We humbly ask for your vote this November, and we pledge to continue to work hard for you.

Thank you for reading.

Matt Knickerbocker

     First Selectman

Democratic Board of Finance Candidates’ Joint Statement

Bethel is facing a perfect fiscal storm and the Democratic team of candidates for the Board of Finance—Dalene Foster, Bob Manfreda, Robert Palmer, Wendy Smith and Claudia Stephan—possesses the business, financial and municipal expertise necessary to weather the storm and to move Bethel forward.

The next budget cycle not only requires Bethel’s Board of Finance to wrestle with the typical issues involving the annual operating budget, but will also require important decisions on both the police station and school renovation projects. Specifically, the town must bond $14.5 million for the new, approved police station, for which construction is underway. The town is also faced with either renovating “as-new” (estimated net cost, $40 to $42 million) or patchwork repairing (estimated cost, $29 million) our Johnson and Rockwell schools. The successful town referendum was an important first step to renovating as new, but now Bethel must wait on the State’s final approval of its grant request.

The State of Connecticut’s budget troubles make the Board of Finance’s job more difficult. These budget woes have and will continue to result in less support from Hartford, jeopardizing funding the Town has relied upon in its immediate past. Given these realities, the Bethel Board of Finance cannot conduct business as usual. We are no longer merely managing a checkbook.

Rather, to successfully navigate the coming fiscal storm, the Bethel Board of Finance members must possess the financial expertise necessary to know how best to use the fund balance while maintaining the town’s AAA credit rating; the financial acumen to assess the interest-rate environment for purposes of paying back $12 million of short-term debt not related to the police station, issuing less-expensive new long-term debt and, possibly, re-bonding expensive existing debt; and the financial foresight to plan for what may come, such as establishing sinking funds for large critical purchases like fire trucks.

The Bethel Democratic candidates for the Board of Finance possess this expertise. We, the undersigned, are the team that will ensure Bethel successfully weathers the storms to come. Please support expertise in financial management by electing the Democratic team for the Bethel Board of Finance. Vote Row A on November 7.

Dalene Foster, Bob Manfreda, Robert Palmer, Wendy Smith and Claudia Stephan

Democratic Candidates for Bethel’s Board of Finance

Chairman’s Statement on Social Media Attacks Targeting Democratic Candidates

Social media is an amazing tool that, when used properly, allows people to interact with each other and their elected officials. It allows for the expression of differing views and opinions among the members of our community, which benefits us as a whole. For the most part, participants in online forums engage in very strong debate and hash out differences of opinion and policy, but with a sense of respect for each other and a general sense of decorum. Unfortunately, there is always an exception to the rule.

Recently, two of our candidates for local office were subjected to mean-spirited personal attacks that, in my opinion, cross the line of what is acceptable in productive engagement and discourse. These attacks even went so far as to target the candidates’ child – something that no responsible individual would do. That’s not who we are here in Bethel. Let’s remember that our kids are watching how we conduct ourselves. And let’s make sure the example we set is worthy of them.

Nick Vitti, Chairman
Bethel Democratic Town Committee