Word for Word: Daniel Hunsberger's Acceptance Speech

The following is Democratic candidate for first selectman, Daniel Hunsberger's speech while accepting his party's nomination last week. An article with First Selectman Steve Vavrek's response will soon follow.

Thank you for selecting me to be your candidate for Monroe's First Selectman. It is an honor to be chosen and will be a greater honor to serve all of the citizens of Monroe as your new first selectman.

As we are gathered here tonight, we all know why we are here tonight. We all share the same concern about Monroe and Monroe's future. That is why I am asking for your support in the campaign for first selectman.

A town resident asked me if I had a theme for my campaign. He suggested that with my fire and emergency management background, my theme should involve risk management or management.

As a professional firefighter for more than 36 years and 20 plus years as an officer leading crews into fires, I know how every decision at an emergency involved risk management and making the right decisions.

So I searched the word "management" on the Internet. Here is what it said:

"Management in all business and organizational activities is the act of the efforts of people to accomplish desired goals and objectives using available resources efficiently and effectively. Management comprises planning, organizing, staffing, leading or directing, and controlling an organization or effort for the purpose of accomplishing a goal."

What a wonderful new concept for Monroe — management. Monroe is lacking effective management.

Coordinating Monroe is not spending endless hours during the day on social media.

Planning is not constantly texting while attending public meetings, if you show up at all.

Organizing Monroe is not riding on a public works truck and growing a beard during a storm.

Staffing is not being the town's first selectman, the town's economic development director and public works director all at the same time.

Leading Monroe is not negotiating with a "green" company behind closed doors to bring 100 tractor trailer loads of garbage into town every day for "recycling".

Directing is not standing in town hall telling people where to go or delivering those little blue recycle bins.

Controlling is not allowing legal fees to exceed the budget by more than $900,000 in ill-advised legal actions, while allowing our school roofs to degrade to near collapse. 

Management of Monroe is not allowing the town to violate Freedom of Information laws or hiding facts from the Town Council and the public.

In the fire service, we use the phrase "freelancing" to describe operations at the scene of an emergency where individuals are all working but doing their own thing without coordination or direction.
 
Sure all fires go out eventually, but fires go out much quicker with unnecessary risk and needless damage when there is an incident commander coordinating and directing the operations.

Monroe needs a first selectman who can be an incident commander, a first selectman who can see the problem, understand the issues, assess the options, and lead the team to the safe, logical and appropriate outcome.

Monroe has not been effectively managed during the last four years by an incident commander.

The complaint I hear the most is that the first selectman does not make decisions, leaving others to freelance. That lack of leadership is evident in his answers to important questions.

"I'll get back to you" is just another way of saying "I don't know".

"Come to my office" really means "I don't want to make a decision now" or "I don't want to talk about it in public."

I pledge to manage Monroe by sitting down with boards and commissions to set short-term and long-term objectives and goals, always keeping in mind that the ultimate purpose of government is doing what is best for the entire community, not for individuals or a political party.

I pledge to manage Monroe by sitting down with the department heads to identify and prioritize each department's action plan to implement the town's objectives and goals and insist the result be in the best interest of the citizens of Monroe.

I pledge to manage Monroe by aggressively seeking innovative and alternative funding sources — such as grants.

Our neighboring towns have outpaced Monroe in the area of economic development. The role of the town's Economic Development Commission must be expanded so we can provide tax relief for our residential property owners while keeping Monroe's New England charm and character. Economic development must be appropriate for our community, on the land already zoned for commercial development.

I wonder what the result for Monroe would have been if we had taken a fraction of the overruns in legal fees and used that money for economic development.

I pledge to manage Monroe by reexamining the Land Use Department to ensure the process is really helping economic growth and not frustrating attempts by businesses to locate and grow in town. It takes more than putting all of the land use in one area of town hall to make land use efficient and effective. Land Use must be more than a source of information or generating revenue by enforcing rules. Land use must be more property owner/business friendly.

I pledge to manage Monroe's spending by asking the head of each department to start with a clean piece of paper as they develop their budget requests and submit budgets that support the most effective and efficient way for their department to operate. I don't want the same budget just because it's the way it's always been done.

I pledge to manage Monroe by supporting quality and affordable education. One of, if not, the most important considerations home buyers have before buying in any community is the community's school system. Property values are adversely affected by a poor educational system.

We must address the town's deteriorating fire department buildings and EMS needs for new ambulances before a tragedy occurs.

I pledge to manage Monroe by using my education and experience to help control runaway legal fees. I will make sure that competent legal advice is used before decisions are made by boards and commissions to avoid costly, lengthy and unnecessary legal battles. More importantly, I will keep Town Council informed of all legal matters affecting the town. 

I pledge to manage Monroe by having a truly open style of management by increasing the information available to the town's own website, such as the most current meeting minutes. The public appreciates the Board of Education's televised meetings.

As we move Monroe forward, Monroe's government must be more open and accessible through televising the meetings of Town Council, the Board of Finance, Planning & Zoning and other important meetings of our boards and commissions.

I served as campaign treasurer for our late First Selectman Tom Buzi. He impressed me in the way he always treated Town Council members with respect. He recognized and appreciated that all Town Council members, whether Republican or Democrat, are your representatives.

He understood that when Town Council asked a question, the question was really being asked by you, the citizens and voters of Monroe.

He was always prepared and you knew he was prepared by his answers. And if he didn't have the answer to your question, he admitted it and always got back to you with an answer without being asked again.

I pledge to manage Monroe by answering your representatives' questions without having to be asked meeting after meeting. 

I pledge to manage Monroe by creating a more positive image of Monroe. One of the first public comments ever made by my opponent was before a group of Realtors. He referred to Monroe as the place to come for pizza and nail salons. What was he thinking? 

Did he really think that putting a garbage recycling complex right next to our residential neighborhood and just a few hundred yards from a natural resource like Lake Zoar was an appropriate and viable solution for our community and taxes? What was he thinking? Or was he thinking at all?

Monroe's first selectman must be an individual who can actually find solutions that will change the town for the better. Monroe needs a drastic new approach.

I want Monroe to be more than a place known just for pizza and nail salons. I want Monroe to be a place sought after; a place where parents want to live and raise a family and stay for retirement.

In closing, we have a great slate of candidates for all of Monroe. Each candidate is well qualified and ready to make Monroe what it should be and can be.

A vote for your candidates is a vote for a better Monroe. We ask for your continued support. Thank you.