First Selectman is rematch of 2015 Stonington race

Simmons defeated Crouse 2,893 to 2,093 two years ago

Stonington — The race for first selectmen features a rematch of the 2015 contest, with Democrat George Crouse challenging incumbent Republican and former Congressman Rob Simmons.

Two years ago, Simmons defeated Crouse by a vote of 2,893 to 2,093. Crouse, a former selectman, was technically the incumbent, as he had served the previous 11 months as first selectman after being appointed to the post following the resignation of Democrat Ed Haberek.

Simmons, also served on the Board of Selectmen for two years and the Board of Police Commissioners, was the U.S. representative from the 2nd District from 2001 to 2007, state representative from the 43rd District from 1991 to 2001 and the state business advocate from 2007 to 2008.

“I like seeing things get done. I like to finish a job,” Simmons said about his decision to seek re-election.

He said that he, Selectmen Mike Spellman and Kate Rotella, and Town Hall staff have done a very good job the past two years of solving problems and putting Stonington first.

With uncertainty surrounding projected state aid cuts, the possibility of the town having to contribute to teacher pension costs

and having to pay the debt on the $67 million elementary school project, Simmons said he believes Stonington needs a steady hand to lead it over the next two years and not allow the town to fall into the partisan divide that has occurred in state and federal government.

If re-elected, Simmons said he would like to begin the charter revision process to consider hiring a town manager and expanding the Board of Selectmen from three to five members, both of which he supports. The proposals have not gone forward with previous charter revision efforts.

“I question how long a town with four villages and a $2.6 billion grand list can continue to provide competent management if we have elections every two years,” he said. “It’s not inappropriate to take another look at it and ultimately the people will decide.”

Simmons said the town needs someone not only with local management background but with experience on both the state and federal levels, both of which he has.

Simmons said that over the past two years and with the help of town staff and selectmen, he fought the proposed Amtrak bypass through town; continued his effort to upgrade two rail crossings in town, recently seeking a federal grant for the work; helped secure grants for Town Dock and breakwater improvements; addressed a rat infestation in Pawcatuck; worked out an agreement with Westerly to repair the Stillman Avenue bridge and, most recently, announced the town had restored flood insurance discounts for homeowners, which the town lost several years ago. He was also the driving force behind residents’ decision to bond $2.2 million to create the Mystic River Boathouse Park.

He said that over the past two years the town also was able to rid itself of two lawsuits, one by making the informal Town Dock dog park an on-leash area and agreeing to settle a lawsuit that Tracy Swain filed against the town alleging Haberek sent her a sexually graphic photo of himself in 2010 using his town-issued Blackberry device.

Crouse is well known in town, having been a high school teacher and still the longtime coach of the high school girls tennis team. He continues to teach tennis lessons and serves on the K-12 School Building Committee. Immediately, after the 2015 election, Simmons led an effort to name the high school tennis courts in Crouse’s honor.

Over the past two years, he said he has been involved in those activities, working on projects at the Indian and Colonial Research Center in Old Mystic and spending time with his grandchildren.

As for why he decided to run again, Crouse said he is “upset with what is happening on the national level.”

In addition, he said the Democratic Town Committee has a group of younger people running for office in November and looked to Crouse as someone with experience to guide them at the top of the ticket.

“They have a lot of energy and they’re eager to learn,” he said.

Crouse said that besides his family, the No. 1 thing in his life is the town of Stonington.

“I’ve taught here. I’ve coached here. I’m very proud of Stonington,” he said. “Throughout the state people want to come here to live. I want to maintain that.”

“I’m here for everyone. I’m accessible and I want to help all people of the town not just a select group and I think that is the difference between us,” he said about Simmons.

If elected, Crouse said he would work to bring efficiency to the town budget to offset cuts in state aid.

“I know how to handle the budget and what can be done if you’re creative,” he said, pointing to the more than $800,000 in cuts he made as first selectman.

He added that he likes ideas such as regionalizing special education services to save money.

“We’re not going to panic. We’re going to look for efficiencies and solutions,” he said.

Like Simmons, Crouse said he would like to see the school project to completion, especially since he sits on the building committee. He said it is then up to the first selectman to figure out how to absorb the debt payments without overburdening taxpayers, especially seniors.

“I’m a team guy. I’m not an autocrat,” Crouse said about his leadership style. “I analyze, listen and then marshal the troops to do what has to be done.”

While he said Simmons has done a good job continuing some of the things he started, Crouse said he would have let the Waterfront Commission handle the decision making on the Town Dock dog park instead of declaring it an onleash park as Simmons did. Crouse said he supports a plan to place 500 solar panels on the sewer plant property.

Crouse said he supports an idea to expand the Board of Selectmen from three to five members, which would allow two members to discuss an issue without having to call a meeting. He does not support the hiring of a town manager at this time, saying the current system is working and has worked since the town was founded.

Crouse said he also would be more conservation-minded in terms of the appointments he and selectmen make to the Planning and Zoning Commission.

“I think it’s tilted towards the developers’ side now,” he said. “I like a balance when I appoint people.”

Crouse said that the rehabilitation of downtown Pawcatuck has to be the town’s focus and that existing property owners should be helping the town determine what the downtown should look like instead of developers determining what will happen.

If elected, Crouse said he would form a committee to come up with recommendations about how to help seniors with their taxes so they can afford to continue living in town.

Crouse pledged to not spend more than $6,000 on his campaign, with all support coming from the Democratic Town Committee after Simmons rejected his challenge to limit campaign spending to that amount.