Read, Reemsnyder vie for the Old Lyme first selectman spot
Old Lyme — Incumbent Democratic First Selectwoman Bonnie A. Reemsnyder and Judith Danenhower Read, a Republican, are running for the office of first selectman in the Nov. 7 municipal election.
Reemsnyder, 63, who is married with three children, became the town’s first selectwoman in 2011, after having served as a selectwoman and on town committees.
Reemsnyder, who has a background in early childhood education and sales, is the finance chair of the Connecticut Port Authority, the chair of the Lower Connecticut River Council of Governments, and is on the advisory council for HOPE Partnership, a nonprofit agency that provides housing opportunities.
Read, 63, who is married with two children, has been a member of the Board of Finance and Board of Education, and has served on the board of the MacCurdy Salisbury Educational Foundation for about 15 years.
Read, who serves on the board of the Old Lyme Historical Society, has owned small businesses and currently works as a consultant who helps set up office management bookkeeping, payroll, tax and accounting systems for small businesses.
Both candidates named addressing policing needs for the town’s beach area and a sewer project for several beach communities as top issues facing the town.
Reemsnyder said she discussed with the new commander of state police Troop F the town’s need for more summertime police resources, and one potential solution is overtime troopers. She began prelimi-
nary conversations with East Lyme about the possibility of having a consolidated police department to serve both towns, and will form a committee to consider the pros and cons.
Rather than regionalize with East Lyme, Read is in favor of maintaining the current resident trooper model, noting that the town can call state police from Troop F to provide additional coverage in emergencies.
Mentioning that two of the town’s six police officer positions had been vacant for a period, she said the town should maintain adequate staffing for the police department. She also said she would work on rebuilding the relationship between Town Hall and the police department.
In explaining the reasons for the delay in filling the two vacant police positions, Reemsnyder said the town had hired additional trooper support for the summer of 2016. The Board of Selectmen then began looking at a recommendation from Troop F to add another resident trooper and have four full-time police officers. She said the town also advertised for police officers, but the process takes a while, as there are certain requirements for the positions. A couple of offers were not accepted.
A sewer project is another top issue both candidates identified. The town has been under an administrative order from the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. The town is currently awaiting feedback from DEEP on a plan that calls for installing sewers in Sound View and a small area north of Sound View and tying those neighborhoods into a pump station with three private beach associations: Old Lyme Shores Beach Association, Old Colony Beach Club Association and Miami Beach Association. Hawk’s Nest would be further monitored.
Read said she and running mate Chris Kerr, who is running for a selectman seat — will quickly move to ensure sewers are installed in the three private beach associations, as well as Sound View, where necessary — and re-introduce sewer avoidance for the rest of the town that doesn’t need them.
Reemsnyder said town officials are hoping to finalize this fall a lease, currently in draft form, for the pump station. She said the town has only looked at sewers to address areas that have had problems.
As one of her top priorities, Read said the town needs to adopt a plan that will address areas that are blighted or need revitalization, and work with property owners and investors.
“We will work to foster an environment that attracts private investment in Old Lyme and strikes the right balance between development and community, thereby ensuring a steady tax base that can sustain our wonderful school system,” she said.
Reemsnyder said the selectmen are close to passing a blight ordinance, which would go to a town meeting.
As another priority, Reemsnyder mentioned the Halls Road Improvements Committee’s work to develop a master plan that includes safety improvements and aesthetic improvements that would help retain businesses and attract new ones.
Whichever candidate loses the first selectman’s race automatically becomes a candidate for the Board of Selectmen. The top two vote-getters among the unsuccessful first selectman candidate and the two selectmen candidates will then earn spots as selectmen.