Old Lyme selectwomen announce re-election bid

Reemsnyder, Nosal each voted into current positions eight years ago

Old Lyme — First Selectwoman Bonnie Reemsnyder and Selectwoman Mary Jo Nosal both announced their plans for re-election as town executive and righthand woman last Wednesday.

“Since first being elected, our number one priority has always been finding innovative ways to improve our town while not putting an unfair burden on taxpayers,” Reemsnyder said in a news release last week announcing the plans. “And this year, we were proud to be able to sustain a low tax base while actually expanding services and building infrastructure through planning and grants.”

“We continue to build towards a future of financial stability,” she said. “And while we are proud of our accomplishments so far, we know there is still work to be done.”

Besides “keeping taxes stable” and “utilizing grants to help us deal with our infrastructure,” Reemsnyder highlighted other recent accomplishments as town executive in a recent phone interview, stating she’s helped oversee the first phase of streetscape improvements on Hartford Avenue in Sound View, the completion of a boathouse on Rogers Lake and the choosing of a new trash and recycling pickup provider after longtime vendor Old Lyme Sanitation announced it would cease its services earlier this year.

“I’m running again because we are not finished with a lot of things that I started.” BONNIE REEMSNYDER, OLD LYME FIRST SELECTWOMAN

Reemsnyder also detailed her and the finance board's efforts to start funding more than $600,000 toward annual road and infrastructure improvements along the town's 60 miles of roads, avoiding the need to bond for those projects and responsibly managing and saving money in the long run, she explained.

“I'm running again because we are not finished with a lot of things that I started,” Reemsnyder said, also summarizing state grants the town's obtained for local bridge repairs at Mile Creek and Grassy Hill Road, as well as ongoing potential improvement plans for Halls Road, which Reemsnyder has taken a significant role in forming.

Reemsnyder also widely is credited for her efforts helping protect Old Lyme as the Federal Railroad Administration considered running a high-speed rail bypass through the town in 2016 and 2017.

Reemsnyder and Nosal, both Democrats, were first elected into their current positions in 2011. Reemsnyder has served previously on the Board of Selectmen since 2003, while Nosal has not served on any boards and commissions before elected into her position.

Aside from her position as First Selectwoman, Reemsnyder also presently serves as chairwoman to the Connecticut Port Authority's board, previously serving as its vice president until last month, as well as the Port Authority's finance chair and co-chair of its negotiating committee, which led recent State Pier negotiations.

Reemsnyder also has served as the chairwoman of the Lower Connecticut River Valley Council of Governments from early 2016 to late 2018.

“I have relationships at the state level that I think benefit the entire community of Old Lyme,” Reemsnyder said. “It puts me in connection with the people that you need to talk to when you need to keep things moving along.”

A potential Republican candidate has not yet made an announcement to enter this year's election race.

The Democratic Town Committee is set to nominate its running candidates at its regular meeting at 7:30 p.m. today, while the Republican Town Committee has until July 23 to nominate its candidates, Reemsnyder said.