Tesoro: Trumbull voters ‘pretty happy’ with past four years
TRUMBULL — Though politicians often run a campaign based on upsetting the status quo, First Selectwoman Vicki Tesoro says residents keep telling her that the status quo is pretty good.
“One of the big things that I’m hearing is they seem to be pretty happy with what’s happening in the town for the last four years,” Tesoro said.
Tesoro, who is seeking a third term in office, is campaigning on a similar platform to the one won her reelection in 2019. She said she is focused on efficient government spending, increased development, increased walkability and more housing for seniors.
“I have a track record of success and my record speaks for itself,” she said.
Still, if there is one criticism she has heard while out on the campaign trail, it is concern over taxes. It’s a sentiment she’s acutely aware of and she said her administration has made efforts at lessening the tax burden.
“Over the four years that I’ve been first selectman, the tax increases averaged one-and-a-half percent,” she said. “And last year, the 2020-21 year, there was no tax increase at all.”
Tesoro said one of the ways taxes are affected is through Trumbull’s municipal bond rating, which is currently at AA+. The higher the rating, the better the interest rates when the town borrows money for major projects. Because the town recently added almost $2 million dollars to its fund balance, Tesoro said there was a good chance the town’s bond rating could soon be upgraded to AAA.
“You want to keep that bond rating as strong as possible, otherwise that causes an increase in your budget,” she said. “And therefore that’s a direct relationship to an increase in taxes.”
Tesoro also touted her administration’s achievements in several development projects happening around town, such as the development around Long Hill Green and new luxury apartments being built near the Westfield Trumbull mall. These projects will increase the town’s tax revenue, and have come about despite the lingering pandemic. That shows that Trumbull is an attractive place to do business in, Tesoro said.
And if businesses are looking to come to town, so are residents, based on interest in development projects currently undergoing construction, she said.
“They have lots of choices, and they’re choosing Trumbull,” she said. “That’s because this is a great town to live in.”
Tesoro’s challenger in the November election, Republican Mark Block, has labeled her a ineffectual first selectman based on what he called her lack of leadership due to the state of the landscaping at some town parks, and the purchase of land on Church Hill Road. Block said the purchase was lacked transparency since he claimed the residents weren’t told why the town was purchasing the land.
Tesoro brushed off Block’s criticisms and said Block isn’t offering up a different vision for the town’s future.
“He seems to be saying (he would do) exactly what we’ve been doing for the last four years,” she said. “That seems to be his platform. So I take that as a compliment.”