Dunn says residents appreciate response during emergencies

Brookfield CT

02 October, 2021

1:03 PM

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By Scott Benjamin BROOKFIELD – U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Greenwich) once told The Housatonic Times that the toughest job in government is being a mayor or first selectman. If that is the case, then why do the mayors or first selectman stand on the roof of the town hall and throw confetti whenever the turnout in a municipal election comes close to 50 percent of the eligible voters? To some residents they appear to be more anonymous than the Wichita Lineman. However, Brookfield Democratic First Selectman Steve Dunn said there has been far more interaction between local residents and the selectman's office over the last three years – as a result of the damages from the May 2018 macroburst, the initial phase of the COVID-19 pandemic and the recent surge largely attributed to the Delta Variant. There were the people with fallen trees in their lawns that received a portion of the $1..512 million in federal relief funding . . . The emergency workers who were honored at a reception for their efforts following the macroburst. . . The folks whose company closed in spring, 2020 and needed help from the $60,000 that was collected in the Brookfield Recovers emergency fund. . . The lady in her 80s who called recently because she needed help securing insurance funds to pay for the flooding damage in her basement from Hurricane Ida. While canvassing neighborhoods recently, Dunn, who is seeking a fourth term in the November 2 municipal election, spoke with resident Peg Ellis, who said, "We've been through a macroburst, a pandemic and a hurricane. All of the officials in town have done a very good job. I really appreciate what they've done." She pledged that she would vote for Dunn in the November 2 municipal election. He gave her a campaign button. Sacred Heart University Government Department Chairman Gary Rose, who wrote a book on the 2018 Connecticut gubernatorial campaign, recently told Patch.com that if the 2022 gubernatorial election were held today, incumbent Democrat Ned Lamont of Greenwich would win in a landslide as a result of his performance during the pandemic. As Dunn canvasses neighborhoods he distributes a brochure with a photograph of him and Democratic Selectman Sue Slater, who also is seeking a fourth term, that states: "With the Delta Variant and future mutations threatening our health and economy, stick with the team you can trust to navigate COVID and ensure Brookfield's future." Is their performance to the recent emergencies in town a calling card for re-election? "I think we've done a good job," Dunn said in an interview with Brookfield Patch. "People are recognizing that." Dunn faces petitioning candidate Austin Monteiro, a commercial real estate agent and fitness trainer, and Republican Tara Carr, a retired U.S. Army lieutenant colonel, in the municipal election. Following the 2015 election, when he defeated first-term Republican Bill Tinsley handily, Dunn estimated that 500 to 600 Republicans voted for him. That apparently didn't happen in 2019 when he outpolled Republican challenger Mel Butow with just 56 percent of the vote. Is it possible you could get at least 500 Republicans to vote for you on November 2? "It is more than achievable," he said. Dunn explained, "A lot of people tell me that they are voting based on the candidates' positions on masking and vaccinations." He said that the Brookfield clinic has vaccinated almost 10,000 people – roughly 80 percent of the residents that were eligible. By late May some area businesses posted signs that you did not need to wear a mask if you were vaccinated. Lamont had ended his twice a week news briefings. By the last week of June it appeared that after 15 months society could return to normal. On August 13, Brookfield joined a group of other metro Danbury area municipalities that reinstituted mask mandates as the case load grew, reportedly because of the Delta Variant. Ridgefield, for example, recently allowed vaccinated people to enter local stores without a mask because its case rate had declined. However, as of September 30, Brookfield's per capita case rate and the number of residents testing positive per 100,000 people was the highest, except for Bridgewater, among nine municipalities in the metro Danbury area. Dunn said his decision to continue the mask mandate is 'based on science. Based on math." He said once the town's per capita case load declines to 10 or less and the positive testing rate to three or less for two consecutive weeks, municipal officials can consider relaxing the mask mandates. Usually, the candidates have different solutions on addressing municipal issues, but they do agree on what the prime issue is. However, there appears to be a disconnection in this campaign on what is the highest profile issue. The recent headlines: Dunn/Slater brochure: "Trusted Leadership During COVID." Brookfield Patch: "Carr insists Brookfield Town Center 'was a missed opportunity.' " Brookfield Patch: "Monteiro objects to development of Brookfield Town Center." Carr told Brookfield Patch that the 198-acre central business district near the Four Corners intersection of Federal Road isn't what was promised 10 years ago since, among other things, apartment buildings are being constructed through all phases of the project. Monteiro said to Brookfield Patch that the Brookfield Town Center - which became possible after the 2.1-mile Route 7 bypass opened in November 2009 and significantly reduced the traffic at the Four Corners – isn't attracting the appropriate kind of businesses. Dunn said he thinks it is "true" that he and the challengers have a different high profile issue. "I think people are trying to make it a political issue," he said. "Everyone I talk to likes the Brookfield Town Center." Dunn said from the inception of the concept some years ago, Brookfield Village, near the Four Corners, would have commercial businesses on the first floor of and residential on the second and third floors. Thus, many of the customers for the businesses would come from a short radius. "The plan that we're enacting is the one that everyone in town approved," he explained. Dunn said initial site work is under way for a supermarket that will have 40 public parking spaces and may have a Starbucks on the parcel. He added that the area is simultaneously adding streetscape and development. Two streetscape sections have been completed with another four to be built. Two of those should be under construction in 2022. "It boggles my mind that a Republican and former Republican don't believe in responsible economic development," he exclaimed. Monteiro changed his affiliation from Republican to unaffiliated in July shortly before he began collecting petitions to get on the ballot. "Brookfield has two nice lakes, great schools, and a busy commercial area on the southern corridor of Federal Road that generates a lot of tax revenue and terrific recreation facilities," declared Dunn. "What it doesn't have is a New England-style downtown, and we're working to accomplish that." While canvassing, the typical greeting is: "Steve Dunn. . . The first selectman. I wanted to know if you have any concerns. . . There is an election coming up." Resident Bob Hegarty replied that he is concerned about municipal taxes. Dunn said that the mill rate only increased 1.52 percent for the current fiscal year. "We've been fiscally conservative," he added. "The Candlewood Lake School that is under construction is on schedule and under budget."