By Richard Kaufman
Sentinel Reporter
For the first time since the Democrats held one more than two decades ago in 1993, the Board of Estimate and Taxation will hold a primary, this time for the Republicans, prior to the general elections in November.
The BET is responsible for the proper administration of the financial affairs of the town, including the issuance of the annual recommended budget and setting the town tax mill rate. The board also acts on requests for additional appropriations, transfers and allotments made during the fiscal year.
Under normal circumstances, each party selects six candidates for the 12-person board. However, the Republican ticket now stands at seven thanks in part to incumbent Leslie Tarkington.
Joining Tarkington will be fellow incumbents Michael Mason, chair of the BET; Nancy Weissler and William Drake. Newcomers include Debra Hess, Andy Duus and Karen Fassuliotis.
Tarkington, who has served on the BET for 11 years, wasn’t nominated for re-election by the Republican Town Committee. However, she exercised her right to seek a petition-candidacy, which she successfully obtained earlier this month.
Tarkington collected 973 valid registered Republican signatures by the Aug. 9 deadline, over 50 percent greater than 637 signatures required. Tarkington said her campaign was “broad based and grass roots” and that she was “heartened and touched by the warm outpouring of support” from the community which encouraged her to initiate the campaign to gain access to the ballot.
Tarkington currently serves as a member of the Budget Committee, chairman of the BET Law Committee, and has extensive experience in public service and town government. She also has years of financial experience which she feels is an important asset to the BET.
Tarkington said she’s proud of her track record of service to the Greenwich taxpayer, and hopes to continue that record for another term.
“My goals serving as a member of the BET have been and will continue to be to control the financial demands on Greenwich taxpayers, to maintain the town’s infrastructure, and to preserve the residential quality of life in Greenwich,” she said. “I am known to be tenacious on these fronts and a team player who works cooperatively with fellow BET members, the Board of Selectmen, RTM members, and Town Hall staff to achieve these goals for the town.”
Mason, the current chairman of the BET, has served on the board since 2004. Prior to that, he was a member of the Republican Town Committee. Mason noted that the town is in a good financial position now as they prepare for challenges ahead, and that there’s concern amongst residents about the impact of taxes — not just from Greenwich tax bills.
“It could be fuel tax, real estate tax sales increasing, it could be income tax,” Mason said. “I think there’s a big concern in the town and I think we need to continue to address the spending in the town to be prepared for that.”
Mason said he plans on relying on social media, direct emails to friends, family and other connections throughout town to get the word out about the upcoming primary. “I’m going to reach out to everybody I know as best I can and ask them for support.”
Weissler, who has served on the BET for four years, was also a member of the RTM and the Board of Education, where she served as the chair for two of her four years. She’s currently the chair of the BET Human Resources Committee and is on the First Selectman’s Health Benefits Task Force.
“I’d like to think that I bring some experience, but I also bring a track record,” she said. Weissler worked as a managing director at JP Morgan and focused on securities research and budgeting. Overall, she has 25 years of experience in financial analysis.
“I would love to do this again,” Weissler said. “Some people have other hobbies, I like to get spreadsheets out and like to work on things like this. I’ve found it [to be] interesting work, but I think there is a learning curve and I feel certainly at this point, four years into it, I’m a more productive member and would hope to be able to contribute to the town in the upcoming two years.”
Drake, who has been an investor for the past 29 years and is a lifelong Greenwich resident, has served on the BET since 2013. He’s also the chair of the Investment Advisory Committee, a member of the HR Committee, and vice-chair of the New Lebanon School Building Committee.
Drake said his goal as a member of the BET is to preserve the best of what Greenwich is known for.
“I’d like to see us preserve Greenwich as the best town to live in in this whole area,” he said. “For the citizens of Greenwich, the basic bargain with the town is we’re going to provide excellent education, excellent facilities, really fine public safety services and we’re going to do it with a tax burden that works for everybody.”
Duus serves on the RTM as well as the Budget Overview Committee. He spent most of his professional career as an investment banker with Goldman Sachs, and retired in 1996. Duus said it wasn’t until a few years ago when he started noticing issues at the state level that he got involved with politics.
“I think I have perspective that’s a little bit different than the [other candidates]. I’ve spent a lot of time over the last couple years thinking about the issues at the state level,” he said, pointing out a public PowerPoint presentation he gave on the state’s financial crisis in March of 2016 under the sponsorship of the League of Women Voters.
Duus then became active with the RTM, and ultimately decided to jump on the BET ballot.
“Even though we have a very high grand list, I think the second lowest mill rate in the state, we’re still paying among the highest in taxes. We’re just concerned about the direction and that’s what prompted me to get on the ballot here for the BET this coming September,” he said.
Fassuliotis and Hess could not be reached by press-time. Fassuliotis is a local attorney who has served on the RTM as the chair of the Health and Human Services Committee and is the current vice chair of the Transportation Committee. Hess has been a member of the RTC in District 6.
The primary will take place on Tuesday, Sept. 12. Polls will open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Absentee ballots are now available.
