nothin New Haven Independent | Cosgrove Defends Record At Debate

Cosgrove Defends Record At Debate

Marcia Chambers Photo

Jamie Cosgrove, Mark Rabinowitz & Jacey Wyatt.

Invoking economic development as a major way to offset the costs of services the town provides to its residents, First Selectman Jamie Cosgrove said at a campaign debate that Town Hall needs to be a resource for development, not an obstacle.”

First Selectman contenders Mark Rabinowitz, the Democratic candidate, and Jacey Wyatt, the Independent candidate, said Cosgrove didn’t go far enough. Click here to see the entire debate on BCTV.

Marcia Chambers Photo

The three candidates participated in a debate last week sponsored by the Shoreline Chamber of Commerce. Chris Velardi, a former WTNH television anchor, served as moderator. The debate took place at Fire Headquarters and was broadcast live by BCTV. About 70 people attended. Cosgrove declined an invitation to attend a previous BCTV debate held by the League of Women Voters. (Click here to see that debate.) And click here to read our story on the debate.

The 2015 municipal election, in which the town elects its government for the next two years, takes place on Tuesday, Nov. 3. The election includes races for town clerk, tax collector (Joanne Cleary is cross-endorsed by both parties) and other seats. The 30-member Representative Town Meeting (RTM) is up for election and some members of the Board of Education also face election or reelection.

One question Velardi posed centered on balancing economic and environmental needs. “How do you balance the needs for economic development while also trying to preserve key areas of the environment where people have their values of open space?” he asked.

Rabinowitz, who retired as principal of the Mary Tisko Elementary School, went first.

“I would like to see a lot more of biotech hubs. I would like to see a lot more small businesses. I would like to work with colleges in the surrounding areas … to get students who are graduating to see Branford as a great place to start a business.

“I think you can build an industry and still watch out for the environment. I don’t see them as mutually exclusive at all. You respect the environment and you respect the need for business development. And you find a way to do them both. It is not either and or. I think we need both.…”

Cosgrove, who ran for office in 2013 on the theme of bringing Costco to Branford at Exit 56,  said it is up to the Planning and Zoning Commission and the Inland Wetlands Commission to decide “if development is appropriate, not the first selectman. It is not the role of the first selectman to pick and choose who comes to Branford. It is not the role of the first selectman to pick and choose where development occurs and where it doesn’t. That lies with the appropriate body, Planning and Zoning and Inland Wetlands and the regulations they set forth.”

Costco"s master plan was recently approved by P&Z at Exit 56 by a vote of 3-2 and is now before the Inland Wetlands Commission (IWC).

Wyatt, a businesswoman and former model, now sits on the town’s Open Space Authority.. She said she has come to understand the town’s environmental needs in a new way. She said Costco should be in Branford “but at a different location.” The proposal for a Costco has generated much debate in town.

As for property taxes coming from a Costco, she said the store might bring in $300,000 a year, but growing the tax base should go far further. “We could be getting millions to the town with tourism. We should be building hotels in Branford and not waiting for $300,000 (in property taxes) from a Costco or a Target. I want to be out there getting people interested in coming to Branford, building in Branford.”

She said her plan would be to make Branford a destination, much like its hotels were in the 1900s. Becoming a destination place means increased business for restaurants, gas stations, and other shops, she said.

Rabinowitz said he, too, views the first selectman’s role as helping to develop business in town.

Appointments to Boards & Commission

Cosgrove said he stands by his decision to remove three long-term members from the IWC, one of whom is an expert in the field. Cosgrove and Selectman Joe Higgins approved three new appointments to the IWC just before Costco delivered its IWC application. Bruce Storm, the Democratic selectman, voted against the appointments. Click here to read the story.

Cosgrove said at the debate that it is a good idea to bring new people into government.

“My record stands for itself. I have 49 Democrats, 36 Republicans and 46 unaffiliated since I took office,” he said.

At that point Wyatt elicited laughter from the crowd when she wondered out loud about her reappointment to the Open Space Authority.

Rabinowitz said the most important factor to consider “is the experience and the knowledge of the people you are appointing to the commission. They can answer questions right off the top of their head. They know how to do the research. It is good to have experienced people on Inland Wetlands because they will know if we are doing things the right way.’‘

Wyatt said when it comes to Inland Wetlands there may have been other reasons as to “what really went down here… One party may say one thing. Another party will say what they want.” In the end, she said, “the developers want to make sure that the CEO of the town and others in town want to work with them.”  At the previous debate she criticized Cosgrove for the way he handled the Inland Wetlands re-appointments. “Let me be very clear, he did the wrong thing in how he did this,” Wyatt said.
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