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Letter: Monroe First Selectman Thanks Community For Support

NORWALK, Conn. -- The following is a letter to the community from Monroe First Selectman Stephen Vavrek. The Monroe Daily Voice accepts signed letters to the editor. Send letters to monroe@dailyvoice.com.

Steve Vavrek won a fourth term as the First Selectman on Tuesday.

Steve Vavrek won a fourth term as the First Selectman on Tuesday.

Photo Credit: Contributed

To the Community of Monroe, 

I want to take this opportunity to thank the good people of Monroe for their confidence and support this past Nov. 3. I would also like to thank my opponent for his service to Monroe and also for running a spirited campaign. Elections are always about the future. I begin this 4th term with a renewed sense of focus and optimism towards the positive we have achieved as well as the lessons learned from this election. 

The people of Monroe do not want town politics to resemble our current state or federal gridlock policies. They want all public servants to move Monroe forward and they want us to compromise on issues without compromising on our principles. They want disagreement rooted in town issues rather than Monroe political parties. They want progress without prejudice. This will take a team effort and here is my commitment. 

I will continue to meet with all of our elected officials to emphasize that our, roads, buildings, vehicle, our kids and our schools are not Republican nor Democrat. There needs to be unanimous consensus to find efficiencies in non-educated related areas so we can make the investment in the things that matter most. Going forward I will ask for standing monthly meetings with the minority caucus on the Town Council to discuss openly their legislative goals, priorities and concerns. As I have done in the past, I will ask Democrats and Republicans for recommendations of candidates to serve on various boards and commissions. Saying this, bipartisanship needs to be tri-partisanship and I will continue my practice of recruiting unaffiliated voters to serve on town boards and commissions. This is my commitment. 

I cannot do it alone and I am asking everyone to demonstrate good faith and work together as a team. During the campaign, my opponent repeatedly stated that the Town Hall was not business friendly and we did not spend budgeted money wisely.

If you believe there are ways to provide more funding for education while reducing the overall budget and our taxes, I welcome specific proposals from your team as to how this can be achieved. While we won’t always agree, we have to know the substance of an issue. We need to know where we each stand so there is a baseline for dialogue. For much of the last six years, a lot was opposed with little offered as an alternative. In this new term I am asking my colleagues on the other side of the aisle to offer realistic alternatives and priorities.

Civility goes both ways. I’ve made my commitment to the Town of Monroe and I am asking my colleagues on the other side of the aisle to do the same.

Stephen J. Vavrek

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