Polishing the New Canaan Brand

New Canaan is a brand. The value of everyone's home is intimately tied to the strength of that brand. If you want to improve home values, to the degree it's possible, that brand must be polished, marketed and improved. The downtown, the schools, brick sidewalks, freshly paved roads, even the dog walk are all ways to distinguish New Canaan from the other strong towns from Westport to Scarsdale. New Canaan must not just be the best but be KNOWN as the best town in Connecticut and, indeed, in the entire New York City area. Distinguished as the best, storefronts will fill and property values will rise.

I believe our brand reputation will far exceed that of Darien, Wilton, Westport and Greenwich as we continue to do three things well.

• One, we have shown that with the finest schools, beautiful parks and safe streets New Canaan is the best place to raise a family.
• Two, ours must be a brand of paved streets and solid infrastructure without raising taxes.
• Three, our New Canaan brand stands for a community, not just a collection of houses, a community that comes together to play on our ball fields, march in our parades, teach and coach our children, discuss over coffee, sing on God's Acre, honor our Veterans, protect our Seniors, and shop in our downtown.  We are a loved, and loving community and this is perhaps our strongest asset to the brand.

This is the essence of the New Canaan brand. I know this as a real estate agent but I don't get the sense that the town government is marketing our town that way. We might not have had to in the past but we need it in this day and age if we are looking to revitalize our downtown and rebuild the equity in our homes.

Part of the solution to most of the issues is the personal time and energy the must put into working with the merchants, landlords, citizens and experts. The role of a Selectman is much more than attendance at some meetings and votes on issues presented. The job SHOULD take a great deal of time and energy. Getting a group together to save the theater and bookstore may have been completed at a Town meeting but it was assembled through a lot of time and energy on the street.  

you heard from my opponent that New Canaan needs an advertising campaign. I said no. That is not a solution borne of personal time and energy. I countered that it would take more than advertising on Metro North to turn things around and I suggested that the solution will come about from successful public/private partnerships. What does that mean?

New Canaan has a long history of utilizing public/private partnerships to address community needs: the , the , the South Avenue Cottage, the Millport Apartments, and the new EMS building to name a few. If New Canaan's downtown is to be the vital center we all want, we cannot sit back and wait for things to happen. Nor can we simply throw money at the problem in the form of more studies and advertising.

New Canaan needs a Selectman who will listen to ideas and then lead with a sense of urgency.  New Canaan needs a Selectman who sees the role as an ombudsman for the town — a true representative, one who seeks continuous input and does something about it.

New Canaan needs a Selectman who is PROACTIVE, not one who merely weighs issues and reacts. New Canaan needs a Selectman who works closely with the , who is constantly downtown, listening to merchants & residents, discussing current & upcoming challenges. New Canaan needs an action-oriented leader. The role of Selectman is defined by the person who fills it. 

The people most vital to a vibrant town, the merchants and tenants downtown and the residents who shop there, don't have the time to come to all the town meetings. I make the time to come to them, talk to them, and I give them a voice despite their busy days.  

If this resonates with you; if you agree that the role of Selectman is something more than playing a waiting game; if you want a Selectman who gives you a voice, who makes the time to connect, listen, and then lead in town hall, then please vote for John Engel for Selectman. New Canaan is a brand and I pledge to connect, listen and lead in order to build that brand.