A Teenager's View: Interviews with Tucker Murphy, Dan Radman and Claudia Weber

On Saturday June 25, 611 New Canaan Republicans came to to cast their votes for , , , Town Treasurer, , Board of Education and candidates.

In just a few days registered Republicans will once again have the opportunity to cast their votes in Town Hall on Tuesday, July 12 between 5 p.m. and 9 p.m.  Will we exceed that number? Have New Canaanites made up their minds?

With so much emphasis on the First Selectmen and Selectman candidates, I decided to write about candidates who are running for Town Council and Town Clerk. Currently, there are six Town Council candidates vying for four seats. Three are incumbents: Ken Campbell, Steve Karl and Tucker Murphy. Collectively known by the mnemonic word R.A.W., three newcomers are:  Dan Radman, Roy Abramowitz and Roger Williams. 

New Canaanites will have to choose between incumbent Claudia Weber and newcomer Jennifer Purdy who are running for Town Clerk. 

While all candidates were offered the opportunity to participate in this article, three were available to answer a question that seems to be on the minds of New Canaanites who remain undecided and have yet to cast their votes. Do we choose someone with experience or do we select someone new? Are we content with what the incumbent has been doing and, if so, do we re-elect them? If we are not happy with the incumbent, are we willing to try someone new? What is the advantage of experience? What benefit can a newcomer bring to the position?

Tucker Murphy, Dan Radman and Claudia Weber shared their thoughts with me:

Question for incumbent Town Council members:  Each of you has several years’ experience as members of the Town Council. How is this an advantage over someone who is running for the first time to Town Council?

Drawing on her public service experience from several areas of local government, Tucker Murphy spoke positively and fairly of cooperation, collaboration and a sense of continuity.

“The primary advantage that a candidate with years of experience as a member of the Town Council has over a new candidate running for the first time is an in-depth familiarity with the role and the processes of the Town Council as well as of the other town bodies that are such an intricate part of what we do as Town Council members. The proper functioning of the town requires a large amount of cooperation and collaboration between the many different parts of government, and as an experienced member of that government, I think I have developed the knowledge of and have earned a mutually respectful relationship which a new candidate can only develop over time and after much interaction. For example, I have been Chairman of the Town Council liaison subcommittee to the Board of Education for the past four years, after having already served on the Board of Education itself for four years prior to that. These experiences have been invaluable in providing insights and developing relationships that lead to a productive, cooperative working relationship between the Town Council and the Board of Education. New Town Council members may of course be able to develop such knowledge and relationships, but it will take time, whereas current members of the Town Council, like me, will be able to apply our experience and provide continuity to our interaction with other town bodies from day one.”

Question for new Town Council candidates: You have collectively called yourselves R.A.W. (Radman, Abramowitz, Williams).  As newcomers to Town Council how will you effectively work with veteran Town Councilmen to implement those changes which you feel are necessary?

Town Council candidate Dan Radman offers New Canaanites an objective approach to issues such as budgets, town planning initiatives and important Department of Education items.

Not one who would automatically vote along with the majority of his fellow Councilmen, he answered, “If I am elected to Town Council, I would very much look forward to working with the sitting members of the Town Council. I think it would be healthy and productive to have an additional objective opinion on the Town Council, not just someone who will vote with the 7/8's majority. This would apply to all subjects that the Town Council deals with, from budgetary discussions, to town planning initiatives, to helping steer through various Department of Education items.”    

Question to incumbent Town Clerk:  How important is past experience to the role of Town Clerk?

Running for her eighth term as Town Clerk, Claudia Weber emphasizes the importance of past experience as a vital part to the day-to-day function of Town Clerk. 

“Past experience is crucial” she remarked. “The scope of responsibility that the Town Clerk governs is enormous. There are more than 108 pages of mere references to Connecticut General Statutes that involve the Town Clerk and more than a dozen State Agencies to whom the Town Clerk must report. There are Federal, State and local regulations and laws that direct ever thing we do. Not only do I have a B.A. in Political Science, I have 14 years of experience as the Town Clerk and Registrar of Vital Statistics in all areas of the job including technology, records management, conservation and preservation, elections, land records, birth, marriage, and death records, among others, and former employment experience at the Federal and State level. Because of this, I know who to call and where to go for answers to difficult questions and have developed a long lasting rapport with others in this field.”   

The Republican Town Committee has put forth an extraordinary effort to make voting available for as many New Canaanites as possible. All candidates have good intentions for New Canaan but they need your vote.

The next voting opportunity will be on Tuesday evening July 12 from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. in Town Hall.  The final opportunity to vote will be on July 19 at Saxe after the 7 p.m. Republican Caucus.

Please come out and vote.  You’ll be glad if you do and disappointed if you don’t!