Joan D. Carey (Rep.)

Address: 1424 Orchard Rd., Berlin

Employer: American Airlines

Education: Bachelor’s Degree

Civic and professional associations: Town Council, Berlin Republican Town Committee

What is the most important challenge facing Berlin?

The voice of the people has not been heard. Through past budget referendums and even the most recent trash referendum [are] standing evidence to the arrogance of the current council. I will continue to vote my conscience while having the courage and strength to vote ‘no’ to terrible decisions. I recognize that good government is of, for, and by the people. Everything else is a dictatorship.

Why are you running for council? What are your qualifications?

I hope to continue my work as council member for the citizens of this town, [by] striving for and providing a “true” venue for their voice. [I will provide the venue by] encouraging participation through respect, listening to ideas and standing true to represent them.

Would you support raising taxes or reducing spending to balance the town budget?

[I would] reduce spending.

Robert J. Dacey (Dem.)

Address: 34 Magnolia Ln., Berlin

Employer: Retired (formerly Vice President Hartford Financial)

Military Service: Army during Korean Conflict

Civic and professional associations: ZBA, Original Charter Commission, Mattabessett District Commission, Board of Finance, Ethics Commission, Town Council

What is the most important challenge facing Berlin?

Financial management will be the most pressing issue facing our town. Our financial needs are many, i.e., Civil Rights Compliance and Standards for Accreditation for Berlin High School, also indoor air quality for McGee School. These problems must be addressed. Failure to resolve these issues will have a serious financial and academic consequence. Our roads and bridges infrastructure and public building infrastructure require immediate attention to avoid further deterioration an exorbitantly expensive repairs. These are only a few of the many problems that have a financial impact. This is not the time to have inexperienced individuals managing our financial assets.

Why are you running for council? What are your qualifications?

Having served as budget chairman for the last four years I have acquired substantial knowledge of Berlin’s financial system. This knowledge has helped contribute to no tax increases in two of the last four years. We are in the second year of the worst recession that the majority of our citizens have witnessed in their lifetime. It is extremely important that Berlin be represented by experienced individuals in these tough economic times. That’s why I’m a candidate for this critical position.

Would you support raising taxes or reducing spending to balance the town budget?

The town’s financial circumstances will dictate what course of action will be required to balance budgets over the next two years. It would be irresponsible for any candidate to say at this juncture precisely what course of action they would take. As previously stated over the past four years the current administration had two years with no tax increases. This was accomplished without any drastic reduction in town services. Economic conditions will determine where and how we spend our tax dollars. I will not sacrifice public safety, or [support] a weakening of the town’s educational system or deterioration of the essential needs of the town to achieve a political goal. This can be accomplished by fully understanding the town’s financial requirements and prioritizing accordingly.

Kari Maier Drost (Rep.)

Address: 249 Southington Road, Berlin

Employer: Owner of Precisely Right, LLC – providing business and financial management services to physicians and health care professionals.

Education: Bachelor’s of Business Administration from the University of Connecticut, Master’s in Health Care/Business Administration from Quinnipiac University

Civic and Professional associations: Treasurer for South Burying Grounds, Team Mom for Berlin Little League, Team Mom for New England Rhinos Youth Hockey, Member of CT Medical Group Group Management Association, Member of American Academy of Ophthalmic Executives.

What is the most important challenge facing Berlin?

Prioritizing needs while navigating the tough economic times we now face. We must work through this economic downturn without raising the tax burden on our citizens, but while maintaining the services all Berlin residents have come to expect from this town. We must prioritize spending and see that the needs of all of our citizens are met. The needs of our children are different from the needs of our seniors, but we must be careful to see that all residents’ needs are addressed. Meeting the needs of one group of residents cannot come at the expense of another.

This is why it is vitally important to be in touch with the citizens of this town. The council cannot effectively meet their constituents’ needs if they refuse to listen to what they are. That is where by strong team-building experience will be invaluable. These tough problems are best solved through a cohesive team approach that involves working together, across party lines, and with help and input from residents we are elected to serve.

Why are you running for council? what are your qualifications?

I was born and raised in Berlin, and am proud to be raising the fifth generation of Maier’s to live on our family farm. I decided to run for Town Council because Berlin has given me so much. Berlin is where my roots are and I feel that now is the time for me to give back to this town. Berlin belongs to its citizens, not to the Town Council. I would like to be a voice of the citizens and work alongside other Berlin residents to see that this town prospers.

In addition to being a lifelong resident of Berlin and seeing first-hand all the changes this town has gone through, I am also a business leader and hold both a Bachelor’s and a Master’s degree in Business Administration. I also have a strong practical, hands-on business and finance background with experience in managing large budgets and diverse employee groups.

Would you support raising taxes or reducing spending to balance the town budget?

Berlin faces many tough choices. We need to provide services to all our citizens and maintain all of our buildings and services. We need to support our children and seniors and all of our town employees from law enforcement officers to health care providers, and everyone in between. With this in mind, I would support reducing spending before I would support raising taxes. If we work together and call upon the expertise and input our town residents can provide, we can spend smarter, not more. And, we can do this without reducing services to any of our residents. My strong analytical skills, my business and finance backgrounds, and my practical, real-world experiences as a wife, mother, and long-time town resident can help Berlin to achieve this.

David Evans (Rep.)

Address: 1233 Worthington Ridge; Berlin

Employer: Northeast Utilities; as a sourcing consultant (buyer), I have developed organizing, coputer and negotiation skills through my business and engineering education and my experiences otaining services and equipment for GE and Northeast Utilities.

Education: Rensselaer at Hartford (MBA) and University of Utah (BS Electrical Engineering)

Military Service: Submarine Officer U.S. Navy, with honorable discharge

Civic and professional associations: Chairman Berlin Republican Town Committee, 2008-09; Certified Purchasing Manager; member of Connecticut Association of Purchasing Management. Other relevant volunteer work: Troop Scoutmaster, Church service as a Mission Leader, Bishop Councilor, Men and Young Men Leader.

What is the most important challenge facing Berlin?

Fixing our school deficiencies.

Why are you running for council; what are your qualifications?

I want to be a Town Councilor because I enjoy serving and helping others and because I want the best town services and schools for my wife and children. I’ve invested the past several years in understanding how our town and schools are being run and believe we have room to improve. I feel my skills and experiences are a natural fit for understanding and addressing Berlin school and town facilities issues and other business needs, all of which involve supervision and negotiation of contracts similar to my experience. As a town councilor I recognize I would need to understand and work with the managers, employees, and customers of the town and school and their suppliers to realize savings. This is what I do everyday for work and I believe if elected would help save the taxpayer money.

Specifically I am interested in being a town councilor who:

Respects your vote and listens to your ideas; budgets less of your money and gives you more say in the budget process; directs consistently applied business friendly standards; helps make available full and easy access to town and school expenditures; establishes spending and borrowing guidelines; addresses school and town building deficiencies; upholds our sexually oriented business ordinance; enables more readily available the recordings of town council meetings; enables more effective delivery of town notices via email, text, and/or phone, and seeks and takes action on community input on affordable community interests.

Professionally, Most recently I supervised and negotiated the establishment of major contracts for an electric transmission line construction project between Middletown and Norwalk helping it to be done under budget and completed early.

Would you support raising taxes or reducing spending to balance the town budget?

Reducing spending.

Frances Geschimsky (Rep.)

Address: 173 Grandview Ave., Kensington,

Employer: Retired Berlin VNA Manager/Supervisor

Education: Nursing-St.Mary’s, Waterbury RN, CCSU-BSN Nursing

Certified Wound, Ostomy & Continence Nurse (CWOCN) certification Wick, Penn

Civic and Professional Associations:

National, Regional & Local WOCN organization

Griswold Parent Club

Republican Town Committee

What is the most important challenge facing Berlin?

The challenge right now is the town buildings, infrastructure and roads are suffering from lack of attention. It is an unfortunate result of not doing things in a timely manner. Now we are in crisis mode because of accelerating problems, especially in the schools, and they must be dealt with now. If The Town Council had listened and planned when problems were small than maybe they could have avoid the predicament we have today.

Why are you running for town council, what are your qualification?

I worked in Town Hall for 24 years, much of it as a clinical manager of the Nursing Department. I evaluated, educated and guided employees in their daily practice. My managerial style is as a facilitator; I work well with people. I have worked with budgets, formulating and developing a department budget. I will promote greater accountability to ensure taxpayers are receiving the best possible services at affordable rates.

Would you support raising taxes or reducing spending to balance the budget?

I am willing to work on problems and recognize that we must cut spending and resort to more fiscally stable tactics. Low taxes every year is the goal. Much of the forthcoming construction, and building will most likely have to be bonded.

Our tax base is eroding, and we are heavily dependent on property tax. If we cannot keep our local business and attract more we are going to be very restricted with what can be accomplished.

 Steve Morelli (Dem.)

Address: 158 Somerset Drive, Berlin

Employer: Self-employed, Attorney

Education: J.D., University of Connecticut School of Law

What is the most important challenge facing Berlin?

Informing the community about, and being willing as a community to address, the pressing big issues that will have a major impact on our future. We face legal challenges (i.e. Very Intimate Pleasures.), we have facilities (physical plant) issues at our schools, and we have an ongoing obligation to continue to provide the services upon which Berlin’s citizens rely. To effectively tackle these issues we will need the input and support of our entire community.

That support can be garnered through thoughtful and effective development of the annual budget and an increased effort to increase community awareness and involvement.

For example, if we can manage to keep taxes low without cutting services it helps gain the faith and support of our community when it is asked to confront the larger issues that require long-term investments.

Why are you running for council? What are your qualifications?

I’m currently deputy mayor, and have been of member of the Town Council for four years. I’ve been through four budget processes.

As a result, I have gained valuable experience which I’d like to continue to use in helping achieve what’s in the best interests of my community. I’ve also been an attorney for over 22 years and have tried to apply that experience to help Berlin deal with a number of complex legal issues and challenges that we have faced as a town. Such issues included the legal battle over the attempt to locate a V.I.P. adult store next to a neighborhood and the zoning concerns regarding the proposed Broadview development.

Would you support raising taxes or reducing spending to balance the town budget?

Over the past few years the council, with a Democrat majority, has done well to preserve our services and help maintain quality education.

We’ve done this with no tax increase in two of the last three years, and a very minimal increase in the third. Our approach has been to look at spending cuts and increasing non-tax revenue before contemplating a tax increase. However, if despite your best budgeting efforts, you are faced with a situation where you are not able to maintain necessary services and quality education without a moderate tax increase, I believe that a responsible council would have to consider that option. I think only a person who is not thinking responsibly about this question could say, “No, I’d never support any tax increase.”

Charles R. Paonessa (Rep.)

Address: unpublished

Employment: Self-employed professional with 38 plus years of experience in all phases of heavy earth moving, pipeline installations, paving, and all other phases of site improvements, including environmental work.

Education: Associates Degree in Civil Engineering Hartford State Technical College, 1973

Civic and professional associations: Current President of the Board of Directors for The Re-CONNstruction Center in New Britain, Regional Manager for the ReUse People of America, Inc.,

Active member of the Building Materials ReUse Association. Supported Boy Scouting in Berlin for over 19 years, Member of the Berlin Republican Town Committee

What is the most important challenge facing Berlin?

In my opinion, developing strong leadership who listens to the needs and wishes of the citizens is a challenge facing Berlin. After watching the town struggle with minor construction projects and attempts at improving our schools, it is clear that Berlin needs leadership that will follow through on the larger issues facing our town such as: the needs of our students, our public safety, and of course our senior facilities. It is time for change.

Why are you running for council? What are your qualifications?

The citizens of Berlin deserve a better government. Continuing to spend more and more money on incomplete projects and applying regulations to serve the needs of political support is not acceptable.

My years as a businessman, and training as an engineer have given me experience in setting and keeping goals, problem solving, and completing projects at hand.

Would you support raising taxes, or reducing spending to balance the town budget?

As a resident of Berlin, I would rather reduce spending to balance the town budget.

Current practices of our Council are making home ownership out of reach for many of our long-time residents.

It is not fair to punish our citizens for wasteful spending by our government.

Bill Rasmussen (Dem.)

Address: 139 Redwood Lane, East Berlin

Employer: Ameriprise Financial Services (franchisee; self-employed)

Education: Boston College 1982; BA Economics/Theology

Military Service: None

Civic and professional associations: None

What is the most important challenge facing Berlin?

The costs of providing the services Berlin citizens need, expect and deserve as taxpayers increase every year. The most important challenge facing Berlin is to manage the town budget without cutting essential services or school programs; or raising taxes.

Why are you running for council? What are your qualifications?

I have chosen to run for town council because I feel I can contribute constructive dialogue to the decision making process required to effectively meet the needs of the town of Berlin.

As a financial advisor for over 15 years I feel my professional background qualifies me as a candidate for town council. As a resident of East Berlin for almost 15 years and the father of three children who have attended Berlin schools, I believe I have an appreciation for what is important to the citizens of Berlin and I look forward to the opportunity to work on their behalf.

Would you support raising taxes or reducing spending to balance the town budget?

I was a resident of Berlin in 2003 when the Republican town council implemented drastic cuts to the town budget to avoid raising taxes. The negative impact of those budget cuts was immediate and significant.

In an effort to balance the town budget, I believe reducing spending where feasible is prudent; to cut essential services, project funding and school programs is not. Balancing a town budget is more than raising taxes or reducing spending. It’s also about not being short sighted in implementing policies which sacrifice quality of life in the near term and jeopardize the economic well being of the town of Berlin and it’s citizens in the long term.

I support reducing spending as the best course of action to balance the town budget, but I would not support cutting any services, school programs or project funding I felt were essential.

Rachel Rochette (Dem.)

Address: 61 Ellsworth Boulevard, Kensington

Employer: Aetna, (occupation; learning consultant)

Civic and professional associations: served on Board of Education for two years before serving on the Town Council

What is the most important challenge facing Berlin?

While there are many challenges facing Berlin, I believe the most pressing is the state of our educational facilities. It will be up to the next council to develop a plan to ensure that all of our schools meet the needs of our children. This has to be done effectively, timely and in a way that does not place a huge financial burden on the town. As a current member of the council I have been involved with planning the solutions for each of the problems identified by the Board of Education. I have helped create a fiscally responsible budget that will allow Berlin to move forward and address these problems; overcrowding at Griswold, air quality at McGee, and accreditation and OCR review issues at BHS, keeping not only our children in mind but the rest of the Berlin community as well.

Why are you running for council? What are your qualifications?

For the past four years I have served the town of Berlin as a member of the Board of Education and a Town Councilor. Over the next two years, I hope to continue to work towards ensuring Berlin has fiscally responsible town leaders, exceptional educational facilities for our children, sound economic development, and open space for future generations. Recently, we have all felt the impact of the national financial downturn. We will continue to feel this impact for some time, and it is imperative that the leaders of Berlin show restraint in spending, while continuing the forward momentum the current council has begun. I believe that I, along with the other candidates on the Democratic ticket, offer Berlin the best opportunity for progress. As a member of the budget committee, we recognized the importance of planning for the years ahead. I would like to continue my work on the council to see those plans completed.

Would you support raising taxes or reducing spending to balance the town budget?

The largest responsibility a member of the Town Council has is to develop a budget that ensures that the town is able to run efficiently and effectively. That responsibility can not be taken lightly, as the budget must move the town forward without overburdening its citizens. Each year the members of the budget committee must determine what needs are pressing for the upcoming fiscal year and how best to meet those needs. There are times when these needs are minimal and the impact to spending and taxes is nominal.

However, there are times when the council will need to balance both spending and taxes to ensure that the town does not regress. When feasible, the best way to meet that balance is to reduce spending.

However, to reduce spending carelessly and without foresight, can result in valued services being reduced or eliminated. In such cases, based on input from the citizens, taxes must be an option on the table. As a Town Council member, I will always look to develop a budget that looks at spending first and taxes as a last option.

 Adam P. Salina (Dem.)

Address: 95 Spicewood Lane, Berlin

Employer: Kozak & Salina, LLC

Education: Berlin High School, Stanford University

Civic and Professional Associations: Berlin Town Council, The Hospital of Central Connecticut, Berlin UpBeat, Community Foundation of Greater New Britain, Berlin YMCA, Boys & Girls Club.

What is the most important challenge facing Berlin?

Berlin’s Public School buildings require repair and/or modification. Currently, we are in the process of correcting the air quality issues at McGee Middle School. This will require a new ventilation system for a portion of the school and the Town Council recently approved a contract for a preliminary design. In addition, Berlin High School underwent a review by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges and was also randomly selected for a facility audit by the Office of Civil Rights. BHS was cited on several issues which could impact its accreditation. These results require a number of facility upgrades in order to ensure continued federal education funding. Having been involved in numerous joint meetings with representatives of the BOE, I feel I have the knowledge and understanding needed to address these time sensitive issues.

Why are you running for council; what are your qualifications?

It has been an honor to serve as Mayor of the Town of Berlin for the past six years. During my first term, my main goal was to restore civility and respect in Berlin politics and create a healthy environ-ment to attract economic development.

Over the last six years, Berlin has undergone a revitalization of our downtown and refurbishment of older industrial buildings. Farmington Avenue has transformed with the completion of the railroad overpass, Stop & Shop Plaza, Walgreens, plans for the Veteran’s Memorial Park and approvals for Farmington Savings Bank and Liberty Bank. We’ve witnessed the old Matson building converted into offices. Another local landmark, Sherwood Tool, is currently undergoing a conversion to market-rate condos. With our low mill rate, we can attract new business to town, and though the entire country has felt the backlash of a down economy, I feel that Berlin is in a strong position to prosper in the future and I would like to continue to be a part of that growth.

Would you support raising taxes or reducing spending to balance the town budget?

I am in favor of doing whatever is needed to hold down taxes while maintaining town services for our citizens. As an example, last year we looked at a combination of a spending freeze, reduction in staff, and concessions from employees to accomplish a zero increase in the mill rate. This was necessary due to the difficult economy that affected all residents. It is irresponsible to make campaign promises regarding taxes when we cannot accurately predict the future. Each budget year presents its own unique hurdles that must be met in order to maintain our quality of life. Over the last 6-years, the democratic leadership has restored programs at our schools, properly funded capital items, acquired open space, and funded legal battles against Very Intimate Pleasures and Broadview, all while maintaining our high bond rating. The budget is not a “one size fits all,” but rather a process that requires responsible leaders making responsible decisions.