Patch Candidate Profile: Raymond Dunbar For Branford Board of Selectmen

BRANFORD, CT — Election Day on Nov. 4 is fast approaching, and there are a number of key races on the ballot.

Patch reached out to candidates for office to get more information on their campaigns and the issues that are facing their towns.

Candidate's Name:
Raymond Dunbar

What office are you seeking?
Board of Selectmen

What town do you live in?
Branford

Party Affiliation:
Democrat

Occupation:
Retired police Captain for the Town of Branford

Family:
My wife, Cindy of 47 years, and my two daughters, Alicia and Kelly

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?
No

Previous public office, appointive or elective:
I serve 12 years on the Branford RTM and presently serving as second Selectmen having been on the board for the past six years

Why are you seeking this office?
I am running for office again to continue serving the Residence of Branford in an effort to continue and improve services for the town. I found Branford politics to be relatively mild compare to other towns and I believe all of the candidates, no matter what side they are on are looking at the best interest of the town while serving.

The single most pressing issue facing my constituents is ____, and this is what I intend to do about it:
The majority of the people I speak to in Brantford, are concerned about their cost of living and taxes. I believe we need to continue to explore ways to help the retired community in Branford while continuing to maintain and upgrade infrastructure. This will need to be done by a group of people from all sides of the aisle to explore cost cutting measures that can’t be taken without diminishing services provided. I know going in that this is no easy task with no one answer. I know the Town has all the resources necessary to put a group together that can come up with workable solutions.

What are the major differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?
I think the major differences between myself and other candidates is that I’ve worked for the town for over 34 years as well as my serving the town on the RTM for 10 years, and for the last 6 years serving on the board of Selectmen. I have the internal knowledge of how Departments manage their budgets and what their necessities are from fixed Cost to discretionary cost. I also know the town side and the impact of the decisions made in honoring the requests from Departments and keeping the taxes at a reasonable rate. This is not something that you can learn from the outside. It is something that I have had the opportunity to learn from the inside, which gives me an overall understanding of how my decisions affect the departments as well as the residence of Branford.

What other issues do you intend to address during your campaign?
There are several issues that still need to be addressed in the town, including a permanent public Works location, school upgrades, and the completion of projects that are on the books and have not been done yet. One of my goals would be to request that the appropriate resources are given to Departments to ensure they are able to move forward with infrastructure projects that have already been approved however not yet done.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?
My accomplishments are retiring as a police captain, and having the opportunity to serve in many supervisory and management roles, giving me the opportunity to work with many people over the years. My time spent as the emergency management director for the town, gave me the opportunity to work with Department heads during crisis situations, giving me the working knowledge of what it takes should adversity strike the town, as well as building relationships with many local and State leaders. I’ve also had and still serve in Private organizations in a supervisory role, dealing with all types of Public issues. I have the experience needed to work under pressure during emergencies as well as the internal knowledge needed to perform the day-to-day operations of the town.

What is the best advice anyone ever gave you?
The best advice I was ever given, was to work hard and be yourself. And to listen before you act.

Is there anything else you would like voters to know about yourself and your positions?
I think I would say to the voters of Branford that they can judge me based on what they’ve seen over the years in my ability to work with both sides of the aisle. Building relationships help to build results.