Dunn says over the last decade running Brookfield has become “more complex”

By Scott Benjamin

BROOKFIELD – Since he moved to town shortly before the 1983 municipal election, Steve Dunn is one of only two first selectman to serve more than two terms.

The incumbent Democrat is seeking a fifth non-consecutive term. He faces Republican challenger Karl Hinger in the November 4 election.

Dunn remarked, “The job has become more complex” than when he initially took office in December 2015.

“There are more rules and regulations. You have to do a lot more work to obtain grants,” he said in an interview with Patch.com. “The cost of things has gone through the roof. Getting budgets that voters will approve has become increasingly difficult We’re getting a lot of unfunded mandates.”

About 29 years ago he and his wife, Cassie established the Brookfield Track Restoration Committee. She was the president and he was the treasurer.

She was coaching the Brookfield High School cross country and track & field teams and the all-weather track, which was constructed in 1974, was in such disrepair that they couldn’t hold a home meet.

Commented Dunn, “We raised $190,000 in nine months. I learned a lot.”

He said for years the restoration project was in the municipal budget but it always got scrapped because of other priorities.

“What I learned is that you plan for the future,” said Dunn. “That is why I created a 10-year capital plan. We started to reserve money for big-ticket items.”

This is Connecticut’s first municipal election with early voting.

Dunn said that Secretary of the State Stephanie Thomas (D-Norwalk) has indicated that the turnout this year “across the state” is about 75 percent lower during last year’s presidential election, when early voting was utilized for the first time.

Dunn acknowledged that will make the Election Day vote even more important.

“We have had to more carefully target people by seeing who has already voted,” he explained. “We are focusing with phone calls and canvassing with people who have not yet voted.”

He said based on random feedback, the Democrats have gotten positive feedback from early voters – Democrat, unaffiliated and Republican – on their platform.

Dunn said in speaking with voters some are “concerned” about the increase in multi-family housing in the 198-acre Brookfield Town Center near the Four Corners intersection of Federal Road.

He said, “It is too late. Almost all of the projects were approved more than 10 years ago”

Dunn commented that the town has been planning for Brookfield Town Center since Democrat former First Selectman Ken Keller created the concept in the 1980s.

Voters approved a combined Planning/Zoning Commission in 2023. The change will take effect next month.
Remarked Dunn, “It is going to allow the town to coordinate the planning and design of Brookfield more carefully. “I think it will result in better decisions.”

He said more than a decade ago the Brookfield Town Center was a cluster of mostly empty buildings and some people “dumped their garbage” in some of the parcels.

How valuable are campaign lawn signs in a municipal election?

Dunn said he doesn’t think they add much to your vote totals.

“However, if you don’t have lawn signs, people will think they don’t have support and consequently not support you,” he explained. “If I had my preference, we would have no lawn signs at all. I don’t think you’ll a lot of information gathered by the number of lawn signs you see out there.”