Letter: Thumbs-Up for O'Boyle in Somers

To the Editor:

When you've been on a job for three decades, you know a lot about the job. But after three decades you're part of the system; you're no longer bringing fresh, innovative ideas to the table. It's human nature.

The late 1980s was a long time ago; it's 2017 now and we need a fresh perspective in the Town Clerk's office which is why I'm so excited about Barbra O'Boyle's candidacy for Town Clerk. She's talking about customer service, technology and cutting red tape to improve the experience for all Somers' residents--regardless of political party or how well they know her personally. Barbra's outlined a very specific and modern vision for the position of Town Clerk in 2017, one that executes the core responsibilities of the role while reducing cycle time on requests and uses technology to increase transparency. Part of her platform includes using video and Facebook to communicate more closely with the citizens of Somers.

But Barbra's ideas are backed up by a resume that will enable her to drive results and deliver on her commitments. Her experience as a small business owner, paralegal, and organizer of events like Somers fest have honed her organizational and management skills. She's meticulous and disciplined and she's got an eye for improving clunky processes. She's talked about looking for opportunities to delegate more authority to the Assistant Town Clerk so that every decision is not required to go through the Town Clerk--only those issues that must for legal or regulatory purposes. This is a common sense management technique to reduce cycle time for requests and empower team members.

Barbra firmly believes that the Town Clerk must execute the responsibilities of the office apolitically and objectively. That means friends or associates receive the same treatment as everyone else. Barbra hasn't been in government for 30 years and I view that as a positive. Because in those 30 years she's built her leadership and organizational skills in the private sector as an entrepreneur, paralegal and non-profit leader. It's time for a fresh perspective in the Town Clerk's office. Vote for Barbra O'Boyle on Nov. 7.

Megan Davis

Somers Republican Town Committee Chairman

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