Town Council Candidate: Dean Antipas

Editor's note: Seventeen candidates are running for 9 seats on the Groton Town Council on Nov. 8. Below is a Q&A with one of the candidates.

Name:  Dean G. Antipas

Age:  49

Education:  Bachelor's degree in Engineering, University of Connecticut; Juris Doctor, Pace University School of Law; formal training in alternative dispute resolution.

Work Experience:  Self-employed attorney at law for the last 15 years; formerly associated with Garcia & Milas, P.C., New Haven; formerly project engineer and manager, Chas H. Sells, Inc., Bedford Hills, New York; panel arbitrator; mediator; course lecturer.

Civic/Political Experience:  Councilor, Town of Groton (2009); Groton Town Council Contract Negotiation Liaison to Board of Education; Chairman, Groton Task Force on Ethics; Election Moderator; member, Parish Council, St. Sophia Church; Board of Directors, AHEPA 110, Inc. (management of low-income elderly housing); Board of Directors, AHEPA Norwich Foundation, Inc. (management of scholarship and charitable donations); Chairman, Scholarship Selection Committee, Yankee District 7, Order of AHEPA; Board of Directors, Family Counseling of Greater New Haven, Inc. (outpatient psychiatric and family counseling).

Family:  Married for 20 years; 3 children (ages 11, 8 and 5).

Why are you running for this office?  As a long-time resident of choice, here to stay, as a father of three young children and as the owner of a local business, I have a deep interest in seeing Groton not just survive these tough times, but flourish.  I would bring to the Groton Town Council many years of experience working as an engineer on public works projects, as an attorney representing individuals and small businesses in tough battles, as a volunteer helping to manage family counseling and elderly housing projects, as a negotiator bridging differences and as a former town councilor.  I also hope to bring a little prudence, some common sense, and a great willingness to listen.  Quite simply, I want to do my part, and this is the best way I know how.

What do you believe is the greatest challenge Groton faces today, and what would you do to meet this challenge?  The near- and medium-term outlook for the state and federal economy is, to put it mildly, not good.  In addition, Connecticut’s economy has historically lagged behind any national economic recovery.  I trust that in the long term our inherent strength and genius as a people will see us through to better times.  In the meantime, fiscal responsibility has never been more critical.

No matter the need or wish, everything Groton does comes down to finances.  Personal finances work themselves out simply:  you can’t spend what you don’t have.  Town finances are not similarly constrained.  The budget cycle begins with a consideration of expenses, then moves on to identification of outside revenue sources (e.g., state and federal grants), and finally a consideration of what sum is to be raised from the Grand List to make up the roughly two thirds difference.  Seemingly the only protection afforded the average taxpayer is a common desire on the part of Groton’s officials to “keep taxes down”.  Does this work?  Ask the average taxpayer.

As a councilor, I would advocate the adoption of (a) a revenue amount at the outset of the budget process against which expenses must be matched, and (b) a system, such as priority-based budgeting, for considering those expenses.  This should be done in active cooperation with the RTM, Board of Education, and the town’s subdivisions.  This is a sounder approach to making sure the desire of taxpayer protection is realized while providing an acceptable and affordable level of services, including education, for our citizens.

A related, but no less important challenge, is diversification of the Grand List.  Reliance on a small number of major taxpayers is ever more precarious.  As councilor I would support development and conservation plans that strike the proper balance between healthy development that diversifies the tax base and provides jobs, and the preservation of open space that makes Groton a great space to live.

How would you rate the performance of the current board overall, and what, if anything, would you do differently?  The present Town Council must be credited with several things.  First, all nine represent fairly diverse points of view on a wide range of issues, yet manage to work together and disagree with each other cordially without the fireworks displayed in similar bodies elsewhere. Second, the councilors have managed to keep party politics out of their considerations of the issues facing the town.  Finally, whether one agrees or not with this or that decision, councilors appear to go about their business with a reasonable level of conscientiousness. 

As a councilor, I would consider the following improvements:  (a) adopt a revenue amount at the start of the budget cycle so that if the council’s goal is to not raise taxes, the Town Manager, Board of Education, and subdivisions have a guide in crafting their respective budget components; (b) keep a tighter rein on matters delegated to subcommittees; and (c) formally consider new ideas from other jurisdictions on town finance and governance.