2025 Patch Candidate Profiles: Ralph Tulis, Willington Board Of Selectmen

WILLINGTON, CT — Ralph Tulis is running for the Board Of Selectmen in Willington.

Candidate's Name:
Ralph Tulis

What office are you seeking?
Selectman

What town do you live in?
Willington

Campaign Website
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Party Affiliation:
Unaffiliated

Occupation:
Retired Profession Engineer

Family:
Wife Deborah. Married 34 years.

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?
Mom was a former town treasurer.

Previous public office, appointive or elective:
Conservation Commission, Planning & Zoning Commission (15 years), School Building Committee (2021-2023), Inland Wetlands & Watercourses Commission (2023-2026), Emergency Services Facilities Building Committee (current)

Why are you seeking this office?
Someone has to assume the role of a town leader in our form of volunteer government. My past & current involvements has fostered a good understanding of how our local government works and how all of local boards, commissions & departments collectively affect our residents. I hope to contribute to improving government efficiency while keeping a watchful eye on the financial burdens imposed on our taxpayers.

The single most pressing issue facing my constituents is ____, and this is what I intend to do about it:
... the looming costs of municipal infrastructure repair & updating, ...
Work with the EDC and the PZC to encourage appropriate expansion of our town's grand list.
Work closely with the CIP Committee and those submitting expenditure requests so that we can be reasonably frugal in those requests.

What are the major differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?
I think that my opponent and I, both being life-long residents of our town, have similar views. The major difference is in our willingness to devote time & energy to developing growth that preserves our oft-mentioned Rural Character yet balances desired programs against our ability to fund them.

What other issues do you intend to address during your campaign?
Willington faces 2 major issues to resolve - updating & improving our PreK-8 school(s) and our emergency services organization & facilities.
We also suffer with the same issue as many local governments - the lack of our residents involvement and contribution to our town government.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?
My tenure on the PZC taught me much about how development must balance growth against the quality of life and the preservation of our town's character.
My involvement in the last SBC spurred me to develop a measured financial analysis of how the cost of a new school would impact the taxpayers over the term of the bonding needed to pay for it. That analysis was NOT sanctioned by the SBC and ridiculed by some as being too complicated.
That same type of analysis was applied to the effects resulting from an overdue town-wide property revaluation. Dramatic increases in many properties' values led to serious increases in property taxes for many. I tried unsuccessfully to promote a phased-in revaluation that would have moderated those tax increases over 4 years rather than immediately.

What is the best advice anyone ever gave you?
This is a tough one, as I can think of a few pieces of advice that made sense and work. It's not easy to determine which was the best.
- Ask for the the 'world' and you may get half. (my mom)
- You can't push a rope. (a field superintendent)
- No matter what, keep getting up. (a former boss)

Is there anything else you would like voters to know about yourself and your positions?
Willington's population when I was born was just under 1500, an increase from the low of under 900 at the beginning of the 20th century. Population peaked in 2010 at just around 6,000 and now appears to be slowly decreasing. I have witnessed this growth over my lifetime and lament the changes in civic involvement and neighborly relationships.
Nonetheless, I recognize that this is considered progress and can see that many folks moved here because we have managed to retain some of the early town character. I hope that we can continue into the future and not lose that character.