Amy Dent

Democrat, District 3

Personal Info: Age 51. 10 Country Squire Road, Sandy Hook. Executive Recruiter. Board of Education – 1990-1999, chairman, vice-chair; Legislative Council – 1988-1990; PTA Council Secretary; Support Our Schools; Trinity Church, Vestry, various commissions and Curate Search Committee.

What personal qualities do you have that you believe will benefit the Legislative Council? — Much of my adult life has been devoted to public service.  I’ve been a research director for a congressional campaign, legislative and administrative assistant to the Speaker of the House in Hartford, and member of various local elected and volunteer boards.  I love this town and as a Newtown resident for the last 20-plus years, local issues have captured my attention.  Years ago I was on the Legislative Council, when it functioned much differently than it has recently.  First as a volunteer and then during my ten years on the Board of Education, I was influential in building a highly regarded education system for Newtown. It is a system that is recognized both for its high performance and fiscally responsible budgeting.  In my recent tenure on the Board of Education, I was also very involved in evaluating the previously considered, rejected plans for Fairfield Hills (FFH), toured and assessed a number of the buildings, etc.  The use of FFH is a critical issue, which is not a totally new one for me. I strive to evaluate issues intellectually, not emotionally. I ask tough questions and have some experience negotiating. Once I arrive at a position; however, I will fight to see it succeed. 

What will be the council’s biggest challenge in the next two years? — While determining what will happen at Fairfield Hills will ultimately have a significant impact on the future of Newtown, I don’t see it as the biggest challenge in the next two years.  The biggest challenge is financing the needs of the town; Fairfield Hills is just one piece of that puzzle.  For Newtown, the war and the economic downturn will likely translate into less financial support from the state and federal government.  That shortfall will have to be addressed at a time when our growth is demanding an expansion of services.  The biggest challenge will be balancing those demands within a budget that the taxpayers can afford.

Do you favor economic development at Fairfield Hills, or should the campus  be used solely for municipal purposes? — The campus is large enough to be used for municipal purposes and still have room for limited economic development.  We can’t afford to have all that property off of the tax rolls and obligate the town for its continual maintenance. After the municipal needs are met, there should still be room for carefully selected, clean business to locate there; development that will boost the grand list and ease the tax burden on homeowners.

The proposed changes to the charter may fail on November 6 because of  confusion and concern over the need to implement the changes in just 30  days because of a clerical error. Would you be willing to reappoint a  charter revision commission next year to bring these changes before the  public again a year from now so that they may be considered solely on their merits? — The important issues that the Charter Revision Commission addressed deserve a vote. Unfortunately, the clerical error with regard to its implementation has significant ramifications.  Consequently, I believe that the charter questions should fail on November 6.  That said, I would support reappointing as many of the recently disbanded Charter Revision Commission members as would be willing to serve on a new Charter Revision Commission. The questions that they propose should be voted on by the public and be effective in 2003 as they had intended.