To the Editor:

I am compelled to comment on Bill Furrier’s letter to the Hive a few weeks ago [“A Plan For Better Government,” Letter Hive, 10/2/09].

 I agree that Newtown has grown and the analogy of this now being similar to a large enterprise and that the town is being run like a small business.

 The reality is we have the budget of a medium-size public corporation and (as detailed by Mr Furrier) need to implement similar corporate techniques and strategies to manage this huge budget and the method and timing of expense execution. In particular, his reference to performance management is very significant. Achieving goals and delivering projects on time and on budget to guarantee a profitable return is rewarded with a vote for continued service by shareholders. Newtown taxpayers are shareholders. There are many private sector practices that can be quickly and simply implemented to improve government department procedures to reduce project and operational risk and attain greater return on investment.

 The fact that political organizations and public service are constrained by legal boundaries and regulation should not be prohibitory to managerial change. Most corporations are regulated and business entrepreneurs manage that oversight without impairing their vision.

 It is time for change. Status quo has to go. The two-party system in Newtown is broken and we need new blood to run our corporation.

 For those who still believe that successful private sector leadership cannot be good public administrators, I would simply point to the record of [New York City Mayor] Michael Bloomberg (Independent).

Professionally, I am a program manager in the financial services industry. I believe that the secret to a flawless delivery is 20 percent planning and 80 percent execution. Not the other way around. Yes, we need a long-term strategy for FFH and our educational system, but we need it now and start executing efficiently instead of continued bureaucratic procrastination.

Additionally, we need to perform these tasks in a highly transparent, collaborative, controlled and accountable fashion. You may recognize these words as the embodiment of the IPN slogan “ACT.”

I believe we need change and for this change to be manageable, measurable, and I want to see in detail where my tax dollars are planned to be spent instead of giving up a blank check after the bill has been received. This is why I endorse The Independent Party of Newtown (www.IPN2009.org), who gets my vote in November.

Sincerely,

Chris Phillips

5 Erin Lane, Sandy Hook                                            October 14, 2009