Republican Board of Education member and former Edmond Town Hall trustee Andrew Clure - "Andy" to his friends - did not wake up one day and decide he was going to try and run for first selectman.

"It definitely didn't happen when I woke up one morning," the candidate said.

Mr Clure is planning to vie for the local Republican Town Committee's endorsement ahead of a GOP caucus scheduled for Monday, July 24. Mr Clure will likely be facing off against Selectman Will Rodgers and Legislative Council Chair Mary Ann Jacob who are also committed to running for first selectman - setting up the possibility of a three-way Republican primary September 12.

Local Democrats appear to be united behind declared first selectman candidate Dan Rosenthal and his running mate Maureen Crick Owen.

In a recent interview with ire to seek Newtown's top elected post came on gradually as his involvement in local volunteer efforts post-12/14, an appointment to the Town Hall Board of Managers, then a successful run for and subsequent two years of work on the school board all happened.The Newtown Bee, Mr Clure said that his des

"It was definitely the culmination of knowing what I know, and seeing what I've seen through the years in town, and knowing that I possess a skill set that can build on the good we've already done, and bringing new ideas that can add perspective to the position," he said. "It wasn't just one thing that caused me to make this decision."

Following the Sandy Hook tragedy, Mr Clure said he jumped in trying to find a way to support the community, and collaborated on opening a free arcade in Sand Hill Plaza where youths and families could go for some distraction.

"My goal was to have it open for February through April breaks, so kids in town could have something new to do while everybody was still dealing with the magnitude of the event," he said. "And there was such an outpouring of appreciation and support from the town that we were able to keep it open through Labor Day weekend that year."

Mr Clure has worked in marketing and advertising for more than two decades, first commuting to jobs in New York City, and then taking a position closer to home in lower Fairfield County with the travel booking site Priceline. He has since relocated to Newtown with his wife and children, and now works as an independent ad and marketing consultant in New Canaan, primarily engaged in digital, e-commerce, and mail marketing for nonprofits.

He has put his marketing skills to work most visibly helping coordinate the on-screen marketing for all the Edmond Town Hall Theatre shows (his son even customizes movie trailers for the theater). He also helped the board develop a fiscal plan that involves balancing the annual budget with the demands of the aging facility.

"It's an old building and we need reserve funds in case there are emergencies," Mr Clure said. And even though he is off the Board of Managers, he still pitches in to help the organization test market new products for the snack bar, like his recent stint hawking ice cream in the lobby.

In a much higher profile avocation, Mr Clure has been a fixture on three advisory panels working toward the eventual completion of what is now a combined community and senior center complex. He co-chaired the original planning committee, then went on to serve with two subsequent advisory panels as the project first stalled, and then reestablished to complete the project more recently.

The first two years of his elected four-year term on the school board has also presented Mr Clure with challenges, along with an opportunity to learn about the district processes and operations, which he acknowledges requires "two out of every three taxpayer dollars" in each year's annual budget.

Seeing What Works

It was in those parallel capacities that Mr Clure said he continued to see what was working, and what was not, when it came to moving major capital projects like the community center and high school auditorium renovation to completion, as well as institutional and programming changes like making decisions about a proposed school closure, and most recently, reorganizing local school start times.

"Having kids involved in the school system, along with seeing the huge chunk of tax dollars running the district required, gave me the opportunity to learn how those processes work," he said. "I see the quality of our educational system as being first and foremost the most important thing for the town. If you have good schools, people will come to and stay in town and will want their family to grow up here."

Mr Clure said that he plans to retain his seat and remain active on the school board throughout the length of his campaign, and will only resign that seat if he is eventually elected first selectman.

His work on the Board of Education gives him a chance to co-chair the technology subcommittee, as well as participating as a contract liaison to the board in various contract negotiations. He previously was the board's liaison to the Reed Intermediate School, and he is now the liaison to the middle school.

0"I think that was a good move and represents a cost savings to the town," he said. "It's these little things, little changes we shouldn't be afraid to make. And look at the payoff for that little change: hundreds of families didn't have to drive to Danbury and fight for parking. And after the two events, families were right at home, so they had an opportunity to take the students out to local restaurants for dinner and patronize our businesses instead of the ones in Danbury."

On the other hand, Mr Clure said he is not afraid to stand his ground on issues he feels strongly about.

"A perfect example of that is, I was the only member on the Board of Ed that voted against automatically renewing All-Star's transportation contract," he said. "We'll be starting a new contract period this fall, and it has nothing to do with their performance, but the board voted 6-1 to suspend policy to not have to go out to bid - and awarding a new contract to All-Star. I was all about following the policy, but at the same time, how do we know we're getting the best service for what we're spending without at least going out and talking to other people?"

He said if elected, residents should know Mr Clure will be ultimately diligent, "working 24/7 to make sure we get the best services for the best price."

"We've got a long way to go with this community center, and a proposed project to build a new police station," he said. "So I want to be sure we look in every nook and cranny for ways to save money while delivering the best product in the end."

As first selectman, Mr Clure said he would work as a team member as well as a leader, letting the talented and dedicated town staffers and employees do what they do best, while helping to better facilitate communication between various departments, as well as to town residents.

"I think transparency goes hand-in-hand with helping make people better aware of what's going on, especially with big projects in town," he said. Mr Clure believes that going forward on any major or high profile project, local representatives involved in those projects should begin documenting questions and answers in a publicly accessible place from day one.

"That way, when we're addressing that project in a public arena like an information meeting, people with questions can look at the Q&A to see if the question they might have was already asked and answered, and maybe bring a brand-new question or idea to the table," he said.

Learning From Pat

Mr Clure said he has learned a lot working closely with and observing outgoing First Selectman Pat Llodra, particularly over how she administered the community center process. And he paid a lot of attention in public meetings, keying in on the town's Capital Improvement Plan and the process by which capital projects are planned and eventually, if budgets permit, come to fruition.

"I think anybody in town can decide for themselves how much or how little they want to be involved in the process of what we do as a government," he said. "But anyone who wants fine details should be able to get them if they are public. For example, we should be publishing how many bidders we got for demolishing Canaan House, and how much they bid. Not just say it was awarded to their lowest bidder.

"That will address any critics who might think we awarded it to somebody's buddy, by showing them the process and how hard we worked to do the due diligence on it, and then to communicate information about the talented people who are managing these projects," he added.

In closing, if elected, Mr Clure said he will not begin learning the job upon being sworn in on December 1.

"I will have almost a month to work with Pat, to learn about all the projects going on and their priorities," he said. "But the most important thing will be the five-year anniversary [of 12/14], which will happen right after the new first selectman takes office."

If that post is handed to him by local voters, Mr Clure said he will continue whatever work or conversations that are ongoing to be in touch with the families most immediately affected to be sure the community as a whole handles the five-year mark with sensitivity and respect.

And it will be jumping feet-first into the upcoming budget process, talking with department heads, and determining how the town will proceed into the process with all the unknowns that may face the community regarding any funding that may still be coming from Hartford, if any.

"Probably the biggest thing I see as the role of a first selectman, is being a manager of the operation, having confidence in all the great people we have here managing our departments, and being a good teammate," he said. "They have important roles, and I will be there to be sure they will be successful in handling those roles."