To the Editor:www.newtownrepublicans.org.

I am writing to ask the you, the voters, to support the team of Armel Kouassi, Sandy Roussas, Mark Boland, and Robert Licata for the Board of Finance (BOF) on November 7. While I know it's unusual for an endorsement to be for an entire ticket, I'd ask you to consider some critical issues. The BOF is defined in our charter this way: "The BOF advises….all Town Bodies on preferred financial practices and obligations. The BOF also reviews and assesses financial operations including transfers, regular and special appropriations." As chairman of the Legislative Council, I can tell you that advice and expertise is critical to the board on which I serve as we work to balance the financial priorities for our community. We have struggled the last two years without their strong, nonpolitical guidance and have been forced to take on some of that responsibility in its absence.

We need to restore the BOF to its intended role by voting for members who do not have political agendas, and who do have a combination of experience, subject matter expertise, zero political aspirations, and critical thinking skills. This team has that. Mark Boland has extensive expertise in managing complex and growing businesses, including budgeting, reporting, establishing controls, monitoring variations of actual results against planned results and reacting to adverse conditions. Sandy Roussas has extensive litigation experience, which has given her the expertise of formulating solutions to existing problems, working with experts in various fields and negotiating favorable settlement terms. Her experience also gives her the ability to identify potential risks and to take actions to avoid or mitigate those risks. Robert Licata has managed multimillion-dollar budgets using sound fiscal practices and balancing the need for investing in critical area while finding a way to reduce costs. Armel Kouassi, as a director of State Street Bank has managed billions of dollars of assets and multimillion-dollar budgets. They are all parents, most with young children, all of whom have, or will make their way through our public school system.

Newtown and Connecticut face unprecedented challenges in the coming years. We need volunteers who are committed to our community, have the right mix of skills, and who don't believe a political agenda has any place in how we manage our town finances. I hope you'll take more time to learn about these candidates and support them on November 7. I know I will. See their full bios at

Please know that I never speak on behalf of the Legislative Council and my comments are always my own. They do not represent those of the other members of the Legislative Council.

Let's bring the right skill set back to the Board of Finance.

Sincerely,

Mary Ann Jacob

65 Mohawk Trail, Sandy Hook         September 27, 2017