First Selectman Dan Steward Will Seek A Fourth Term

On Wednesday at 7 p.m., the Republicans will hold their caucus to nominate candidates for the election in November. Barring an unforseen circumstance, First Selectman Dan Steward will again be nominated again for the top post.

“I will make sure he is nominated,” Republican Party Chairman Brian Vachris said. “He’s done an excellent job.”

Steward will run for his fourth term, having first been elected in 2005. Unlike his first three two-year terms, this term would be four years, after a charter revision passed last November.

So far, Steward’s only competition is independent Kevin Ziolkovski (the Democrats caucus on July 26). Despite Ziolkovski having the endorsement of no party, and never winning an election for town office before, Steward is not taking his opposition for granted.

“Until the vote is taken, you never know where you stand,” Steward said. “To say I’m not nervous, would be overconfident.”

Priority

If elected, Steward would serve as first selectman until 2015. During that time, regionalization would be his biggest priority, while “trying to maintain a budget,” he said.

For example, the dispatch center could be regionalized with East Lyme, saving both towns money, he said. This will open the door for other regional partnerships, which is the future of town government and a cost savings to all, he said.

“Not only is there cost savings, but we can do things more efficiently,” Steward said.

Taxes

Under Steward’s leadership, taxes have increased every year, including a 4.5 percent increase this year. That is part of building five new state-of-the-art schools, at a cost of over $200 million.

“As long as you have the bonding we have, the taxes are going to continue to rise,” Steward said. “There is a long-range fiscal plan that says to pick up all the cost of the bonding, there will be a one mill increase a year for the next few years.”

This year, health care insurance was the biggest reason taxes rose, and the biggest reason teachers were laid off in the school district (the town and the board of education share the same health insurance plan). Several people, including RTM member and medical doctor John Foley, have criticized the town’s self-insurance model, pushing for a fully indemnified plan.

Steward disagreed with that, pointing out that a self-insurance plan is still cheaper than a fully indemnified plan. To keep costs down though, claims need to be reduced by raising co-pays, increasing education and making payments for employees comparable to the cost for the town.

For example, while emergency room visits have slightly higher co-pays than doctor visits, the disparity should be wider, Steward said. This will ensure people go to their primary care physician for non-emergencies, not the emergency room, which is much cheaper for the town. Also, if somebody is admitted to the hospital from the emergency room there is no co-pay, so people with emergencies should go to the emergency room, he said.

Additionally, co-pays, which are as low as a $5, should be increased to ensure people aren’t going for every bump and bruise, Steward said. All this will change behavior and lower claims, he said.

“Its really not the system that is broken,” he said. “More how people are using the system, and we need to address that.”

Also, to save money, technology can be used and make things more efficient, he said. For example, going to single-stream recycling did the work of two positions (eliminated through attrition), makes money for the town instead of costing the town money to get rid of bulky waste and is good for the environment, Steward said.

Finally, the first selectman needs to be business friendly, especially with Millstone, the town’s largest taxpayer. Dominion, which owns Millstone, is still angry that the state tried to tax it $330 million a year, and the first selectman needs to smooth that out, he said.

“I’m going to do everything we can to support Dominion,” Steward said. “They have a very sour taste in their mouth from Connecticut, and I need to improve that.”

Leadership Style           

Steward describes himself as more of a delegator than a micromanager, saying he needs to trust his employees. For example, Finance Director Rudie Beers and Police Chief Murray Pendleton, both of whom have over 40 years of experience in their fields, are both trusted and a source of advice, he said.

However, when something is not done, then it needs to be addressed, Steward said. You have to give people the freedom to do their jobs, but they need to be held accountable if they don’t get it done, he said.

Also, Steward stressed the importance of an open-door policy and listening to the populous. Knowing the public is the most important part of the job, Steward said.

“If you don’t know the people, there is no way you can be successful,” he said. “And if you think you know everything, that is totally unacceptable.”

Democrats' Take

So far, Democrats have not nominated a candidate to oppose Steward, as they didn’t nominate a candidate to oppose him in 2009. Steward has been overall a good first selectman, Democrat and board of finance member George Peteros said.

“I’d say the ideas that Dan has promoted have been consistent with the ideas of the Democrats,” Peteros said. “There has been consistency with the views of Democrats.”

Peteros’ one disappointment was Steward’s negotiating, saying the unions got too big of raises despite tough economic times. Steward has maintained that is the best the town can do, as arbitrators generally find for unions, but Peteros disagreed.

Additionally, giving the police union a contract with raises in March, at the same time the board of education was asking teachers for a wage freeze, was a mistake, Peteros said.

“I think his actions undermined the board of education,” Peteros said, later calling the deal “a rather generous contract.”

However, Peteros stressed that was just one disappointment. Overall, Steward has done a “fairly good” job, he said.

Democrat Town Committee Chairwoman Sue Driscoll called Steward “a nice guy,” and refused all other comment.

Quick Hits

Patch asked Steward a few questions about his six years in office.

Q. What is your biggest success in your time as first selectman?

“Settling the Millstone lawsuit,” Steward said. The lawsuit was between the town and Dominion over the assessment of Millstone. The town won, meaning millions of more dollars for Waterford

Q. What did you learn?

“That municipal government is not like business,” Steward said. Business is about profit-and-loss, while government is about service, and there are far more players who influence the outcome, he said.

Q. What is your biggest regret?

“Time spent at home,” Steward said, meaning the lack of time spent at home due to the long hours required for the job. Steward is married with four adult children and several grandchildren.