In his inaugural run for a major public office, Clinton First Selectman

Bruce Farmer defeated five-term incumbent Willie Fritz—one of the

longest-serving first selectmen on the shoreline—and became the first Republican chief administrative officer in Clinton since Virginia Zawoy left in 1991.

But Farmer says he is not interested in partisan politics, and despite a close and contested race, he maintains that when it comes to the town government’s work and activities for Clinton residents and business owners, “the partisan divide has no place at the table.”

A graduate of the State of University of New York and a corporate marketing executive for 45 years, Farmer has lived in Clinton with his family since 1983. Here’s what he had to say after his first full week in office.

Were you involved in politics previously? If so, when, where, and in what capacity? What made you decide to run for first selectman?

This was my first try for a position as first selectman. In Clinton I have served on the Inland Wetlands Commission, the Board of Finance, and the Zoning Board of Appeals. My wife and I have participated in community service our entire adult lives, on town boards, commissions, and committees both in New York and Connecticut. After I retired from the corporate insurance marketing world, I felt it was time to commit to volunteering in town government, and somehow I ended up being the first selectman of Clinton.

In a race that was extremely close—decided by a single vote—it would appear that Clinton is a sharply divided town. How do you propose to bridge that divide?

I believe the message from voters was that they wanted a change after 10 years. My voters came from all political parties and all ages, as evidenced by those folks leaving the voting area and telling me in the parking area that they voted for change, primarily—they voted for the person, not the party. Partisan politics has no place at all at the table. We do the work of the people as we move forward, with unity of purpose.

Many community members have expressed enthusiasm about your plan to hire a town planner. When do you plan to bring someone on board, what qualifications are you looking for, and what do you hope someone in that position will accomplish?

We are reviewing all aspects of working with town or regional planners and/or consulting planners in conjunction with our newly energized Economic Development Commission, headed up by John Allen, to determine the best way for Clinton to move forward with thoughtful, meaningful, safe economic development that fits our objectives as a shoreline community. Basically, we continue to do our homework.

What about economic development projects that are already in discussion or underway, such as plans for the old Unilever site and the existing Morgan School, once students have moved into the new building?

I don’t want anyone to speculate on these projects at this time. There are lots of moving parts. It’s very complicated, and you have to do it right.

In your campaign, you talked about developing a gifted and talented program in Clinton schools. Can you be more specific about that?

Ideally, my goal is to provide our new Morgan School students with a full-blown, comprehensive gifted and talented program. Our new Morgan will come online in 2016 with first-class technology. With the inclusion of a top-notch gifted and talented program, we will be able to provide a superior education for our students and promote the school to new families considering a move to Clinton. We must find a way to institute a program of this nature. As a reminder, Yale started in Clinton, and excellence in education must be one of our key goals for our students, since they are our most valuable and cherished assets.

What’s the most important thing you want Clinton residents to know about their new first selectman?

One of the most important things I want our residents and business owners to know about me is that as first selectman, I am working very hard to move our town forward with open communication, transparency, and respect for all. I ask for the community’s help and support as we move forward together. Let us take a new and positive path for the future of our great shoreline town.