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Continuity of Leadership

I thank all the Charter Review Committee members for their willingness to participate in this important endeavor. We have many constituencies in our community and one of the most important is all the employees who keep our town running smoothly, many if not most of whom are also town residents.

In any organization, the leader may run the company, but it is the workers on the ground that make it run. To help make it run more smoothly over the long haul, these employees need and deserve continuity of leadership. That is very difficult to achieve with the potential for a new boss every two years. Replacing the paid first selectman position with a town manager may help alleviate this problem.

Every structure has its pros and cons, but I encourage committee members to give this one serious consideration. As we just ended March Madness, one of the winningest coaches in college basketball, Geno Auriemma, has been at UConn for 37 years. I am not suggesting a 37-year term, but continuity can equal success!

Justin Murphy

Madison