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02/07/2011 11:00 PMOn Monday evening the Guilford Board of Selectmen unanimously appointed Guilford resident Sean Scanlon, 24, to fill a vacancy on the town’s Economic Development Commission.
“I am very proud to have been appointed to the commission and I look forward to getting to work as soon as possible on what will be my two biggest priorities: bringing new business to town and creating jobs,” said Scanlon.
Scanlon is a 2004 graduate of Guilford High School. After attending Boston College, Scanlon worked as a Victim Advocate at the Manhattan District Attorney’s office and has worked for Congressman Chris Murphy (Fifth District of Connecticut) in various capacities since 2009. At 24, Scanlon will be the youngest person serving on a board or commission in Guilford.
“I came back to Guilford because I loved growing up here and some day would like to raise my own family here. Sadly, many of the people I went to high school with didn’t come back after college and it’s not just a lack of nightlife that keeps them away – it’s also a lack of affordable housing and decent paying jobs. I believe we need to take advantage of our geographic proximity to New York, Boston and New Haven and try to create jobs in sectors that employ college-educated young people like myself so that we can grow the next generation of Guilford,” said Scanlon.
Having been raised by the owner of a small business, Scanlon also understands the value of helping locally owned and operated companies prosper while at the same time trying to bring in new business into town. “I look forward to working with my new colleagues and other Guilford leaders in trying to bring about new business, especially on the Rock Pile and at the old Fonicello’s site,” he said.
With the economy showing signs of improvement and the weather inching closer to spring, Scanlon believes businesses and developers will be looking for ways to expand into new communities very soon and he is glad to have been appointed at what could be a critical juncture in terms of development in town. “Regardless of whether you were for or against Costco, most people would agree that bringing some form of new business into town is a good thing. Now it’s just a matter of figuring out what that next business will be and what it would mean for our town and I look forward to being a part of that conversation,” said Scanlon after his appointment.