About the Candidate: Jeff Hogan

Name:   Jeff Hogan                       

Party:   Republican

Position Seeking:  Town Council Chairman

Family information: I’ve lived in Farmington for 17 years.  I have two children, Conor and Brigit.  Both are graduates of the Farmington school system.  My wife Jennifer (Hawkes) grew up in town. 

Occupation, if applicable: I’m the Northeast Regional Manager for Rogers Benefit Group, a national insurance marketing and consulting firm. 

Political Experience: I previously served two terms as Vice Chairman of the Town Council.  I also previously served as Vice Chairman of the Raynham, MA Conservation Commission responsible for Inland Wetland permitting.

Why are you running for office? I enjoy public service and I believe that I’m well suited to this leadership position because of my past experience on the Town Council, because of my management and business experience and because I’m connected to the community with many other volunteer groups and experiences.

If elected, what would be your primary areas of focus? I’m primarily interested in maintaining the excellent value that is the town of Farmington.  We have low taxes, excellent schools, terrific economic development and great services.  I will focus on the strategic goals laid out in the town’s strategic plan since these were derived from a survey of the town’s residents. 

What issues or opportunities is the town facing today?

1. The issue of revaluation in town and the possibility of deferring results of revaluation to prevent against an immediate increase in taxes. 
2. The state is promising to spend a billion dollars in the UCONN enterprise zone.  This is an opportunity for the town to reassert the need to more appropriately classify the use of the UCONN properties to get more PILOT money for the town.  We must also work closely with the state on this proposed project to find revenue opportunities.
3. Programs and program analysis- I propose that we institute or consider policy spending and budget policy which would prohibit new programs and funding for these unless they are completely ‘cost neutral’ to the town.  I’d couple this with aggressive budget analysis to target for examination any budget item with increases above CPI. 
4. Pension policy- Continue to adopt a policy to encourage the transfer of defined benefit liabilities to defined contribution for new employees.  We must aggressively manage our legacy liabilities.  We can’t afford funding spikes in the pension.
5. We need to do a resurvey of town residents to update the strategic plan and its goals.
6. Continued focus on Unionville revitalization and the economic build out of the UCONN Health Center enterprise zone.  The UCONN projects will likely attract significant private enterprise and increase commercial valuations in town.  We must continue to focus on economic development.
7. Continued aggressive advocacy with the state DOT for traffic projects already planned for until they are completed.  We must prioritize our infrastructure projects.  Safety is our key goal. 
8. Close continued communication/collaboration with the BOE both to manage expectations and to ensure efficient budgets which support our collective goals.  Our excellent educational system attracts people to town and drives property values.
9. Capital planning and projects supporting our infrastructure-We need to aggressively prioritize key capital projects to benefit from pricing economies resulting from the down economy.
   

Anything else you would like to share?  I’d like to comment upon Republican leadership particularly over the last six years.  Six years ago we knew that our debt burden would hamstring us.  Republicans committed to a policy which has lowered our debt by 20% over the last six years and will cut our debt in half in the next five years.  Republican leadership has focused on aggressively looking for opportunities to repay and refinance our debt.  The town enjoys a AAA bond rating.  This is a positive. 

People really like Farmington.  We are a great town.  Republican leadership has provided excellent and consistent governance over many years.  I intend to continue that tradition.  Farmington residents get real value for the taxes that they pay.  It is essential that we maintain this value while keeping taxes low.