Candidate Q&A: Todd Matt

Name: 

Todd Matt

Party, Position Seeking: 

Democrat – Board of Finance

Background:

I hale from the state of Ohio but grew up in the town of Simsbury, Connecticut and have built a strong attachment to the Farmington Valley. I attended the University of Connecticut, where I received a BS in Finance. Shortly after starting my professional career in the financial services industry I received a MBA from the Barney School of Business at the University of Hartford.

My free time is spent with a vast array of family and volunteer activities. I am an active board member of the University of Connecticut, Business Graduate School FAAB, plus an active volunteer and fundraiser for the United Way and The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp organizations. My previous volunteerism has included the Canton High School Graduation Committee, Boy Scout merit badge counselor, youth soccer coach and many school committees.

Family information:

I am married to a truly remarkable person, my wonderful wife Lisa. She is an extraordinary and accomplished real estate broker/agent who also owns and operates two other successful businesses. Her greatest joy is helping to bring happiness to those around her, whether through business, personal contacts or with our family. Her credo is “It’s a Good Life” and she lives it every day.

Lisa and I have four amazing children. Each of them with special skills and abilities that we nurtured as they have grown. Our oldest daughter, Leah, is completing her PhD in Pharmacy at the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy. Our next daughter, Dena, has begun her law degree at Harvard. Our son Tyler is attending Clemson University pursuing a degree in Bioengineering and our youngest daughter, Morgan, is completing her senior year of school at Canton High and plans to pursue a degree in industrial design.

I have two sisters, Kim and Michelle. Kim works in the Vernon school system, and her husband Dan is currently serving our country in Afghanistan. My younger sister Michelle lives each day with a smile finding the good in everyone, and fulfilling her days working for the McLean Home in Simsbury.  

Occupation: 

My professional experience has been focused within the Finance and Operations areas of several fortune 500 companies, which include the Travelers Insurance Company and Aetna. I currently work for Optum, the service division of UnitedHealth Group overseeing operations and the integration of new business acquisitions. Through my current and prior roles with these organizations I have had the opportunity to work beside many great individuals and mentors who have imparted their knowledge with me. Combining this knowledge with my other skills has allowed me to work across matrixed organizational structures where my successes have been measured in outcomes.

There are vast arrays of issues that are facing our town. To try and list them, and propose solutions here would be short sighted. It is my belief that as a member of the Board of Finance we will be able to solve many of them.  It will take several years to solve them, and we must be pragmatic on what can be achieved in a given period of time but it can be done.

It is my belief that through my experiences, skills and knowledge I can help the town achieve its goals through financial planning and establishing a prudent roadmap to follow. Working across the parties and various town organizations, and identifying town priorities before taking action, will be key to Canton’s future prosperity. A wise man once said, “Success depends upon previous preparation, and without such preparation there is sure to be failure.”

Political Experience, if applicable: 

It’s fair to say that I have no formal political experience. Some may find this to be a detractor but it also allows me to approach issues with no agenda and no hidden motivations. My practical experience has been developed through years of work with project teams, committees and boards within the business sector.   Many of these experiences have carried a great deal of political overtones and can be justified as applicable experience.

Throughout my career, my financial and business experience has always been focused on results. I view my participation on the Board of Finance as nothing less. There are challenges that need to be faced including bonding, rolling expenditures, business development, and infrastructure rehabilitation.  Expenditures and revenue in business need to be balanced. The same holds true for our household budgets, things must balance. If borrowing is needed to facilitate town repairs or expansion, it must be balanced against our ability to repay that debt and as a town we cannot spend beyond our means. If our plan is to grow as a town, there will be an initial cost for development, and we will need to determine how we want to balance this effort against other priorities.

My focus will be on prioritizing the “right” initiatives and applying the “right” solutions with the collaboration of other town organizations.

Other Relevant Experience, Community Service: 

My community service was focused on coaching and mentoring during my children’s early years. Whether as a soccer coach, Boy Scout merit badge councilor or a school committee member I could be found actively involved.  As our children have grown I have turned my time to larger and more formidable volunteer efforts. Sometimes this involves helping to renovate a home of someone less fortunate, or repair a shelter for the homeless or raise funds for critically ill children.

The giving of my time to these endeavors provides a sense of being and purpose. Helping someone learn a new skill, mentoring a young adult, or having an opportunity to aid someone through a difficult time in his or her life has tremendous meaning. I look forward to doing more community service and volunteerism in the years to come.

Why are you running for office? 

When our family moved to Canton 5 years ago we were enamored with the quality of the schools and the character of the town compared to other valley towns.  We experienced a sense of being welcome and our children felt they could call this new town home.  Over the past few years however we have watched as the towns’ infrastructure as deteriorated, revenues have come to a standstill, priorities have been misdirected and all while expenses have continued to grow.

Homeowners have for an extended period of time carried a disproportionate portion of the tax burden. We need to build the requisite roadmap that identifies the town’s priorities, ranks them and applies the right action steps to carry them out.  Business development is crucial to Canton, but we need to map that vision with a goal in mind, and then execute the steps to fulfill the vision.

I believe that by applying my education, business skills and past experiences I can make a difference. By working with other members of our town we can restore the charm and character that brought our family to this town.  Our family has had some incredible memories in the short time we’ve lived here and we want those to continue. I want to be one of the people to make that happen.

What skills do you have that you could bring to the community?

The primary skills I bring to the community include common sense, financial acumen, tactical and strategic vision and a solid understanding of business process.  In addition, I bring the skills of negotiation, collaboration and facilitation through many years of hands on experience.  But most importantly, I have the skill of working to solve problems and issues through teamwork.  We all want what is right, not for individual selves, but for our town.

If elected, what would be your primary areas of focus?

If elected to the Board of Finance I see there being three primary areas of focus:

First, working with other town boards and committees to create an actionable and financial prudent town development plan. The plan being aligned to town priorities, goals and objectives but with carefully crafted process steps built one upon the other. Each of these steps will reinforce the framework of the longer-term plan. Through this plan the town will be able to begin to shift the revenue burden away from homeowners.

Second, as a board member a full review of all town expenses should be undertaken. Once the required information has been gathered, open and transparent discussions can be held with all town departments to review those expenses. The goal being to determine what is truly needed versus what is wanted. The message is very clear that infrastructure is a top priority, but so are schools, parks and athletics.  How those priorities are paid for will be important decisions.

Finally a thorough review of the current budget and town services should be undertaken. Some options may need to be explored to determine what services are critical, what could be reduced or consolidated, and potentially what could be regionalized.

The areas of focus will be challenging, sometimes difficult and possibly confrontational, but they need to be explored with the goal of solving them.  We know we can not maintain the status quo.

Name something the town has done well over the past four years.

Over the last four years the town of Canton has done a number of things well and should be proud of their recognition. First is the elevation of the school system to being recognized nationally. This notoriety is a strong attraction to families as they compare Canton to other towns. We should also be extremely proud and feel fortunate for the recognition and level to which our school music programs have risen. Consistently winning awards year after year doesn’t happen by accident. Another item that has been done well is the prudent acquisition of open space in areas that make sense, plus the formal establishment of bike trails through town.

What is something the town could have done better during the past four years?

One the opposite side of the coin though there are things that the town has not done very well. First, the town’s schools have gained academic recognition yet little has been done in the way of providing adequate athletic facilities. They both should go hand in hand. Second, the town garage was an unfortunate event that many would like to put behind them. While the garage is important there were too many mistakes made during the entire process that alienated the town.  Major activities that impact the town need be transparent, not done behind closed doors. Third was the Chief of Police selection process. There were too many committees, too much time wasted and too much money allocated to the process. In the end the town obtained an excellent chief, but the town went about it the wrong way. Finally, there have been numerous missteps with the handling and funding of infrastructure improvements. The town was prudent in performing upgrade studies to learn what needed to be done but determined the stance of conservatism was the best approach. This method has created town unrest and most likely increased the long-term costs of projects.

While there have been a number of things the town has not done well, they are “water under the bridge” as the saying goes. We need to look forward, learn from the mistakes made and outline a plan for moving forward to meet the town’s long-term vision. It can be done, and will be done with the right hands guiding the town’s course.

(Optional) Anything else you would like to share?
When Election Day comes think about those town officials that have served you to this point and ask yourself the question, “Have they done their best in serving our town, or did they squander their opportunity”? If they didn’t meet your expectations, and uphold your trust and confidence, then it’s probably time to consider a change. It is my hope that when you cast your ballot, you will select those that will make a difference and restore your confidence. I look forward to being that candidate.