From the desk of Melissa Schlag:

I can’t believe it’s been nearly two years since I was honored to be your public servant as first selectman.

A lot has happened since I closed my office door at town hall for the last time, some good, some a bit bumpy.

Long story short, two weeks after the election (I had lost by only 13 votes!!) I was diagnosed with cancer. It’s funny that I always laughed about how politics made me sick.

Fast-forward through surgery, chemo, radiation, and a very strange hairstyle, I’m back and raring to go again.

While I tremendously miss my role as first selectman, I now have an amazing job as the policy advocate and communications specialist for Connecticut Fund for the Environment/Save the Sound, an organization that defends Connecticut’s air, land, and water from pollution and destruction.

However, one thing is for sure; I have never stopped fighting for the citizens of this town, whether it is at board of selectmen meetings, board of finance meetings, or other important events, as I still attend them all.

But now is the time to have someone else lead Haddam, and I could not be more proud to run for the second selectman seat alongside an amazing public servant already, Sean Moriarty.

My promises to you as second selectman will be, and have always been, providing open government and working diligently for every town resident.

Along with picking up where I left off as first selectman, such as reconvening the transfer station task force, senior ambassadors, and working to streamline the budget, I have some new projects I am excited to work on.

I will continue my zero-based budget efforts that significantly saved taxpayers three years ago, by ensuring we provide quality services at a reasonable cost. Sean and I will also pick up where I left off and work together with the school district and other municipalities to share services and equipment to save Haddam taxpayers.

I will make sure we have a liaison between the board of selectmen and board of education to help ensure our children get the very best education at a fair cost to taxpayers.

I will improve the town website, making it easier to navigate, and will ensure the information, such as agendas and minutes, are posted and up to date at all times.

I will serve as the Freedom of Information liaison between residents and town hall to guarantee open records requests are fulfilled in a timely manner with zero expense to the taxpayers. Tens of thousands of dollars have been wasted on unnecessary legal expenses for closed government policies over the past year and a half.

I will stream the board of selectmen and other essential meetings live to allow those that can’t make it out at night participate in local government issues in real time and via archival format on the website. I will also continue my past efforts to keep everyone informed via social media and the website about important information such as storms and public service announcements.

I would be honored to serve you again and I ask for your support on November 7.

As always, if you have any questions, feel free to reach out to me any time.

Sincerely,

Melissa

melissaschlag@hotmail.com

Facebook public page: Melissa J. Schlag