Candidates are listed in the order in which they appear on the ballot. 

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Brandi Briggs

Married, Three children; Attorney-Trusts/Estates, Elder Law; RTM-2 terms, Chair-Library, Museum and Arts; Past-President-Westport Young Woman’s League; LLS PTA (past VP of Fundraising); JD-University of Colorado School of Law, BS-Boston College

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John G. Klinge

Twenty years RTM experience. Education, Recreation, Human Services(Chair), Planning, PubWorks Committees. Senior Center Friends Board, Teacher (Coach K), Westport Service  Seniors Award twice. Masters Engineering Cornell, MBA Harvard. USN active duty.

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Lauren Karpf

Current member of RTM Education, Parks/Recreation, Ordinance Committees.  Attorney with experience in government, finance, and employment law.  Active in community service.  Nonprofit executive board member.  Married with three children.

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Ellen Lautenberg Hendel

Lived in Westport for 21 years. Worked in financial industry and have law degree.  Volunteered locally including PTA and Temple Israel.  1 term on RTM: Education, Environment and Ordinance Committees.

 What do you believe are the two most important issues the RTM must address and what solutions would you propose?

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Briggs

 As we face a deep fiscal crisis from the state, our biggest challenges are maintaining the excellence of our schools and continuing to provide first-rate services for all Westporters. We are losing state funds so we must work together to be fiscally responsible and make decisions that focus on the long-term financial health of Westport.  This includes working to keep Westport affordable, provide high quality amenities, improve our infrastructure and find solutions for our traffic issues. Difficult, disciplined decisions will need to be made in order to be smart and effective with how we spend our taxpayers money.

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Klinge

MANAGE BUDGETARY CHALLENGES as Westport experiences reduced state assistance. Unfortunately,  recent budgets for schools and town funding have pushed  envelope to edges with use of reserves and creative management. Must face up to hard choices between draconian/impropitious spending cuts and prudently managed tax increases. Must not make unwise short term decisions that will negatively impact future programs.

DEVELOP COMPREHENSIVE EXPANDED AFFORDABLE HOUSING PLAN for Westporters of all ages. Identify optimal locations/opportunities for development that are consistent with Town Plan as updated this year. Priority to seniors (  long waiting list) and current residents who are most in need. 

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Karpf

The most crucial issue for the RTM to address is the impact of the state’s fiscal crisis on Westport.  We must protect the quality of our town assets, services, and property values, while maintaining our long-term fiscal health and striving to keep property taxes flat. As a returning RTM member, I will continue to approve appropriations which support our extraordinary schools, improve quality of life and housing choices for seniors, maintain public health and safety, address overcrowding of town assets and traffic concerns, and enhance economic development, while always prioritizing innovative cost efficiencies, better allocation of funds, and revenue opportunities. 

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Lautenberg Hendel

1. Adopting annual budgets for both the town and schools.  The RTM must work with those entities to come up with creative ways to maintain or reduce their budgets while at the same time maintaining the high quality of the schools and ensuring that our amenities and infrastructure are properly maintained. 

2. Dealing with the shortage of affordable housing while maintaining our town character and reaching our moratorium under 830-G. The RTM must work with the Planning and Zoning Commission to determine best options for development of affordable housing so Westport can control it’s own destiny regarding these projects.