Amy Murphy Carroll, Most Qualified First Select Candidate
By Mike Dorfsman
With her more than 30-year career as a municipal finance investment analyst, it seems as if Amy Murphy Carroll has been preparing to serve New Canaan as First Selectman all of her professional career.
In her professional career covering state and local governments at major financial firms, she has seen and analyzed governments across the country with their myriad of funding and operational needs. She has seen municipal finance strategies that worked and strategies that
fell short. She knows what separates a town rated ‘AAA’ from one rated ‘BBB.’ But while that depth of knowledge will inform her ability to serve New Canaan as First Selectman, she understands the need to foster broad community outreach, to tap into the talents and expertise of town residents, to invite them to offer their ideas and participation so that the entire town is represented as it moves forward.
Running as a Democrat, Amy is committed to broaden input on issues, her theme being “We are one New Canaan.” As she frames it: “It’s not as if there’s a Democratic or Republican way to chair Public Works or Parks and Recreation. Let’s eliminate the divisive political noise. Let’s return our government to one that is open, civil and transparent.”
As she said in a recent interview, “New Canaan has an informed, engaged electorate who deserves to be viewed as partners in our government.” She went on to cite the issues pertaining to inadequate cell service and workforce housing needs as two examples where
citizen involvement is vital.
“We are one New Canaan. It’s not as if there’s a Democratic or Republican way to chair Public Works or Parks and Recreation. Let’s eliminate the divisive political noise. Let’s return our government to one that is open, civil and transparent.”
To follow through on her pledge to promote inclusive and collaborative leadership, she intends to post committee and board openings on the town website to attract residents from across the spectrum. A town resident for 27 years, Amy has actively applied her knowledge of local government finance as a member of New Canaan’s Board of Finance for nearly 10 years. Asked recently in a casual setting about the proposed Police Station renovation, she didn’t speak in generalities. She identified specific costs and how much they had risen as plans were put on hold in the back and forth over renovation versus a new police station. On Finance, she was directly involved in the town’s annual budget process, and as liaison, she was closely attuned to the specific elements of the line items in the budgets for the Board of Education, Public Works and Parks and Recreation. She was also co-author of an extensive analysis of the town’s building inventory and as a member of various building committees, she was engaged in overseeing work on the Saxe Middle School, which was
completed on time and on budget. Having been the Finance liaison with the school, she knows the towns excellent schools, administrators and teachers are an integral part of what attracts newcomers and, along with high quality town services, supports town property values. The most recent ranking of Connecticut high schools placed New Canaan’s at number one. Going beyond her involvement in town government, Amy has also been a leader in St. Mark’s White Elephant Tag Sale, serving as its chair for many years in support of area nonprofits. She has managed numerous town sports teams and helped to launch Bring Your Own Bag New Canaan, an environmentally conscious effort to promote reusable bags at local
markets.
On the strength of her experience, Amy is proposing to continue evaluating the town’s 10-year capital plan closely on an annual basis. But in the shorter term, Amy is proposing that new projects include projected costs that are vetted and presented in a detailed format with an estimated time frame. Once in process, the projects would be tracked quarterly with status reports that would be broadly reported. The plan, as she envisions it, would be meant to foresee the town’s “big ticket” needs near and long-term and address them systematically, in order to avoid surprises. The plan would contain the key line items, with an overall cost benefit analysis. “It would enable us to evaluate the town’s needs, determine if we have the capacity to address them ourselves within
the set time frame, push it back, or do we need to outsource the project,” she explained. Workforce housing, the other major issue confronting New Canaan, as well as many other Connecticut towns, cannot be put off, and must be addressed. But the solutions need to be approached in a way that reflects New Canaan’s character. Adding workforce housing would help keep and lure employees who fill the positions that make it possible for the town to function smoothly, but otherwise could not afford the cost of housing. She also sees the need to provide more day care services in town, given the number of working families who may commute long distances but want to be sure their children are well cared for beyond school hours. Openness and transparency would be key aspects of how she would lead the town as First Selectman, saying a lack of transparency doesn’t provide benefits “and it certainly doesn’t save us money.” Rather, town government should reflect the voices of all New Canaan, not just a segment.
“Openness and transparency would be key aspects of how she would lead the town as First Selectman, saying a lack of transparency doesn’t provide benefits “and it certainly doesn’t save us money.”
