Board of Finance
Jenny Emery
My husband Dave, and I moved to Granby in 1982 to start our lives together, raise our family and become part of a community. Two homes, three Granby Memorial High graduates, and seven dogs later, we remain, and are grateful to be a part of Granby. Having completed 2 ½ terms on the Board of Education, and nearing the end of my first term on the Board of Finance, a “candidate profile” built around my perspectives on Granby, and what I hope to continue to offer in light of these perspectives, seems appropriate.
What Makes Granby Special?
Everyone can offer their own answer to this question: the quality schools; the open space; the friendly vibe. Here’s what it boils down to, for me: Granby has an abundance of opportunities to get involved, get engaged, and make a difference in the community - in OUR community - and make a real difference. This is special, and should never be taken for granted. The spirit of volunteerism is strong, whether serving on the governing boards, boosting the local sports teams, providing free, fresh produce from Holcomb Farm to Granby seniors and others, running the volunteer ambulance and fire services, or putting on an always-fabulous Memorial Day parade. The list is long, and it is full of organizations which are full of people who care enough about their community to contribute their time, talents or treasure to help the community thrive.
What does this translate to, in terms of what I hope to continue to bring to Granby’s governance through the Board of Finance? I will recognize, advocate for, and continue to personally participate in these critical aspects of our community, the ones that may not have a line item in the annual budget, but that have an outsized influence on budgetary line items. And, while I affiliate proudly as a Democrat, I will continue to leave any personal ideology at home, as I work with my elected, volunteer colleagues - of whatever political persuasion - to make the best decisions for Granby.
What is Granby’s Biggest Challenge?
Again, everyone can have their own view on this. I spent my entire business career working in financial and risk management with towns, schools and public agencies throughout the country; I have spent the past 14 years understanding and trying to influence Granby’s finances. Here is my view: Granby does not have an expense problem; we have a tax base that struggles to fund the quality of life that the community wants, and that people continue to move here for. The process of developing an annual budget, of reviewing every line item in every department, of asking questions and getting documented answers, and of inviting and engaging public comment, is sound. But, process, alone, does not protect Granby from risk. We must both manage the tax burden, and protect the value of our resident’s most valuable assets - their homes. People live here, and move here, for the schools, and the quality of life. Protecting this, without driving up the tax burden, requires much more than one less administrator or one more apartment building on Rt. 10 (although yes, these things do matter).
So what is the solution? I believe it is time to embrace the challenge more intentionally, and across all the governing boards and the school and town administrations, collectively, and to do so outside of the budget season. We are blessed, today, with excellent leadership in our Town Manager, our School Superintendent, and many of their key lieutenants. We have important relationships and connections at the state level. We are in a strong current financial position, by the measures of auditors and rating agencies. We have exciting new voices with relevant expertise stepping up to run for and serve the town. We have new community members choosing Granby every day. These are assets to leverage.
Why I am Running, and Why I ask for Your Vote
I am running because I think it is time for Granby - collectively - to leverage its assets. We can and should commit to “going on offense” as we tackle the challenges of depleted federal funding, inadequate teacher compensation, absent affordable housing stock, and under-funded capital infrastructure. I am excited to support new candidates to join me in making that happen.
Kent McCord
I moved to Granby as a newlywed with my partner-in-life, Kim, in 1997. Kim and I were charmed by Granby’s rural landscape and neighborly, intimate community. We raised three beautiful children, Becca, Shannon, and Katrina, who have all flown the coop, making their way in this wondrous and sometimes frightening world. Some parents may recognize me as their child’s youth soccer or lacrosse coach, or perhaps from my role with the Marquis of Granby junior fyfe and drum corps, where I served as treasurer and self-appointed “funmeister” for nearly a decade, planning and leading summer trips to east coast historical destinations and ultimately to Edinburgh, Scotland where the corps performed on High Street. (Kim had the truly demanding job of serving as Director of the corps). More recently I serve on the Conservation Commission in town, leading the town’s Solarize Granby campaign in 2017, and helping the Commission achieve Sustainable CT certification for the town in 2023. I also volunteer as a property steward for the Granby Land Trust.
Professionally, I have built a career in renewable energy and energy efficiency. Trained as an engineer at M.I.T., I have served in a variety of roles from product management and development engineering, to sales and marketing. I currently work at FuelCell Energy in Danbury, where I lead a team that works with clients to design low-emissions, high-efficiency onsite power generation solutions that save utility expenses, reduce emissions and carbon footprint, and increase the reliability of electricity for the facility. I also teach a course at Tunxis Community College on renewable and alternative energy systems.
I am honored to be considered for the Board of Finance, where I believe I can bring new ideas and an analytical, forward-looking approach, while working collaboratively with the experienced leadership of the Town. I am generally fiscally conservative, while recognizing the need to invest strategically for future advantage. My priorities include finding ways to increase the Town’s revenue by attracting business and pursuing alternative sources of funding and revenue, reducing costs by finding efficiencies in operations, with a particular emphasis on energy efficiency, and ensuring that our school system continues to excel and act as the foundation of wealth in our community. We must be pro-active and creative to ensure Granby will continue to thrive as the world around us undergoes dynamic change.
Toby Proctor
My wife, Darcy, and I moved to Granby over a decade ago in order to raise our two children in a community that values high quality education and offers a family-friendly rural setting. A consummate “joiner,” I have enjoyed volunteering on many Granby boards and teams across the town, to include serving as Assistant Treasurer on the Granby Education Foundation, chairing the School Building Committee and most recently became a member of the Granby Celebrates America’s 250th Committee and Granby’s Community Emergency Response Team (C.E.R.T). I have also been active in Valley Lodge Freemasons in Simsbury, I’ve acted in musicals with the Simsbury Theater Guild and I sing with the Tapestry Singers and Trinity Church Choir in Tariffville. As an avid amateur genealogist, I love all things history and enjoy playing trivia at local restaurants and board games with my family. I am also very passionate about Veterans’ issues and look to increase Granby veterans’ engagement in civic life.
I am originally from Princeton, New Jersey, and went to Union College in Schenectady New York to earn an Electrical Engineering degree while participating in Navy ROTC at RPI. I was commissioned as an officer in the US Navy and served in combat as a Naval Flight Officer during both Operations Enduring and Iraqi Freedom. Professionally, I earned my MBA from UMass Amherst and have held various Financial Analyst and Program Finance positions in various businesses.
Politically, I am a staunch independent. I am running as an unaffiliated candidate. I have been loudly critical of the entrenched two-party system nationally and the system’s propensity to create divisiveness, but I am pragmatic enough to see its value and need at a non-partisan local level. Therefore, I am extremely grateful to the Granby Democrats for their endorsement. He believes the opportunity the Granby Democrats have taken by endorsing an unaffiliated candidate speaks to their willingness and record of listening to and acting on behalf of the majority of Granby’s registered voters, regardless of their affiliation. I am also cross endorsed by the Forward Party and the Independent Veterans of America.
If elected to the Board of Finance, I want to explore creative ways to minimize the upward pressures of increasing costs on the overall tax burden of Granby residents. In an environment where Granby will be receiving fewer federal and state dollars, now more than ever, we need to look at ways to manage the tax burden on the local property owners, seek business and industrial tax base growth while protecting Granby’s bucolic rural culture and excellent schools. As a strong fiscal conservative, I maintain we need to support and enhance quality education (70% of the town budget) to keep attracting young tax-paying families and uphold our property values, while exploring creative cost-savings and innovative non-tax revenue raising in order to maintain critical and expected services. Granby is known state-wide as a well run town, fiscally. However, we can not continue to look at the tax burden issue on a year to year basis. We need to begin to explore longer term strategies that will set the town up for better revenue generations and cost efficiencies in the future years. As a corporate financial analyst and budget planner, these are the types of activities I have done in my professional life over the last 15+ years. I really look forward to engaging and requesting inputs from all Granby residents on this challenging fiscal puzzle.