Meet Bob Pettee, Candidate for Somers First Selectman

Name: Bob Pettee

Family: Two children, Stephanie and Ryan

Office Sought: First Selectman

Occupation: Small business owner

Government and/or other experience qualifying you for office: I can take care of running town business because I have experience running my own business. Headquartered in Somers, I have led a successful electrical contracting business for over
25 years. From quoting, estimating, billing, and budgeting to leading crews to negotiating with vendors to delighting customers, my skills as a business owner are directly transferable to the role of First Selectman. I know what it means to lead and work as a team. My staff members are my company – I ask for their ideas and value collaboration.

Beyond leadership skills, I have construction-related knowledge that will prove an asset in maintaining town infrastructure. In addition to my expertise as an electrician, I worked for ten years with my dad’s excavation/construction business and five years with a local tree service.

Bottom-line, I am purely motivated – I am not a politician. I am a regular guy just trying to make Somers a better place. I am not running for the prestige or the power or the salary. Together with my Somers United “running mate,” Doug Stebbins (candidate for Board of Selectmen), I am in this race to improve town efficiency, affordability, and quality of services through common sense and partnership.

I have lived in town for 36 years, but my roots in Somers extend back to summers spent on my grandparents’ farm. Somers is also home to my electrical contracting business, which has flourished here for 25 years. I raised my kids here with the benefit of strong public schools. I serve as a director for both the Housing Authority and the Four Town Fair. I attend many town meetings and started to realize that if I want things to change, I need to get more involved. Becoming First Selectman will enable me to do just that.

Major issues you are focusing on: Keeping taxes down, solidifying town infrastructure, and establishing a more open dialogue with residents

How you intend on addressing these issues: Together with my Somers United “running mate,” Doug Stebbins (candidate for Board of Selectmen), I believe we need to keep taxes down, solidify town infrastructure, and establish a more open dialogue with residents.

We keep taxes down by increasing efficiency, by reviewing town processes and improving them using a team approach that delivers better, faster, less costly government.

We solidify town infrastructure by returning to the discipline of long-range planning, where maintenance, such as oiling roads or trimming trees, occurs on a regular schedule.

We establish a more open dialogue with residents by listening and staying receptive to differing opinions. The current defensive, adversarial atmosphere at town meetings needs to change to more of a partnership. After all, the selectmen work for the residents – the taxpayers are the selectmen’s customers, and their concerns and suggestions should be welcomed as a means of improving the town.