Tradition, continuity issues in race for North Canaan selectmen seats

NORTH CANAAN — Anyone experiencing déjà vu when contemplating upcoming municipal elections must have been here 16 years ago. It was the same names on the ballot for the Board of Selectmen.

Back then, Tom Gailes challenged Doug Humes for the first selectman’s seat. Susan Clayton ran for selectman, along with Henry Carley. Humes won the race, but Gailes garnered enough votes to earn a spot on the board with Carley.

For Republicans Humes and Carley, it has been 10 terms and 20 years at the town’s helm. Democrats Clayton and Gailes, in that order, are back to challenge them.

Clayton is wrapping up a two-year term as a selectman, racking up experience she vowed she would have before seeking the top seat again. She also comes heavily invested in the town, with deep roots and lots of varied experience in local volunteer positions, as well as in the business world.

She lists jobs in insurance, real estate, probate, hospital administration and sales and marketing, saying it has given her plenty of perspective on people and what makes the town run.

“The last time I ran, and lost, I promised I would do my homework and try again. My daughter, Allison, is grown, I’ve overcome cancer for a second time. I’ve gained a lot of knowledge and I haven’t lost any enthusiasm.�

Clayton’s earliest memories of growing up in North Canaan are enmeshed with Johnny’s Restaurant. Her parents, John and Peg Fracaro, ran it.

“It was an institution in town for 40 years, and it was what North Canaan is still about: people working hard, making an honest living.�

She and Humes both have a deep sense of place here.

Humes has spent his life here, and while some criticize him as not being pro-active enough, he believes the continued viability of the town speaks for the job he and Carley have done.

“This is still a town where people grow up and stay, or come back to live. It’s still affordable to buy a house here. Prices may have gone up, but if you compare Canaan with the rest of the region, it’s still affordable. We need to stay on course, continue to work on improving the business and residential climate and broaden the tax base by encouraging new business.�

Like Humes, Carley said he doesn’t mind running opposed.

“Competition is good,� he said, “especially in an election.�

And like Humes, as an incumbent, he has his critics to answer to, particularly when it comes to his wintering in Florida.

“I had one person tell me I do more work in Florida than I do here,� Carley said.

He stays in touch by phone and fax, and has taken on big projects that require communicating with state agencies, such as bridge and other Department of Transportation projects.

“That’s where the continuity is important. You need to establish connections with state people to get answers and keep the ball rolling.�

For Gailes, it’s about Clayton’s enthusiasm.

“I see my role as being there to support her energy, and she has plenty of it,� he said.

They share a campaign platform that is about better accessibility, better communication and better planning. During the past two years, Clayton has worked on improving technology at Town Hall and got a town Web site up and running.

Gailes stressed more hours at Town Hall, including re-opening on Fridays, possibly some evenings, and during the lunch hour, to be accessible to working people.

Both say the first selectman needs to be at Town Hall more often, during business hours, and representing North Canaan on the regional level.

Gailes has also been very vocal in recent years about the resident state trooper program.

“I’m not objecting to the security the program provides. It’s about fiscal prudence. We have to be an advocate for the taxpayers and not accept a contract that we approve sight unseen. It makes no sense that we can’t negotiate.�

All the candidates agree that affordable housing has not been entirely lost in North Canaan, but keeping it that way is a dilemma.

Carley noted the other side of the coin: that people are entitled to fair value for their property, and that keeping property taxes low could be part of the solution.

When voters head to the polls Nov. 6, they should keep in mind what will affect the outcome.

Towns have the option to change some election rules. For example, some towns have local ordinances that don’t allow a candidate for first selectman, who isn’t elected, to win a selectman’s seat.

North Canaan goes strictly by state statute. A candidate losing a bid for the first selectman’s seat can still wind up on the board. In this case, the easiest way to look at it is the top three vote-getters are the winners. So it is conceivable that the board will end up exactly as it is now. Or, Humes and Clayton could switch positions. Or, one could be first selectman and the other off the board completely.

How will Humes react if he loses the seat he has held for 20 years?

Whatever happens, happens, he said, but added with a laugh, “If you’re going to switch horses in the middle of the stream, you’d better make sure you can ride the other horse.�