Fontaine for Town Council

You may recognize my name as the woman associated with the skatepark efforts - but my passion for our town and my neighbors does not end there.

I have been a member of our Economic Development Commission as well. I have been employed with the Connecticut Health and Educational Facilities Authority for 10 years, managing more than $15 million in grants programs for nonprofits.  I understand what "good governance" should be. I am a founding member of the Connecticut Nonprofit Strategy Platform, the Connecticut Data Collaborative and a proud foster parent - we have five children in all, three of which attend East Hampton schools.

As a candidate for Town Council, I pledge to work diligently to bring best practices to town government. No more "no bid contracts" because a vendor is well-liked in the community. Yes, I am referring to the unethical practice of approving the bus contracts without a proper bid procedure - the status quo. All contracts with high values must go out to bid unless there is a legitimate emergency. East Hampton should have long ago adopted regular schedules of consultant requests for proposals (RFP), starting with legal counsel. Since my family moved here in 2004, our town has been served by the same law firm - the  firm that provided advice that resulted in the O'Keefe debacle.  I don't need my paralegal certificate to know that legal advice should NEVER run counter to state statute.

I've had enough of our tax dollars and the time of those we elect into office being spent on things that don't improve our quality of life. It's time to move toward government that is focused on meeting our needs. If you agree, please vote for me on Nov. 8.

Respectfully,

Kimberley Fontaine