William Stokesbury, Town Council candidate for Avon

William Stokesbury, Avon Republican candidate for Town Council, demonstrates the leadership experience and intimate knowledge of school, town and budget matters to Deliver Results that will continue Avon being a top tier community for future generations to come.

Raising Property taxes are always a major concern.  How would you address providing necessary town services with minimum effect on the town tax rate?  Cooperation must remain a core theme moving forward.    Working together the Town’s Boards have successfully developed reasonable annual budgets while absorbing significant unexpected expenses associated with recent natural disasters and increased security in our schools.   We must continue to implement effective cost-saving initiatives through the use of: (i) shared services and the consolidation of functions; (ii) reverse auctions for major purchases as successfully implemented by the Board of Education; and (iii) outside vendors, where prudent.  Public and private grants remain available to augment our budgets and we must continue coordinated efforts to pursue these alternative revenue sources.

What should town officials do to attract new businesses to town? Avon has been, and remains, successful in supporting the expansion needs of our existing businesses while attracting new retail and commercial operators.   Our great quality of life, low tax structure and other strong town attributes are key considerations for many businesses when considering Avon as a possible business location.  Therefore, we must preserve and enhance these characteristics through our on-going commitment to fiscally responsible town planning and annual budgets.  We must continue to meet the needs of our corporate citizens by adapting to ever-changing business models while maintaining well-defined planning regulations consistent with the town’s long range Plan of Development.         

What do you see as an important issue facing the town and what should be done about it?  Over the last 50 years Avon has successfully planned for its growth while controlling its annual budgets and debt load resulting in today’s balanced level of town services and reasonable taxes.   As we move forward we must reaffirm our commitment to systematically maintain our roads, schools and other public buildings so that deferred expenses do not impact future budgets.

Avon Republicans Deliver Results.  Experience Leadership Collaboration

William Stokesbury

Town Council Candidate

Avon Board of Education first elected in 2005, Vice Chairman 2012-present

Budget Committee member, Chair 2012-present

Capital Budget Committee member, Chair 2012-present

Contract Negotiations Committee member, Chair 2012-present

Liaison to Avon Board of Finance, 2012-present

BOE member on Avon Administrative Services Review Committee

BOE member on Avon Insurance Review Committee 

Avon Historical Society President, 2000-2004

Avon Chamber of Commerce, 1998 Community Volunteer of the Year

Managing Partner, Shipman, Stokesbury & Fingold, LLC – Attorneys, Farmington, CT

B.A., Yale University  J.D., Boston University School of Law

26-year Avon resident, married (Janet) with two children in Avon public schools