Candidate Submitted Bio

Timothy Birch. Tim and his family are long time residents of Wilton moving here in 1992. A practicing lawyer for most of the last 40 years in Fairfield County representing a wide array of private and public companies in the areas of finance and transactions, Tim has been active in the Wilton Soccer Association and has served on the Board at Ridgefield Academy for 18 years. He is currently acting as the designee for Attorney General Tong on the Opioid Advisory Settlement Commission where he serves on the Finance Subcommittee.

Video Interview

Candidate Submitted Op-Ed

I’ve witnessed many changes in Wilton in the 30-plus years I’ve lived here.  Although my children have long moved from the house they grew up in, my wife and I continue to call Wilton home. We came to this town because of the family-friendly culture and its outstanding school system. While our population may have changed, Wilton continues to have a certain special quality.

However, Wilton faces some serious challenges and I chose to run for the Board of Finance to contribute my experience to one of the essential boards of the town.

I have been an attorney in Connecticut for 40 years. My work has primarily been in corporate financial planning and transactions. I have worked in house for large and medium sized companies and been involved in financial analysis and strategic planning and spent half my time in private practice advising clients on all aspects of their business. I have owned and operated two different companies, a bank and a waste recycling company. This experience that is broad and deep and has given me a perspective that is different from other candidates.

Last year the budget for the Board of Education was trimmed by $1.4 million. That decision has garnered a great deal of attention because the quality of our school system is critically important to our residents. Given the limited levers that can be pulled on the BOE budget, we can expect that tension to continue.

If that was the only looming issue, I believe we could find a compromise position as we move forward on the BOE and BOS budgets, but it is more complicated than that. It was announced over a week ago that we could receive a capital expenditure assessment for our schools of approximately $100 million. The current capital expenditure budget has approximately $15 million allocated for the schools. In addition, the BOF has put out preliminary guidance suggesting a tax increase of over 5% was imminent. 

Each of these announcements lacked any specifics to back up the statements. As a member of BOF I promise to bring greater transparency to the decision-making process. If the decision-making process is open and clear, we will have time to make considered decisions. 

Corporate investment is a key to our future. Our ratio of revenue of commercial-to-residential tax revenue has continued to put a burden on residential taxpayers. Why has Wilton not experienced the commercial growth of our neighbors? I believe our town has not been as welcoming as some of our neighbors; the hurdles businesses have to climb is burdensome and time consuming. We have to show businesses, we want them here and make it easier for them to be successful. Reducing the burden on residential taxpayers starts with a more vibrant commercial base.

This lack of a commercial base makes solving issues, like school upgrades, far more difficult. It will take the combined efforts and talents of the BOS, BOF and BOE to bring together a comprehensive plan without decimating the school budget. 

For over a decade issues have been ignored and the can kicked down the road. We cannot repair the schools at the expense of underfunding its operating budget. Accomplishing these goals will be difficult and the decisions will be many, but if we work together, we will meet the challenge.

I look forward to serving on the BOF and working in collaboration with the other boards and members of the BOF to preserve and improve this wonderful town. I ask for your vote on Nov. 7 with a promise that I will work diligently to make Wilton even stronger.

Video Clips

What motivated you to run for the Board of Finance? What are some key things that you bring to the table?

What did you think about what during last year’s budget process and the town meeting? You say it wasn’t transparent, what would you have done differently? What could that BOF have done differently?

How do you get budget information out to the public? And is it the BOF or BOE/school administrators’ responsibility to explain what programs get cut because of reductions to proposed budgets? Do you think the BOF survey of taxpayers is effective or is there a different way to go about it?

Are there problems on the current BOF that need changes or fixes? What would you seek to implement if elected? (guidance)

What are the biggest financial issues facing the town right now? Will the master plan being discussed now solve those issues?

What can the BOF do to play a role in moving the town through solutions (strategic plan)? Specific suggestions?

A major topic now is the coming revaluation that will likely hit residents pretty hard. How will that impact your thinking if you’re a member the Board of finance?

Assuming you would have liked to have seen the BOE budget come in higher, where will the revenue needed come from? Have you looked at past Board of Selectmen budgets — lean and either flat or with minimal increases — have you looked where else savings or cuts could be made?

Do you have any thoughts about some big capital spending projects being talked about or planned?

Have you examined the Board of Education budget in depth to suggest savings?

People criticized the BOE chair for her Town Meeting presentation as being incendiary. Was that criticism deserved? Some BOF members said they felt threatened and unsafe. What do you think about that?

Any thoughts on party politics?

What is your message to voters? What sets you apart? Why should they consider giving you their vote?