BERLIN– How good of a year is “America’s Coolest Small Town” having?
The Budget Travel magazine designation boosted business, the Little League teams went to regional and national championships, and public works projects received more than $1 million in grant money.
The town is running so smoothly that – when it came time to file for town council – no one wanted to rock the boat.
Unless a write-in candidate crashes the party – which has never happened in the town’s history – incumbents Troy Purnell and Dean Burrell will keep their seats, and businessperson Thom Gulyas will quietly take over for retiring At-Large councilmember Paula Lynch after 26 years of service.
“Honestly, I do think that everybody kind of recognizes that we’ve done a pretty good job,” Purnell said. “I don’t think anybody really had a major problem with anything we’ve done in the past two years, so I think everybody was kind of happy.”
“I was more humbled than anything to be unopposed so far,” Burrell said.
Both incumbents expressed support for Gulyas.
“Knowing Thom, I think he will be an asset to the town and to the general population of Berlin,” said Burrell. “I always thought of Thom as being a good guy.”
Purnell said Gulyas had a “good business head on him.”
“I think he’ll do a fantastic job,” he said. “I think the town needs to be run like a business.”
For his part, Gulyas said he was “humbled” by the amount of support he has received.
“I’m excited,” he said. “I think it’s an honor to be able to serve the town, and I’m looking forward to it.”
The write-in candidate deadline in Berlin is 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 30. If not other candidates file before the deadline the Board of Elections will cancel the election for that particular seat and certify the winner.
Despite his current lack of opposition, Gulyas vowed to continue running his campaign.
“I’m still going to run a campaign, still going to do a mailer, still going to get my signs out,” he said. “I think it should be done that way – I believe in that.”
All three candidates agreed that managing Berlin’s growth during the recent economic boom would be a key issue moving forward.
“First and foremost is growth – growth of the town and having that growth manageable and reasonable and in line with the public wishes,” said Burrell. “Then we really need to embark on this stormwater management issue and get that right for the public, and of course always being environmentally and fiscally responsible.”
Burrell said the stormwater grants would “help immensely.”
“We have to get that stormwater management initiative on the road and make it better for those folks that have been dealing with that flooding problem year after year.”
For Purnell, managing town improvements without raising taxes is vital.
“I think that’s the biggest thing,” he said. “We’ve done so many renovations and improvements – that’s going to be our biggest challenge, to try to fit as many things in there that need to be done as far as physical improvements and the amount of money we’ve got to spend. We can do it – it will just be weighing out what’s important.”
Stormwater and expansion were at the top of Gulyas’ list.
“Obviously with some of the folks wanting to come to town – be it commercial or residential – I would love to have a really business-friendly, incubator-type town,” he said. “I think we need to entice more businesses to come to Berlin. Let’s get a really good mix of businesses that will help spin off some jobs.
“No government entity creates jobs,” Gulyas continued. “I would like to help these businesses come in here (and) have somebody help them walk through the regulations so they know what’s going on and what has to be done, because it can be a bit of a nightmare. Berlin is somewhat business-friendly at the moment, but it could probably be a little bit more. I’d like to see a little bit more expansion in that direction.”
The Budget Travel magazine designation boosted business, the Little League teams went to regional and national championships, and public works projects received more than $1 million in grant money.
The town is running so smoothly that – when it came time to file for town council – no one wanted to rock the boat.
Unless a write-in candidate crashes the party – which has never happened in the town’s history – incumbents Troy Purnell and Dean Burrell will keep their seats, and businessperson Thom Gulyas will quietly take over for retiring At-Large councilmember Paula Lynch after 26 years of service.
“Honestly, I do think that everybody kind of recognizes that we’ve done a pretty good job,” Purnell said. “I don’t think anybody really had a major problem with anything we’ve done in the past two years, so I think everybody was kind of happy.”
“I was more humbled than anything to be unopposed so far,” Burrell said.
Both incumbents expressed support for Gulyas.
“Knowing Thom, I think he will be an asset to the town and to the general population of Berlin,” said Burrell. “I always thought of Thom as being a good guy.”
Purnell said Gulyas had a “good business head on him.”
“I think he’ll do a fantastic job,” he said. “I think the town needs to be run like a business.”
For his part, Gulyas said he was “humbled” by the amount of support he has received.
“I’m excited,” he said. “I think it’s an honor to be able to serve the town, and I’m looking forward to it.”
The write-in candidate deadline in Berlin is 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 30. If not other candidates file before the deadline the Board of Elections will cancel the election for that particular seat and certify the winner.
Despite his current lack of opposition, Gulyas vowed to continue running his campaign.
“I’m still going to run a campaign, still going to do a mailer, still going to get my signs out,” he said. “I think it should be done that way – I believe in that.”
All three candidates agreed that managing Berlin’s growth during the recent economic boom would be a key issue moving forward.
“First and foremost is growth – growth of the town and having that growth manageable and reasonable and in line with the public wishes,” said Burrell. “Then we really need to embark on this stormwater management issue and get that right for the public, and of course always being environmentally and fiscally responsible.”
Burrell said the stormwater grants would “help immensely.”
“We have to get that stormwater management initiative on the road and make it better for those folks that have been dealing with that flooding problem year after year.”
For Purnell, managing town improvements without raising taxes is vital.
“I think that’s the biggest thing,” he said. “We’ve done so many renovations and improvements – that’s going to be our biggest challenge, to try to fit as many things in there that need to be done as far as physical improvements and the amount of money we’ve got to spend. We can do it – it will just be weighing out what’s important.”
Stormwater and expansion were at the top of Gulyas’ list.
“Obviously with some of the folks wanting to come to town – be it commercial or residential – I would love to have a really business-friendly, incubator-type town,” he said. “I think we need to entice more businesses to come to Berlin. Let’s get a really good mix of businesses that will help spin off some jobs.
“No government entity creates jobs,” Gulyas continued. “I would like to help these businesses come in here (and) have somebody help them walk through the regulations so they know what’s going on and what has to be done, because it can be a bit of a nightmare. Berlin is somewhat business-friendly at the moment, but it could probably be a little bit more. I’d like to see a little bit more expansion in that direction.”