Excerpts from Don Lowe’s Campaign Kickoff Letter

June 2023

Dear Sherman Friends and Neighbors,                        

Over the last six years, you have generously supported my three elections to First Selectman and that support has borne fruit. Yes, it’s been a wonderful six years for Sherman.  I will be running again this year…let’s keep a good thing going! 

Working together with other talented team members, these six years have seen historic financial good for Sherman:  Taxes decreased more than 12%, while our Rainy Day Fund nearly doubled to more than 5 million dollars, our capital fund has increased, all six budgets ended in the black, and Sherman is in the finest financial shape ever witnessed. 

But that’s not all: numerous critical capital projects were completed on time and under budget including the successful re-imagining of Happy Acres Farm, new bathrooms at Veterans Field, and significant capital repairs on every Town-owned building.  

In 2017, when I first ran, I promised efficiency and responsiveness.   The relationship between the Town and emergency services has never been stronger as we continue to improve responsiveness during all types of emergencies.   A wide range of accomplishments – big and small — point to efficiency and responsiveness, which has put Sherman in a better position financially, ensured the safety and well-being of our community, streamlined operations so that our facilities and public services are properly managed, and has lent an air of “things are good” to the Town.  

Another accomplishment has been the absence of “politics” in Sherman through a teamwork approach which includes members of all parties in decision-making as seen especially in the work of the Board of Selectmen. Selectmen Bob Ostrosky (REP) and Joel Bruzinski (DEM) are both excellent for Sherman and, thankfully, are both running again. 

I look forward to serving Sherman for a fourth term and will be forever grateful for your support. There are challenges ahead – the Sherman School repair, unfunded state mandates concerning housing, a demand for more parks and recreation programs, and an increasing senior population that needs increased services.

As we had with past challenges, the current Board of Selectmen (Bob, Joel, and myself), if elected to another term, will continue at full strength.