Opinion: Thazhampallath Brings Competence And An End To The Status Quo

Submitted by Welles Guilmartin.
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I endorse and ask you join me in voting for Geen Thazhampallath for Mayor, Line 1D, on September 10. I am a retired accountant with a unique, nearly 20-year involvement and intimate knowledge of Middletown’s downtown needs, as a one-time downtown property and business principal and as a citizen member of various parking advisory and study committees. Over the years, I’ve been a part of many official studies, seen ideas come and go, and had many parking quandaries and questions left unconfronted or unanswered by City government.

I believe all that changed in November 2011, with Geen’s return home, from managing town services in Stratford, Connecticut, where he was an administrator for a variety of town services including the town’s rail station parking.  Getting Geen back to Middletown, to his hometown, where he is a product of our public schools and is now raising his own family, to lead this small, but critical operational department, essential to downtown commerce, beautification and functionality, has been a turning point. 

I know that parking is a prickly topic but to be honest we couldn’t have asked for a more professional, open, competent, caring and relatable person to return home to take on this thorny matter. Just look at the following small sample of what he has done to make seemingly lemonade out of lemons:

1. Implemented a mobile parking app, a point of sale credit card payments approach and the ability to make payments, obtain permits and enter appeals online that provide Middletown parkers modern and digital ways to do business with the City. This type of modern movement isn’t exactly common place for our City government where it seems progression and innovation are the exception not the modern rule;
2. Implemented an integrated security camera infrastructure that provides for the public safety backbone and utility for many City departments not just parking. Again, integration and cooperation hasn’t always been our City government’s hallmark where silo departments are the norm; 
3. Moved forward, from concept to actuality, physical improvements, that many of us have long wondered, what was taking so long? For example, in the lots near Kidcity and Russell Library we’ve seen improvements and now have 110 spaces open along Dingwall Drive, one block off Main Street. 

I admit, not all is perfect, but at very least, with Geen’s leadership we are constantly moving forward and always have an eye on tomorrow. Today, I can say, without a shadow of a doubt, that our parking lots are better lit, safer, have better traffic patterns, more green plantings, stroller accessibility and pedestrian connections to Main Street like never before. Quality of life issues and small details matter to Geen. I know these considerations sound basic, but unfortunately, that has not always been the case of many our City government’s projects or solutions.

I have worked closely with Geen for 8 years now and I find he listens, researches points, but most important, Geen thinks Middletown! By that I mean he has a way of openly, transparently, caringly, competently seeking best practices but implementing locally viable solutions.

Now, we need this type of leadership in our Mayor’s Office. Join me on September 10th in voting Line 1D for Geen Thazhampallath for Mayor, ending the status quo, and moving Middletown forward.