To the Editor:
Proper leadership of Old Lyme requires sound judgment, patience, sensitivity, integrity and experience. It has been asserted that Cathy Carter has 15 years of experience in government and, therefore, she is ready to lead our town. I have reviewed the facts and determined otherwise. Rather, it appears that her “experience” has been elaborated only for purposes of the campaign.
The campaign brochure handed out at the Selectmen’s debate on October 29 includes a brief biography of Mrs. Carter. It refers to her service as a lacrosse coach and a PTO president. It mentions no government or leadership experience.
Mrs. Carter’s LinkedIn page cites her skill at sales, marketing, public relations and lacrosse coaching. It makes no mention of any government or leadership experience. It states that she graduated from high school in 1982 and received a BA in 1986 and an MPA in 1990.
In a letter Cathy has distributed to voters, and in Jim McQuade’s October 30 letter to LymeLine, Cathy’s experience is described as follows:
— Internships in Meriden City Hall and the US Congress in 1983, 1984 and 1985. Hence these were undoubtedly unpaid internships during her college summer vacations.
— During the period 1986-1993, working for housing authorities in Meriden, Bridgeport and Stamford, and as a housing advocate while serving as a “Governor’s Fellow for the State of New Jersey.” The letters do not state the scope of this work, let alone why it is relevant to serving as a town’s CEO.
— Working as a sales rep for EnviroMed Services, Inc.–a private environmental consulting firm and not a governmental entity—from 1993 to 1998, presumably trying to sell the company’s services to towns in New Haven and Fairfield counties.
Cathy’s letter lists no positions after 1998. What’s wrong with this picture? Cathy has no relevant experience but pretends otherwise. This is not a good recipe for town leadership.
Bonnie served eight years as Selectwoman before serving four years as our First Selectwoman. She has done an excellent job and knows it inside out. Bonnie is, beyond dispute, the better candidate to lead our town.
Sincerely,
Judy Burdick,
Old Lyme.