Letter to the Editor: Reiter Defends His Record as Old Lyme Treasurer for Past Four Years, Seeks Votes to Continue Work for Another Four

To the Editor:

I am Mike Reiter, Treasurer for Old Lyme and running for reelection this November. I read Mike Bucior’s October 16 letter to the editor entitled, “Vote for Experience, Expertise of Matt Ward for Town Treasurer.” While what he writes about Mr. Ward may be true, what he writes about me is not.

Mr. Bucior notes that he reached out to Board of Finance members and was told that I rarely attend any Board of Finance meetings. And while that is correct, he left out a rather crucial point: the Town Treasurer has no need to attend Board of Finance meetings. This is because the duties of the Town Treasurer and the duties of the Board of Finance are fundamentally different. In fact, it is easy to research the statutory job responsibilities of the Treasurer in section 7-80 of the Connecticut General Statutes which is titled, “Duties of the Treasurer.” In short, the Treasurer is responsible for managing the Town’s money and ensuring that all bills are paid. Which means the Treasurer works with the Finance Department, not the Board of Finance. Nor do I report to the Board of Finance or Board of Selectman.

So what have I been doing over the past four years, besides the day to day task of working with the Finance Department? When COVID hit I worked with the Finance Director and our IT Company to ensure that even if Town Hall had to shut down, bills and paychecks would still be paid. And while I was at it, I worked with the Town Hall IT Committee to upgrade all our IT systems to current standards. More recently, when our Finance Director was out on extended medical leave, I helped find a temporary replacement to fill the role until a permanent replacement could be found.

I’ve been inside Town Hall for the past four years working hard for the people of Old Lyme and I’m looking forward to continuing to work for you over the next four years.

Sincerely,

Michael Reiter,
Old Lyme.