Share
To the Editor:
Matt Ward is on our Board of Selectmen and he is also one of our part-time Police officers. In addition, he is very active in the Town’s Little League program. Matt has recently accepted a position with a local accounting firm, so he will not seek reelection to the Board of Selectmen. However, he is seeking to be elected as our Town Treasurer on November 7th.
The Town Treasurer is responsible to manage the Town’s investable funds and works closely with our Finance Director to be sure funds are available to pay the Town’s obligations in a timely manner. The Treasurer must ensure the funds are invested safely and in accordance with audit policies.
Matt’s financial background includes serving as the Interim Finance Director of a neighboring town where he works closely with its Treasurer. That town uses the same accounting software that Old Lyme uses, so Matt is well versed in its features. In fact, when our prior Finance Director was out on leave during last year’s budget season, Matt was able to fill in to enable the budget process to move forward seamlessly.
In contrast, our current Treasurer, Michael Reiter, did not distinguish himself during this period. First, he complained that he was not informed that our Finance Director was out on leave. The Treasurer and the Finance Director are supposed to work closely with each other, so why was Michael in the dark? Perhaps because he wasn’t doing his job? Next, when the Board of Finance asked him for an update on how the Town’s funds were invested, Michael had to be educated about the various accounts and he learned they were not invested very effectively.
Let’s elect Matt Ward to be our Treasurer because he has the knowledge to do the job and the commitment to follow through.
Timothy Griswold
Old Lyme, CT