Reprinted from The Trumbull Times © Copyright 2009
April 9, 2009

By Donald Eng

For years, Tim Herbst led the way for Matt Manzione. On Monday, Manzione returned the favor.

Manzione, the former All-State running back at Trumbull High, led the former offensive lineman to the podium at the Trumbull High senior lounge. He introduced his teammate as Herbst announced his candidacy for first selectman in the November election in a ceremony attended by about 50 supporters. Herbst's parents, school board member Deborah Herbst and Trumbull High Athletic Director Michael Herbst, were among the gathering.

"In many ways, playing football here is a metaphor to his years of public service," Manzione said in his introduction. "Like he has in public service, Tim was on the front lines for every play and he refused to give up or give in until the team won the game."

A willingness to work hard while someone else got the glory was a key reason why Herbst was named class president at THS all four years and was student body president at Trinity College, Manzione said.

"Tim loves this town," he said. "Trumbull is in his DNA. He will make people feel great about Trumbull and he will succeed on behalf of all of us."

Taking the microphone, Herbst continued the football analogy, speaking reverently about former THS football coach Jerry McDougall, the 1995 National Coach of the Year who retired as the winningest coach in state history.

"Coach McDougall taught me to attain anything in life, you must understand the meaning of pride, attitude, desire and sacrifice," Herbst said, gesturing through the window at McDougall Stadium. "He taught me that success only happens through teamwork and he taught me that when you believe in something, it's worth fighting for."

In a 15-minute speech, Herbst, 28, an attorney at the law offices of Peter Ambrose LLC and current chairman of the Planning and Zoning Commission, mentioned several reasons for his candidacy, including property taxes, which he blamed for forcing seniors to move out and preventing young people from moving in.

"Over the last seven and a half years, taxes have increased by more than 50% and spending has increased by more than 50%," he said. "Our average annual increases are 6%, twice the rate of inflation, twice the rate of disposable family income and twice the annual average increase in Social Security payments."

The "tax and spend" mentality has led to a proliferation of For Sale signs around town, he said.

"Not only are seniors moving out, but young people like me and my former classmates who are here tonight cannot afford to come back to the town that they were born and raised in," he said.

The town must make tax hikes a last resort rather than a first to protect longtime residents and first-time homebuyers, he said.

"This point for me is very personal," Herbst said. "At present, I don't own my own home. This is not because of choice but because of financial reality."

Herbst said his recent forays into the real estate market gave him a case of sticker shock when a $1,600 mortgage shot up to over $2,000 a month once property taxes were factored in.

"There is something seriously wrong in our town when we have a system that forces younger generations to seek opportunities elsewhere," he said. "I'm not leaving. I'm here to stay and I'm committed to fixing the problem."

Herbst specifically pointed to two other problem areas in town, the high school renovation and the condition of Trumbull Center.

"I support renovating Trumbull High School. I always have. I always will," Herbst said. "But in the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, we need to focus on needs before we focus on wants."

If elected, he said, his priority would be on core academic centers and basic necessities.

"We need to focus on curriculum, instruction, programming, early childhood intervention and full-day kindergarten, which will prepare Trumbull's children to compete in a global economy," he said.

As for Trumbull Center, Herbst said a community's downtown is the key to its quality of life.

"Trumbull Center doesn't represent a downtown, it represents a ghost town," he said. "Vacancy rates have never been higher. Rents have never been higher."

The center's owners have hindered small business owners in their attempts to provide products and services to residents, he said.

"When I am your first selectman, Trumbull will use every means at our disposal to increase competition, diversify options and venues for our residents and fight to make sure there is more than one game in town," he said. "This is what our citizens expect. This is what our people deserve."

After his speech, Herbst acknowledged his status as the underdog in the upcoming campaign. He said he relished the role.

"I first ran for Planning and Zoning Commission at age 19, and I faced the same questions then about youth and not owning a home," he said. "It was a tough race then and again in 2005 when I was the only Republican in town to win a contested race. It wasn't easy but I knocked on 8,000 doors, wore out some shoes, maintained a positive focus and won two tough races."

Following the announcement, Herbst hosted a fund-raising dinner at Marisa's attended by 135 people. Republican Town Chairman Jack Testani said he expects the Herbst campaign to exceed previous fund-raising efforts.

"But it's not just about money, it's about the groundswell of support people have shown already," he said. "There is a lot of work to do, but we can win because we won last year when Tony Hwang beat Tom Christiano for state representative in a year of unprecedented Democratic turnout. I'm very confident that Tim is the candidate that best represents the town as a whole."