Reprinted from The Trumbull Times © Copyright 2009
July 30, 2009

By Donald Eng

On a night that his supporters said was 10 years coming, Republican Timothy Herbst had to fight to keep his emotions in check.

"Waiting out in the hallway during the nominating speeches, I was pretty nervous," he said.

After his father, Trumbull High Athletic Director Michael Herbst, made a nomination speech, seconded by Ted Lovely and Gary Bean, Herbst entered the convention to a rousing ovation from about 170 supporters.

But if his nerves acted up in the hallway, Herbst was all business once he entered the convention, with the Van Halen song "Right Now" blaring from loudspeakers.

"Walking up to the podium, my feeling was, 'Let's knock this out of the park,'" he said.

Herbst thanked his parents for their generosity and work ethic before launching into a 25-minute speech that began as a call to restore the promise of Trumbull and ended as a call to arms.

"I want every Trumbull resident to know that hard work is rewarded and that Trumbull is a place of tremendous opportunity," he said. "And in their name, in your name, with a great appreciation for the responsibility conferred by your trust and with a resolute commitment to get our town back on track, I proudly accept your nomination for first selectman."

Herbst said his campaign strategy would be to contest every single voter in town.

"In this campaign, we will concede not a single neighborhood, not a single district, not a single vote," he said. "I am ready, I am willing, and I am eager to debate the issues face to face with Ray Baldwin."

The main focus of the Herbst speech was taxes and the fiscal situations many residents face. Herbst drew on his own experience in shopping for a home in town.

"I know firsthand how hard it is to try and afford your own home here in Trumbull," he said. "I know what it is like to work hard and save for a down payment only to find out that trying to own a home in Trumbull comes down to four simple words, 'I can't afford it.'"

Blaming what he called the "tax and spend policies" of the current administration for denying people the chance to stay in town, Herbst said he would fight to put living in Trumbull within reach of both the town's current seniors and younger adults looking for a place to raise their families.

"There is no avoiding this recession, but it troubles me that more responsible leadership by our town government during better times would have eased the pains now being felt," he said before citing several examples of what he called poor leadership.

"When you indiscriminately raise taxes on your constituents by over 50% in eight years...that is not responsible leadership," he said. Herbst also criticized adding a free-standing pool to the $73 million high school renovation project. The state ultimately denied funding for the pool.

"I would not support the construction of a swimming pool before we joined all the rest of our surrounding communities in offering full-day kindergarten to our children," he said. "This administration did so because they wanted to fulfill their agenda. They did so even when there were warnings that the state might not provide the reimbursement they expected."

Herbst cited his experience from 10 years on the Planning & Zoning Commission, during which time the commercial Grand List doubled, the town received a moratorium on affordable housing legislation and updated the Master Plan of Conservation and Development.

Finally, Herbst delivered a series of promises that he called a "Blueprint for Trumbull's Future." The promises included putting the town on a new, "pork-free diet."

If elected, Herbst promised he would require every town department to implement a zero-based budget, which essentially means every department would have to justify every dollar every year. In his first term, he promised to veto any budget that exceeded the rate of inflation minus 1% and to be a hands-on budget watchdog.

"I will personally review every purchase order that comes through the finance department during my first six months in office," he said. "On day 1, I will appoint the most qualified financial professionals that live in town to serve on my transition team. I will give them one simple charge: In the first 100 days of my administration, help me identify $1 million in operational savings."

Herbst concluded his talk by calling upon the words of former Trumbull High School Principal Bob McCarthy.

"Last year, shortly before we lost him, I told Bob that I was thinking of running for first selectman," he said. "He gave me a few words of advice that I have never forgotten. He said be positive, be straightforward, articulate a vision, and others will follow."

With the convention standing and cheering continuously, Herbst called on his fellow Republicans to join the fight.

"Fight with me to put the pride back in Trumbull," he said. "Fight with me to unite our community once again. Fight with me to put the public interests ahead of special interests. Fight with me to get our downtown moving again, and fight with me to make sure the reality of Trumbull lives up to the promise of Trumbull."