Town Council members: Chris Kueffner and William “Bill” Tomecko discussed their campaigns for Mansfield Town Council with The Daily Campus.
Chris Kueffner:
Kueffner has been a Mansfield resident for the past three decades. He was previously on the board of education before he ran for a council seat in 2021.
He is a retired public school teacher who serves on the building committee of the first Connecticut school with net zero emissions. He also started the Adventure Park at Storrs.
Kueffner argues that voters should reelect him because he is someone who acts in the best interest of Mansfield and wants to “get the job done.”
“I’m interested in the town, I’m interested in the town being a good place to live,” Kueffner said.
As the member of the minority Republican party, Kueffner said he believes it is important to create discussion instead of noise.
“Because I’m in the minority party, I want to enact discussion so we can think things through; thinking rather than reacting,” he said.
On the topic of issues facing Mansfield and the town council, Kueffner thinks that growth, and the shortage of housing for residents, are important issues to consider, especially with the University of Connecticut’s rapidly growing student population. But Kueffner said he thinks that growth is a good problem for the town council to have.
Speaking about the recent Four Corners development, Kueffner said, “In my view, that is actually a positive response to a growth problem because we’re concentrating people in a place that can absorb them rather than spreading them out throughout the town.”
Because of the Four Corners development, Kueffner states that commute times for students have decreased, leading to safer and less travelled public roads. The increasing student population also brings an economic boost to the town, as they spend money in local restaurants and stores.
Furthermore, Kueffner stated that “UConn has a lot of influence on where this town can be developed more densely,” because the town’s sewage and water resources are stretched. The town of Mansfield must negotiate with UConn to make available capacity for their residents in UConn’s sewage treatment plant.
Despite this, the town council has created some new housing. According to Kueffner, 25% or so of the Eagleville Green housing complex has affordable housing units. Kueffner also says that Standard has affordable housing units as well.
Kueffner stressed that “places that stay as affordable housing are really important; I want to find solutions that are effective in the long term.”
Affordable housing will be a struggle to build, as it’s connected to wages, and the town council has no control over how much people get paid, according to Kueffner.
As a public-school teacher who taught accelerated math to elementary schoolers and math and science to sixth graders, Kueffner said he understands the importance of a well-funded school system.
“An informed public is what you want, and it starts with learning how to read, write and do arithmetic,” he said.
William “Bill” Tomecko:
Tomecko is a lifelong Mansfield resident. He was a longtime hospital administrator in Miami before he returned home to run for town council in 2023. A member of the Republican party, he is an E.O. Smith and UConn graduate.
Tomecko cites his experience as a hospital administrator for his case of being an effective town council member. According to him, he is known for his integrity, attention to detail, and focus on data among his peers.
“I’ve always been data focused and I never stop looking for ways to validate my sources of truth,” Tomecko said. “I provide what I did in Miami – detailed, data driven government oversight – for the benefit of all Mansfield residents.”
When asked about what issues Mansfield residents are up against, Tomecko said, “I know the answer you’ll get from everybody: Housing.”
Tomecko argues that UConn students moving into single-family homes leave less space for young families to move into Mansfield.
“We have a lack of the necessary array of housing here in town… that may come back to bite us when we don’t have a lot of young families living in Mansfield,” Tomecko said. “The university and students… they’re our residents but they overwhelm us at times.”
Tomecko said he hopes to build more housing projects like Four Corners, so students can move out of the single-family homes, especially near water and sewage facilities to not overburden them.
“Our short-term goal is what we did at Four Corners on steroids,” Tomecko said.
Speaking of UConn and its student population, Tomecko said he believes that UConn’s objectives are sometimes inconsistent with the town of Mansfield.
Nathan Fuerst, vice president for student life and enrollment, came to the town council recently to share UConn’s future enrollment plans and said UConn wants to have a “win-win” relationship with the town council.
“[We’ll] have to work harder to find ways to win-win,” Tomecko said.
Despite this, Tomecko can’t imagine not living in a college town like Storrs. He thinks the university brings so much to the town in terms of culture and excitement.
Tomecko’s campaign motto is “in Mansfield, we are all neighbors.” He believes that the town council needs to be civil and collaborative in their roles.
“Promoting and maintaining civility, that’s so important… if you talk to any member of the town council, they will tell you that is a trait of Bill Tomecko,” he said.
It’s encouraging to see candidates emphasizing data-driven decisions and sustainable development that support both residents and the growing university community.