Letter: Marpe/Kaner, Experienced Leadership for Westport

[Editor's note: The following letter to the editor was submitted by resident Roy McKay.]

I have known Jim Marpe for 25 years.  We used to meet in a morning men’s group at Green’s Farms Church. We were once having that “mid-life” discussion about “what’s next?” As Jim was planning to retire from a senior position at Accenture I asked him, “what does one do after a challenging, high level job at the best management consulting firm in the world?” 

His answer was telling. He said that after a career of helping clients all over the globe he now wanted “to make a difference in his local community." He didn’t know then, how or where, but he felt the political arena might be one area to apply his management skills to improve Westport.

The rest is history as Jim poured himself into a multitude of Westport community organizations. He was appointed and ultimately elected to the Board of Education, eventually becoming Vice Chairman and serving as interim Chairman based on his non-partisan, consensus building approach. 

Now, teamed with Avi Kaner, the uniting force on the Board of Finance, Jim wants to end divisive politics in Westport, apply his management skills to modernize our Town Government and bring new citizens into Town affairs. 

Jim is a thoughtful, experienced, people-person problem solver. If you want to see Westport develop responsibly, modernize its operations, and unify its citizens get to know Jim and Avi.  I’m convinced that if you do you will want to vote for them.

- Roy McKay