Editor’s note: following is an opinion submitted by Westport resident Cliff Voges.

I’m very fortunate.  Like many Westport residents, I consider myself fortunate and blessed to live in our town.  I’m also fortunate to be married to Michele Paquette, who happens to be running for P&Z.  In addition to being my wife and best friend, she has been a wonderful stepmother to the three children I have from my first marriage.  I’m additionally fortunate to have retired early.  So when my wife finally decided to downshift from a full time role as a senior executive at a Biopharma company to a part time consultancy, I was excited to have more time to spend together.   Yet, I also knew Michele’s sense of community purpose, drive and midwestern work ethic would continue to need an outlet.  Thanks to a controversial local development project, it didn’t take her long to find that challenge.

During the past year as we sought to understand the scope of this project, we discovered a disconnect between what a very large proportion of Westport residents raised as concerns and the actions the Town was taking.  The Dunning-Kruger Effect appears very much alive and well in Westport Town government.

Which brings me to one of Michele’s finer qualities.  We have a number of very bright,  well educated and well intentioned people who volunteer and/or work for the Town.  Many come from the private sector, having served senior roles in very demanding environments for very successful companies.  Many, like Michele, are high achievers.  But what differentiates Michele, in my opinion, is her ability to engage, ask questions and just listen.  She does not make assumptions.  And by listening, she is able to learn and distill those voices into actions.

I have seen Michele in action.  In her career, I have seen her take on faltering divisions and  with her collaborative approach to various stakeholders and managers, create and execute plans which drove revenues higher.  I have seen her take on complex challenges and by asking the right questions and listening, she’s helped executive teams create lasting solutions. 

As far as work ethic goes, I’ve always admired her ability to digest large amounts of very dry, very tedious data during her Biopharma days.  So it was no surprise to me to see her burning through 250-page traffic studies and citing her notes chapter and verse in front of P&Z this past year.  A role on our P&Z board comes with a great deal of “homework”.  To perform the job properly is a significant time and effort commitment.  Michele’s background and abilities, I believe, makes her ideally suited to the role.  She has gained a foundational understanding of land use and development from her exposure to various real estate projects and real estate investments we’ve been involved in over the years.

Importantly, she has no conflicts of interest since none of our investments are located in Westport.

She’s an excellent critical thinker, she’s balanced and she’s principled above all else.  She is dedicated, responsible and passionate about her work.  She will do what is best for our Town.

The question we should ask, are these the qualities we wish to have in a P&Z candidate?

To my fellow Westport residents, you would be very fortunate to have someone with Michele’s abilities, integrity and energy to serve on your P&Z board.  Whether you are registered as a Democrat, Republican or Independent, I believe you should choose your commissioners not based on party lines but on these qualities.

Yours sincerely,

Cliff Voges
Norport Drive
Westport