Giannini Brings Fiscal Conservative Viewpoint to Farmington Council Race

Farmington resident Kevin Giannini would like to see his children, now ages 5 and 11, come back to the community when they're ready to raise their own families.

That's why he decided to make a run for City Council, he said. Giannini, one of eight candidates on the Nov. 8 ballot, wants to see Farmington remain viable and vibrant not only now, but for future generations.

He describes himself as a "fiscal conservative" who follows the Boy Scouts of America motto: "Be prepared." He believes in proactive budgeting, planning for the possibility of things happening, "so you're not caught off-guard."

Giannini believes business development should be a priority, but he said he would like to see more of the community involved in the process of determining how that development should go. He's concerned about the drop in the city's population and said targeting development to attract younger people "could bring some of the mojo back to Farmington."

To encourage redevelopment, Giannini favors a combination of options, instead of just providing tax incentives to businesses. He said the tough part of that balancing act is to ensure that everyone is treated fairly, without preference for one type of development over another.

If revenues continue to decline and if officials are faced with more cuts, Giannini said core services — public safety and public works — will be a priority for him. He hasn't "delved deeply" into budget line items, so he doesn't have specific suggestions for where to make cuts.

"My biggest concern would be questioning why some of those cuts weren't done in years prior, rather than having to react." he said.

Giannini knows that "shared services is going to be big", but he added, "That's a tough area. I don't want to interfere with the Farmington way of life residents have come to expect."

At the same time, he wonders why questions about what more can be shared weren't raised five or 10 years ago.

While he acknowledgedthat "hindsight is 20/20," he said that if elected, he would be an official with new and different insights, not falling in line with "this is how we have done things in the past."

"I will be asking questions that maybe others may not want to ask," Giannini said.

As a council member, Giannini said he would bring the same qualities that govern his private life. "I don't believe in carrying high debt levels, I don't believe in overextending myself. I believe in a core level of services," he said.

"Not being a political or a city insider, I don't come to the table with any preconceived notions. I think I bring a little more openness to the table," he added.

Giannini is one of eight candidates running for three council seats Nov. 8. The others are Greg Cowley, Bill Galvin, Kristin Kuiken, JoAnne McShane, Sean Murphy, Greg Sako and Jeffrey Taylor.

Council member David Wright initially filed petitions but later withdrew his name from the ballot.

The two candidates who receive the most votes will serve four-year terms; the third-highest vote-getter will serve a two-year term. Elections will take place Nov. 8.