The Town is Us began in the summer of 2019 as a groundbreaking campaign for the Granby Board of Selectmen by two individuals from outside of organized town politics. Positions on most town boards are rarely contested, so you can imagine the level of curiosity as well as genuine hope for constructive change.
In just about two months time, with a combination of social media and in-person meetings, a broad cross-section of our community was introduced to a refreshing combination of listening, factual analysis, ideation and choice-creating on a variety of matters central to the well-functioning and future success of our town.
For better or worse, once the real work started, most of the information-sharing and discussion was confined to private Facebook groups. While Facebook may work well for getting people's attention and making quick connections, it's more difficult to track a number of issues as they evolve over time.
Most importantly, more residents have started to get involved on key matters, and it's time to bring all of the work together into a single location and make it easier for anyone to participate in the discussion or advocate for action on town matters.
Glenn Ballard came to Connecticut in 1993, and to Granby in 2009. He spent 25+ years as a management consultant to healthcare / insurance / financial services organizations, redesigning work and applying technology to achieve business results.
In 2019, he was only the third person in 30 years to challenge for First Selectman, ultimately serving as Selectman from 2019-2021.