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Published: May 2007
As Clifton Park Supervisor, Phil Barrett has helped bring in new businesses while keeping taxes down. Barrett discusses his work for the town and his philosophy on the relationship between government and commerce.
Success Magazine: What does success mean to you?
Phil Barrett: Success is not only doing well professionally and building a career but achieving a balance in your life between work and family.
SM: You've done well financially and politically. Give us a little history of how you got to where you are.
PB: I got into banking five years ago. It is like any other industry, once you start to have some success you become known in the market and people start to take notice. Everything comes down to work ethic. You need to work harder and smarter than your competition and make your own breaks.
SM: How did you get involved in politics?
PB: I got interested in politics once I started paying taxes. Ronald Reagan was the first political figure that I really admired. As time moved on I had a growing desire to get involved and give back to the community. I looked at what was going on around me and started to ask myself what I could do to make things better. So I ran for town supervisor when I was thirty-one years old, probably on the younger side for a position like that. That was almost eight years ago, and the support I have received from the people of Clifton Park in each of my reelections has been humbling.
SM: In the past two decades or so Clifton Park and the surrounding area has had tremendous growth. There have been new homes, new businesses, and three new hotels in the past few years. What do you attribute this growth to?
PB: Clifton Park's average household income has grown to $85,000, so that helps attract new businesses. People want to live and do business in Southern Saratoga County because Town and County taxes are low compared to other areas. School taxes are a separate issue, but the Shenendehowa School System does have a good reputation. We enjoy a wonderful quality of life and accessible services. We have benefited from a good private/public sector relationship and our assessed value has grown tremendously, which in turn grows the tax base. Our goal has been to achieve a balance between development and the protection of our quality of life. We received two state-wide planning awards in 2006 for the steps we have taken to achieve this balance. The NYS Association of Realtors and the American Planning Association, both recognized our innovative planning efforts. I believe any organization needs to exploit its strengths and strengthen its weaknesses, we can all agree on that. In addition, a municipality must realize where its been and plan correctly for the future. We cannot try to be something we are not. The key is to have a comprehensive long range plan based on sound techniques and a tremendous amount of public input. Along the way we need to seize all opportunities to make short term changes that improve our community.
SM: Could you give an example of such an opportunity?
PB: Certainly. Several years ago a lot of people thought that the Clifton Park Center, then called the Clifton Country Mall, was on its way out. I saw the opportunity for the mall to make a comeback as did others. When a town like ours derives no revenue from property taxes and 75% of our revenue from sales tax we could not sit back and allow this retail center to fold. So I started a drive to bring stores like Boscov's into the mall. That took a lot of hard work and didn't happen overnight, but eventually it worked out well. The whole community became a part of the effort and working together we made it happen. That saved the mall and led to millions of dollars of improvements. Now you see the wonderful job Don Green is doing with reshaping the mall to appeal to the shopper of the present and the future. He has a vision that is working which will benefit the town.
Boscov's was the start of my larger vision to have people driving down the Northway and say, "Let's stop in to Clifton Park for some shopping." As I stated, we do not have a General Town Property Tax, so commercial success is vital for our community. Our proximity to the Northway and Route 9 will help get more customers to our stores.
SM: So you would consider the town business friendly?
PB: Absolutely. People tend to think that the public and private sector don't work well together. That couldn't be farther from the truth in Clifton Park. We work very closely with our business community since their success benefits the Town and the taxpayers. There should be an essential symmetry between businesses and government. Everyone can benefit when people work together.
SM: Where do you see yourself going in the private sector?
PB: This may sound strange, but I don't set any kind of long-term goals for my career. I just go out everyday and work hard. Opportunities will present themselves if you make things happen. The key is to be ready for the opportunity when it comes and have the ability to recognize when the opportunity is there. Preparedness, flexibility and foresight are vital. Positioning and timing are just as important. Being Chairman of the Saratoga County Board of Supervisors, a four-term Town Supervisor and a banker were not goals that I set.
SM: But you are now. What do you think you will do with those titles in the future?
PB: Well, I hope to be in public service and banking in some capacity for a long time. I'm just going to do what I can to improve the town, county and assist my team at Key Bank. I don't have any aspiration for higher public office. I am thankful for the opportunity I have to serve in Clifton Park, my home. Of course, I will always be prepared for the next opportunity.
SM: You have two careers while having a family. Where do you find the time?
PB: It's tough. I am very close to my three children. I want the best for my kids, so I work hard and give them everything I can. They are very busy and I am so proud of each one of them. Like anybody else, I want my kids to be proud of me as well. My daughter Jen is a successful real estate agent, wife and will soon be a mom. Philip is a great student and keeping up with his travel soccer year round and baseball is a challenge in and of itself. Brandon is definitely following in his big brother's footsteps. I am so blessed. I always try to expose my kids to what I do with my work and teach them about the political process and how the business world works.
SM: If you could describe yourself in one word, what would that be?
PB: Relentless. I take each day as a challenge and accomplish as much as possible.
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