"The indirect impact is greater than the direct," he said during a fund-raiser for his campaign that was held Sept. 24 at the home of George Walker, a former member of the Board of Finance and former chairman of the Board of Directors at the YMCA of Western Connecticut.
Municipal officials have indicated in recent months that Costco, which is one of the town's top taxpayers, might leave Brookfield since it decided in February to withdraw its application to build a 158,000-square-foot facility on the 37-acre cornfield at Junction Road.
Representatives for Costco have said that the company has outgrown its current facility and needs more space as its customer base has expanded.
Mr. Tinsley, who owns Play It Again Sports near the intersection of Federal and Candlewood Lake roads, just walking distance from Costco, said that, for example, his computer data base indicates that he gets several customers from northern Westchester County and Duchess County in New York state.
"They didn't come here because I'm here," he said. "They found me because they had been shopping at Costco."
Mr. Tinsley, a former vice chairman of the Board of Education who is currently in his sixth year on the finance board, said he believes that officials of Costco "don't feel welcome in Brookfield" after there was strong opposition to the cornfield proposal from residents that spoke at the Zoning Commission's public hearings in January.
He said he believes that is unfortunate because he regularly visits the Union Savings Bank branch near Costco most weekday mornings and sees Costco employees improving the landscape and clearing trash from the wholesale giant's parking lot in an effort to be a good neighbor.
Mr. Tinsley said that through the years Costco has made donations to almost every non-profit organization in Brookfield.
First Selectman Robert Silvaggi, a Republican who was elected two years ago as a petitioning candidate, has said that he has talked to representatives of Costco about building a larger wholesale center on the northern end of the Kohl's shopping plaza.
The first selectman announced in July that he would not be seeking a second term in office.
Last month the Zoning Commission approved a 128,000-square-foot retail center from 401 Federal Road LLC for the cornfield. That plan still needs to be approved by the state Traffic Commission.
Mr. Tinsley has said he believes the project will be approved and that the retail center would become an effective anchor for development along the central portion of Federal Road.
"Brookfield is a great residential community, but its commercial and industrial base is underdeveloped," he said.
On another topic, Mr. Tinsley said he is concerned about the impact on businesses in the immediate vicinity of the Four Corners intersection of Federal Road after the 2.1-mile Route 7 bypass opens later this year.
He said the daily number of vehicle trips at the intersection, which is now estimated at 30,000, is expected to dwindle to 7,000 since much of the current though traffic will be diverted.
Some business owners in the immediate vicinity of the Four Corners have said that they are not certain what impact the loss of traffic would have on their businesses. They have said that there will be less congestion, which might entice some customers to come because there will be easier access. However, they also have said that with fewer vehicle trips they will be seen by the current larger volume of through traffic.
Mr. Tinsley said he believes the gasoline stations will be hurt by the opening of the much-anticipated bypass but that some of the restaurants might benefit from the easier access.
He emphasized the town needs to proceed with the development of the Village District pedestrian-friendly street­scape. Business owners near the Four Corners have said that project would enhance their customer base.
On another topic, Mr. Tinsley said that he is "very" pleased with the work of interim town Controller Jay Wahlberg, saying that he is a "seasoned" financial officer who has been able to provide information to the finance board promptly.
Town Treasurer David Scribner has said that he believes that the town will start seeking resumes for a permanent controller in November, shortly after the municipal election, and conduct interviews in December in anticipation of hiring someone for the $90,000-a-year position around Jan. 1.
Mr. Tinsley said that "if it's in the cards" he hopes that Mr. Wahlberg, who retired last year after serving as the town controller in Ridgefield for 15 years, would be "a serious candidate" for the permanent appointment.
He said that, if elected, he would seek input from Mr. Scribner, the other selectmen, the finance board and Brookfield residents on the hiring of the new controller.
The finance office has encountered some obstacles over the last two years.
Longtime controller Raymond Bolek of Kent retired in February of last year and his successor, Theresa Mitchell, stayed for less than eight months after she accepted an executive position with Cartus, a relocation company in Danbury, where she had previously worked. She is now running for a seat on the finance board.
Michael Belden, who had been a finance board member and then the controller in Middlebury, began work last December and resigned in April, only to be reinstated two days later. Mr. Belden, who apparently had conflicts with Mr. Silvaggi and with finance board chairman Ernie Nepomuceno, who is now running as a petitioning candidate for first selectman, resigned again in June and Mr. Wahlberg became the interim controller in late July.
Mr. Tinsley said in an interview at the fund-raiser that although he is concerned that the town's fund balance has fallen below 7 percent in the last two years, "our balance sheet is strong" since the town has a low amount of debt and that debt is projected to decline over the coming years.
The town has sought since the mid-1990s to have at least 7 percent in its fund balance in an effort to boost its bond rating. That rating has been at the coveted AA2 level since 1997.
On another topic, Mr. Tinsley said that the town will have to be "cautious" about hiring additional personnel, particularly in a stagnant economy. For example, the police department has one roster position that is vacant and is seeking federal funding to hopefully fill that post. The department has not added any roster positions since 1999.
Police Chief Robin Mont­gomery expressed concern in an interview this summer that some people might not fully appreciate the "demands" on a 24-hour a day operation, such as the police department.
During his years as an elected official, Mr. Tinsley has frequently indicated the need to make municipal departments more productive.