Branford Election 2021: Victoria Verderame Running For RTM

BRANFORD, CT —The state Municipal Election is Tuesday, Nov. 2.

Patch contacted candidates to answer questions about their campaigns.

Republican Victoria Verderame, 32, is running for RTM District 4 in Branford.

Occupation: Corporate Communications Manager

Family:
Parents: Thomas Verderame and Diane Levi
Siblings: Tommy and Natalia Verderame
Adopted Family: Chance, Lab/Greyhound Mix, Age 9

Experience: RTM 4th District

Family in government: My father, Thomas Verderame, is a dedicated civil servant for the City of New Haven in their Parks Department.

The single biggest issue in town is ______, and I plan to do this about it:

The single most pressing issue facing our town is maintaining its affordability, especially in the light of the Covid-19 pandemic. In recent years, we have passed fair, and sustainable budgets. I would like to continue on that path by monitoring our expenditures closely and advocating for the hard working tax-payers of Branford.

Critical differences between me and my opponents:

I am a young professional who just purchased my first home in Branford last year. Additionally and I come from a family of small business owners and am aware of the challenges they face. It is these two aspects that I believe make me a unique candidate for RTM. I want more young professionals like myself to make their homes in Branford and I also want small businesses in our community to thrive.

Accomplishments:

In 2019, I was awarded Distinguished Italian American Woman of the Year by the American Italian Women of Greater New Haven for my leadership in the Greater New Haven Italian-American community and helping to unite the different Italian American societies and organizations for a grass-roots effort to solve issues that were facing our community. I did this by adopting an open-door policy and being pragmatic, and both qualities which I believe make me a good candidate for the RTM.

Other issues:

I pride myself on being a good listener and would welcome anyone in my district to reach out to me when they want to voice their opinion on something happening in town or need assistance.

What else would you like voters to know about you?

I am a proud product of Branford Public Schools, I graduated from Branford High School in 2008. I was raised here in town and am committed to making our community the best it can be. At the same time, I am a person with a can-do attitude, and always ready to go the extra mile to complete a task or get the job done.