Cheshire Election 2023: Don Walsh Running For Town Council

CHESHIRE, CT — The 2023 municipal election is heating up in Cheshire with plenty of races on the ballot.

Voters will head to the polls Tuesday, Nov. 7 and cast their ballots for seats on the Town Council, Board of Education, Planning and Zoning Commission and more.

Cheshire Patch asked candidates to answer questions about their campaigns and will be publishing candidate profiles as election day draws near.

Don Walsh, 63, is running for re-election to the Cheshire Town Council as a Republican.

Does your campaign have a website? If so, include the URL here.

https://www.dwalshforcheshire....

If you are running in a district, you can specify the district here.

3rd District

Education.

BS Degree in Business-Economics-Southern CT State University

What is your occupation?

Owner-DW Gem Services, LLC--4 years

Do you have a family? If so, please tell us about them.

Wife-Jenifer, 2 children-Cara and Patrick

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

No

Have you ever held a public office, whether appointive or elective?

Planning and Zoning Alternate-2018-2019, Town Council 2019-present

Now we'd like to ask a few questions about your reasons for running and your general views on politics and government. First, why are you seeking this office?

My wife and I have lived in Cheshire since 1996. We raised our children here and have fallen in love with the community. We started a charity called Cheshire's Lights of Hope here and raised over $1.2 million to help people in Cheshire. I have always felt the urge to do more to help and decided to get involved in public office. I now own a business here and have an understanding of how some of the issues other business leaders may face. My reason for running now is pretty basic--I want to help make this town a place that is great for all residents to live in, as well as businesses to prosper in.

Please complete this statement: The single most pressing issue facing my constituents is \_\_\_, and this is what I intend to do about it.

Affordability. I think many citizens are concerned about being priced out of Cheshire. As am I. We need to have a strategic plan for economic development to help offset many of the costs coming down the road from the building of 2 new schools. We have been very successful in keeping a AAA credit rating which allows us to bond at a much lower rate. We implemented the Tax Increment Finance (TIF) District to entice developers to come to Cheshire because this funding will help them offset some of the infrastructure costs. I feel we have done a great job educating our children, giving the town great parks, keeping our residents safe and helping our senior citizens continue to live in this town. When we look at our next budget, I can assure you we will look at it very carefully like we have always done and figure out ways to keep the same credit rating while trying to have minimal mill rate increases. To do this we will need to continue to entice businesses to come to Cheshire, especially to use as much of our open office space as possible. We will also need to make important decisions regarding the use of the school buildings and the property that will no longer be needed when the new schools open. We can tell, based on the real estate sales, that there are many people who want to live here. This is a great problem to have.

What are the major differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

I am running unopposed, but it doesn't mean that I don't have differences with other people who may be running. I respect anyone willing to do this job. It takes a lot of time away from your families and personal life. I know that we all want what is best for Cheshire, but there are times that we may not agree on how to get there. As long as you can respect your opponents and appreciate their side of it, then we can learn to work together on making Cheshire a great place to live.

What other issues do you intend to address during your campaign?

I am proud of the work I have done as chairman of the Solid Waste Committee. We brought back the Bulk Trash pickup this year. We also implemented a Pilot program at Chapman school for food waste recycling. I am hoping that if this is successful there, we can implement it in the rest of our schools. I am also excited that we will be breaking ground next year for our 2 new schools.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

I served as the vice-chairman of the Town Council for the past 2 years. I am proud of the work I have done on the solid waste committee, as mentioned earlier. I have also sat on the Ordinance Committee that implemented the Blight Ordinance that his helping clean up some blighted property around town. I have continued to work on the Personnel Committee in restructuring the town hall offices to become more efficient while saving money. We have kept the mill rate level during the Covid days and we slight, but needed increases the past years. We understand the importance of keeping Cheshire affordable for all.

What is the best advice anyone ever gave you?

To speak from your heart and stick to the facts. I am also a home owner as well as a business owner, so any of the financial decisions we make will have a direct impact on me as well.

Is there anything else you would like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

I will continue to work hard for all residents and businesses, keeping Cheshire a great place to live.

Are you running for office in Cheshire? Email vincent.salzo@patch.com for information on being featured in a candidate's profile on Cheshire Patch.