Cheshire Election 2023: John Milone 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.

John Milone, 72, 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.miloneforcheshirec...

What office are you seeking?

Town Council at Large

Education.

A.S. Civil Engineering; B.S. Architectural Engineering, Wentworth Institute of Technology, Boston, MA

What is your occupation?

Professional Civil Engineer, with over 45 years of experience.

After cofounding and serving as President of Milone & MacBroom, Inc. for almost 35 years and maintained a main office in Cheshire with over 100 employees, along with satellite offices throughout the northeast, we merged into SLR Consulting, a global environmental and engineering consultancy in 2020. I currently serve as a Senior Advisor – Strategy for US operations. Our Cheshire office has been maintained and has become the hub of our US business.

We continue to grow our presence in the community.

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

I have four children, three sons and one daughter, all raised in Cheshire. My oldest son, John Ryan, and his wife have two children and live in Omaha, Nebraska. My youngest son, Kyle, and his wife live in Breckenridge, Colorado, and my middle son, Tim, and my daughter, Giovanna, both reside here in Cheshire. My fiancé, Sheila, and I live on the south end of the town and are active with our children and grandchildren, our businesses and professional interests, as well as in the community.

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

No.

My cousin, Michael Milone was the former town manager.

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

Yes, Cheshire Town Council

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?

I ran for and was elected to our Town Council two years ago, with the goal of bringing my professional engineering expertise, my business background, and my non-partisan approach to governance. I believe I have provided unique value to our Council and our community and wish to continue to do so as we embark on the completion of Bartlem Park, the construction of our new elementary schools, and the increased interest in development within our town.

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

The potential for increased taxes needed to continue to fund the investments that are required to maintain the quality of our community and the level of services needed to support our residents.
Our council has worked diligently in anticipating this and planning to minimize the impact on our community as a whole, but more work is needed. I will continue to make my priority focusing on opportunities to build our tax base while maintaining the character of our community as one of the primary ways to offset these potential increases in taxes.

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

My business background, my engineering expertise, and my collaborative approach to governance.

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

Cheshire is a desirable community and is under tremendous pressure for additional growth. Most of us live here because we love the character of the town and the caring nature of our neighbors. Controlled growth is needed to support the investments that are necessary to maintain the quality of our town, and the services required. I will utilize my understanding of engineering, community planning, and real estate development to help us plan for and attempt to manage this growth.

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

I believe my past service on the council is the most direct evidence of my ability to handle this position. More importantly, my years of leading an organization, where I drove a culture of respect, balance, and collaboration, along with the physical accomplishments of our work. The communities created through that work represent the best evidence of my ability to be an asset to our council.

What is the best advice anyone ever gave you?

Embrace both the good times, and the difficult ones.

Neither one will last and both will enrich you.

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

During my first term on the council, I focused on attempting to provide value where I had unique expertise. I believe that as a Council liaison to the Bartlem Park development committee, I was able to save the town a portion of what was originally budgeted, and was instrumental in ensuring the project was initiated on budget and on time. On the Audit Committee I helped implement changes to the town fraud policy which insured full transparency, and as the Council’s liaison to the Environment Commission I helped to guide the commission in its’ goal of overseeing our open space facilities and enhancing the quality of the town's environment. In addition, I believe my input on matters involving real estate have been an important part of our deliberations and have resulted in increased value to our town.

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.