East Haven Candidate Profile: Kimberly Glassman, Town Council

EAST HAVEN, CT — East Haven’s election season is heating up.

East Haven Patch asked candidates in the contested races to answer questions about their campaigns and will be publishing candidate profiles as election day draws near.

Kimberly Glassman, 37, is a Democrat running for Town Council, First District.

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

This includes any relatives who work in the government you'd be representing.
My husband, James Albis, is the former State Representative for East Haven's 99th district. Currently, he serves as Senior Advisor at the Dept. of Energy & Environmental Protection. And my father-in-law, Mike Albis, serves as the Chief Administrative Judge for the family court system.

Education:

I graduated from Indiana University in 2004 with a Bachelors in Political Science and a minor in Gender Studies.

Occupation:
Director of the Foundation for Fair Contracting - 8 years

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office:

This is my first time running for public office.

The single most pressing issue facing our town/district is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.

Education. The Town Council has no authority over our Board of Education. The BoE is a separate elected body. But the council does vote on their budget. I want to foster better communication and cooperation between the council and the BoE so that we are fully funding education and addressing the BoE's needs in a meaningful way.

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

I wasn't born in East Haven. I moved here over 7 years ago. This community is my chosen home. It's where I chose to purchase my and my husband's first house. It's where I've chosen to plant roots and raise a family. I believe the Town Council should explore ways to attract and retain more young families to this beautiful shoreline community. And I believe that I bring a unique perspective to that effort.

Unfortunately, local politics can get personal and nasty. We've all witnessed mudslinging and lowbrow attacks. What we must remember is that we're all neighbors. We all love East Haven and want this community to thrive and prosper. After Election Day, whether we've won or lost, the truly dedicated don't gloat or take their ball home. They continue working to make their hometown stronger and better for themselves and the generations behind us. So rather than trying to draw distinctions between myself and my opponents, I would simply ask voters to consider those candidates who have offered a real vision and plan for this community and those who are truly committed to seeing them through.

List other issues that define your campaign platform:

Community Engagement: I want to do more to engage with the community at the micro-local level where we can build upon shared values. This will mean actively engaging with community members about upcoming council meetings and public hearings, making sure that they know what's on the agenda, and giving them an opportunity to weigh in so that the council hears and considers their concerns and ideas. We're all neighbors and we're all in this together. Better community engagement will make our council more effective.

Local Hire Ordinance: When our town gives tax incentives or uses economic development monies (i.e. TIFs, grants, loans) to attract companies, then those companies should commit to hiring a percentage of local residents. This ensures that we're cycling some of those economic development dollars back into our local economy.

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

As the Director of the Foundation for Fair Contracting, I monitor public construction contracts for compliance with federal and state labor laws. This requires me to work cooperatively with federal, state and municipal contracting agencies. I have a unique perspective on development and procurement. And working in the construction field, I also understand the struggles and needs of our blue-collar construction families. Over my eight years as Director of the FFC, I've helped workers recover millions of dollars in stolen wages. East Haven is a blue-collar town. It's imperative that our local elected officials govern with our community's working families in mind. I believe this can be achieved in how we approach economic development, and employing better contracting methods that include good workplace standards.

I was recently appointed by Lt. Gov. Bysiewicz to the Governor's Council on Women & Girls. I serve on their Economic Opportunity & Workforce Equity Subcommittee. I was also appointed by the Speaker of the House to Co-Chair the legislature's Task Force to Study Debarment and Limitations on the Awarding of State Contracts.

Change is often incremental. It’s important that we elect leaders who understand how government works so that those incremental changes have the most substantial impact. I have experience bringing government officials, advocates, and other stakeholders together to achieve tangible solutions.

The best advice ever shared with me was ...

If there aren't any open seats at the table, pull up a chair.

As a young woman running for office, this advice is especially meaningful. Politics in East Haven is a good old boys club. It's time that people with new perspectives and fresh ideas have a seat at the table. And I pledge that, if elected, I will work to build the bench of new female leaders in East Haven so that we continue adding women to the ballot year after year.

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

Like my husband, I am drawn to public service. I think its critical that we listen to and try to find solutions to our neighbors' needs - from addressing snow removal and road paving, to ensuring that we have quality public schools, to making sure that this town remains affordable for our seniors and young families.

I also feel a responsibility to bring in more voices and representation to our political sphere. I want to make sure that young people and women are at the table where important decisions regarding our community are being made. If elected, I will try to cultivate more women and young people, so that we're continually building the bench of future community leaders for East Haven.

Are you running for office in East Haven? Contact Ellyn Santiago at ellyn.santiago@patch.com for information on being featured in a candidate's profile and submitting campaign announcements to East Haven Patch.