Election 2021: Gina Cekala For Enfield Town Council At Large

ENFIELD, CT — Democrat Gina Cekala, 42, is running for Town Council - At Large in Enfield.

Occupation: Attorney

Family:Gina and Mark Cekala have 2 children, Andrew Cekala, age 15 and Paige Cekala, age 13, both who attend Enfield Public Schools.

Experience: Incumbent

Family in government: No

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

I am not sure I can name one single most pressing issue. The biggest issue I see needing changing right now is the majority leadership on both our Town Council and Board of Education.
There are several things that I would like to try to do, if elected again. There seems to be a divide in our community right now. I want to try to work to bring people back together. I want to work on bringing businesses into our town to widen our tax base, starting with rescinding the resolution on the outright ban on cannabis stores having the ability to try to open to our town. I want to increase our services, and without increasing our taxes. I want to continue to build a strong education system and support our schools and staff. I want to make sure we have a long term plan to deal with the maintenance on both our town and school buildings. I want to make sure Enfield is family friendly by increasing the access to recreation as well.

Critical differences between me and my opponents:

Over my time on the council, I have been in the minority party, which, many times, makes it difficult to get things done. That being said, I have tried to reach across the aisle when possible. I listen to our residents. I don't make decisions based on my own personal beliefs, but those of the people who elected me. I feel that my experience both professionally, as an attorney, and personally, as a parent and resident of this town, makes me a qualified candidate. I ask tough questions, and I ask for transparency in our town government. I support and will continue to vote to support public safety and our police department. I support our education system and our schools as well. And I feel as though we should protect and offer assistance to our most vulnerable residents.

Accomplishments:

I have lived in Enfield for over 30 years. I graduated from Fermi High School. I am a proud parent and practicing attorney. I volunteer at my children's schools, been part of their PTO's, coach local softball and am part of the board on ELL and EGSA. But, during my time on the Town Council, I have stood up for the residents. I have voted against outright bans that don't even allow us the option to see what an industry offers us. I was very vocal and voted against closing the Adult Day Care program here in town, a vote where all of the Republicans voted to close it. I have also been instrumental in getting more fields and field improvements for our recreation programs. I have asked for reasoning and accounting when departments come to the council asking for more money. And I have always supported funding public safety and our school system.

Other issues:

I believe in, and our platform is, Equity, Education and Economy. We believe in equity; we believe in helping people who need help and providing services to those who need it. I believe in education. I believe in our school system. We have wonderful teachers and support staff and a fantastic Superintendent. We need to support our teachers so they can support and teach our children. A strong school system attracts families here to Enfield, and which improves our tax base. I also believe in economy. We need a healthy and diverse economy here in Enfield also to help build our tax base.

What else would you like voters to know about you?

I feel like I have proven myself to be an advocate for our residents, schools, and employees and children. And I will continue to do so.

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