Enfield Candidate Profile: Cindy Mangini, Town Council At-Large

ENFIELD, CT — Enfield's election season is heating up, and there are plenty of contested races with candidates eager to represent their town in November's municipal election. Enfield Patch asked candidates in the town council and Board of Education races to answer questions about their campaigns, and has been publishing candidate profiles each weekday as election day draws near.

Democrat Cindy Mangini is running for election to the Enfield Town Council, seeking an at-large seat.

Name: Cynthia Mangini

Age: 65

Position Sought: Council member at-large

Party Affiliation: Democrat

Family: daughter Beverly, sons William and Christopher, grandchildren Vincent, Carrie and Cole

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government: No

Education: Graduated Enfield High School 1972 (highest honors); AA-Liberal Arts, Asnuntuck Community College; BA-Political Science, UConn; MS-Law, Western New England University

Occupation: 22 years licensed Realtor CT and MA

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office: Served 19 years Councilman on Enfield town council

The single most pressing issue facing our town is: Disproportionate tax spending. We need to better fund education, our infrastructure, social services, and other areas. Residents should receive value for their tax dollars. I would work towards appropriating the funds more efficiently so that the taxpayers would gain a greater benefit from their tax dollars.

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post: One critical difference is that I have more experience than other candidates. Another difference is that I am a good listener. I believe the current council has failed to look at the whole picture. I see where programs that had been implemented have been stopped with the excuse of being too costly. There are ways of thinking out of the box to fund programs.

List other issues that define your campaign platform: Here are some of the issues that define my campaign platform:

• Work across the political aisle to make improvements in Enfield
• Try to restore some of the programs that have fallen to the wayside due to lack of funding such as the Adult Day Care center
• Provide Veterans with better assistance (medical, housing, etc.)
• Work closely with our Board of Education to help our students excel

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job: I served as a board member for the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities-here I was able to lobby our state to prevent more severe municipal cuts to Enfield, i.e. education. I served as the Vice Chair to the National League of Cities FAIR committee. I played an instrumental role in presenting policy recommendations to Congress, i.e. Internet Sales taxation.

The best advice ever shared with me was: it is wise to not only hear, but to listen to what people are saying.

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions: I have served our Enfield community honorably in the past. I look forward to making positive changes or improvements if I am afforded the privilege of being elected to the Enfield town council.