Farmington Candidate Profile: Patty Stoddard

Patty Stoddard hopes to take her experience from more than a decade of serving Farmington at the local level to Hartford as a state representative.

She has served Farmington for eight years on the Board of Education and four on the Town Council.

During her time on the Board of Education, Stoddard helped develop the “Vision of the Graduate,” was involved in the hiring of the current superintendent, Upper Elementary School was opened and Farmington High School was expanded, she said.

“It has been an honor to be endorsed by Democrats and Republicans alike, and to have earned the confidence and support of five decades of former and current Farmington Town Council Chairs,” she said. “I am ready to put my 12 years of service to work for Farmington residents in Hartford.”

Farmington had a nearly $250,000 surplus in its town coffers while Republicans had a majority on the Town Council, Stoddard said. The town’s credit rating was upgraded to AAA status as well.

Stoddard also led efforts that helped give Farmington the third lowest mill rate in the region along with a low unemployment and office vacancy rate, she said.

“I am running for State Representative because Connecticut is headed in the wrong direction – high unemployment, historic levels of taxation, residents and companies fleeing, and $2.8 billion in debt,” she said.

Besides her positions on the Board of Education and Town Council, Stoddard has also served as a Project Graduation co-chair, West District PTO president, and was a member of baseball, basketball and field hockey booster clubs.

She also has 20 years of experience as a realtor in Farmington Valley, something she said gives her insight into what affects home values in the area.

Stoddard said her priorities when elected would be:

• A legislature focused on increasing jobs and reducing debt.

• Fiscal responsibility, tax relief and efficient delivery of core services.

• Promoting excellence in education and ensuring our schools’ continued success.

• Common-sense and prioritized solutions to transportation issues.

“It’s time for a leader in Hartford who is focused on workable, bipartisan solutions to Connecticut’s many challenges,” she said. As Farmington’s Representative, I will use our many successes as an example of how things should be done to get our state back on track.”

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