Meriden Election 2023: Anthony Martorelli Running For Board Of Ed

MERIDEN, CT — The 2023 municipal election is heating up in Meriden with plenty of races on the ballot.

Voters will head to the polls Tuesday, Nov. 7 and cast their ballots for Mayor, City Council, Board of Education and more.

Meriden Patch asked candidates to answer questions about their campaigns and will be publishing candidate profiles as election day draws near.

Anthony Martorelli, 48, is running for re-election to the Meriden Board of Education as a Republican.

Does your campaign have a website? If so, include the URL here.

https://www.facebook.com/profi...

If you are running in a district, you can specify the district here.

At Large

Education.

Attended Manchester Community College for Food Service & Hotel Management

What is your occupation?

Director of School Food Service for LPM, 7 years

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

My wife, Dr. Dawn Martorelli, has been a teacher in Meriden since 2005 but has been teaching since 1998. We have two children who attended the Meriden Public Schools. Our daughter Robyn graduated from Maloney in 2022 and is currently attending Stonehill College. Our son Anthony is a senior at Wilcox in the Precision Machining trade.

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

I am the first in my family to work in politics or government.

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

I served on the Meriden Public Utilities Commission prior to serving my Meriden Board of Education term.

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 want to continue my work on the Board of Education because I know how important it is to work together with families, staff, the union, and administrators to offer the best possible education and the safest environment for all. I was on multiple school parent organizations when my own children were younger and I know the importance of parent involvement. I want to continue the great work that we are doing already.

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

The single most pressing issue facing my constituents is funding, and this is what I intend to do about it.

I will continue to work with our central office staff and our unions in creating a budget that allows us to hire and get the resources we need to serve our students to the highest standard. As a member of the Board of Education, I will also work with the Town Council because we must understand that we need to work collaboratively as this impacts the city as a whole.

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

Thinking about this question and the other candidates seeking this post, we all have children. We are all passionate about wanting to help the students in our community and ensuring that all of our students and all of our staff are served to the best of our ability. However, my current tenure on the Board of Education has given me the insight to grow relationships with our students, staff, and union to best understand their needs and how to help them.

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

Parental involvement has always been a passion of mine. I intend to continue working to find ways to involve our parents. In addition, I will be addressing: school safety, funding and resources, and providing services for all our students.

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

My biggest accomplishment would be raising two children and keeping them on track as they navigated and progressed through the schools. In addition, I was a member and president of the John Barry and Roger Sherman parent teacher groups. I was also a member of the John Barry Governance council. Working with the staff, our unions, and the board, I was a part of the team that kept schools open, sports running, activities happening during COVID. I was also a member of the Board of Education when we brought Edison in as a Meriden Public School which was a great savings to the town. I currently sit on the Finance and Curriculum committees of the Board of Education as well.

What is the best advice anyone ever gave you?

"Take your time, do the best you can, we can fix anything together"

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

As a lifelong Meriden resident, father of two, husband of a teacher, the school environment has been a part of my life for many years. I have been in every school building in our district. Even before I was on the Board of Education there wasn’t a building I couldn’t go into that I didn't know someone, whether it be a custodian, a teacher, an administrator or a parent. I will always support our students and staff in any way that I can. Meriden is my home and will continue to be so.

Are you running for office in Meriden? Email vincent.salzo@patch.com for information on being featured in a candidate's profile on Meriden Patch.