Meriden Election 2023: Chad Cardillo Running For City Council

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.

Chad Cardillo, 35, is running for election to the Meriden City Council as a Democrat.

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

https://chadcardillo.com

What office are you seeking?

Meriden City Council At Large

Education.

Bachelors & Masters degrees, UConn; 6th Year in Educational Leadership, CCSU (in progress)

What is your occupation?

Social Studies Teacher, Maloney High School

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

No

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

Meriden City Councilor, 2021; Meriden Planning Commission Member, 2022-present

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'm running for City Council because I believe in Meriden. I was born and raised here and my sincere hope is to make Meriden a place where everyone can feel they belong and have pride in. For over two decades, I’ve volunteered hundreds of hours to our city. Today, my work is focused on improving Meriden's future. I'm a teacher, a volunteer, and a labor leader, and I have a strong background in reaching out to the community and a true passion for helping the public. I have proven myself to be dedicated to making a positive impact on our city. I understand what it takes to make a difference for Meriden — because that's what I do every day.

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

The most pressing issue for Meriden’s residents is the property tax burden. If elected, I will work to try to make the process for bringing businesses to Meriden easier. There should be a step-by-step guide for opening a business that incorporates all the necessary applications, permits, and departments that need to be contacted so that there is as smooth an experience as possible for people who want to help diversify Meriden’s economic footprint. Expanding the businesses in Meriden will serve many purposes, including building up the grand list in an effort to reduce residential taxes and to help improve Meriden’s quality of life overall.

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

I have been involved in community service in Meriden for many years. I do this work because I care for the well being of our city, not to garner attention on social media or see my name plastered all over town. My family instilled a passion in me for helping others from a young age, and I am serious about my intentions to improve Meriden for all its residents. My entire professional life has been in public service: first, as an emergency services dispatcher in Wallingford and now as a Maloney High School teacher. Serving as a citywide elected official is an honor but also an enormous responsibility and should not be taken lightly. I have experience serving on Council and will be able to jump in on day 1 to get to work for everyone in our city.

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

Other areas of focus of my campaign are a renewed focus on quality of life issues, those little things that add up over time, like potholes, noise complaints, and blight. These are regularly the biggest complaints residents have that can be dealt with quickly with the proper plans in place. Additionally, we need to continue investing in our people who make Meriden great already. We need to ensure that our schools are properly funded, our seniors are able to stay in their homes, our non-profits continue to be able to serve our most vulnerable neighbors, and our city's frontline workers want to stay and work here.

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

Even though it’s been many years, I am still extremely proud of earning the rank of Eagle Scout in my youth. The skills of leadership, hard work, and collaboration I learned in that process have served me well in my life since, both in my career and in my ongoing community service. During my term, the Meriden City Council held many consequential votes like the recently-completed renovation and expansion of the Meriden Public Library, contract ratifications for Meriden's police officers and firefighters which increased pay and benefits for those who serve our city, and expansions of the city's flood control plan, which has helped lead to drastic reductions in destructive flood events downtown, as well as zoning regulations to allow new types of businesses to call Meriden home. Since joining the city Planning Commission in February 2022, we have approved over 244,000 square feet of new commercial and light industrial space within the city to expand and diversify our tax base. Additionally, I currently serve as the President of the Board of Directors for Girls, Inc. of Meriden. I have overseen the search for a new executive director and, at the same time, an expansion of grant funding and the number of youth served by the organization.

What is the best advice anyone ever gave you?

The best advice I’ve been given is to always be true to myself. Being in the public eye can cause people to experience real pressure to sway back and forth on issues or tell different things to different groups depending on what you think they want to hear. The most important qualities of a leader are to be trustworthy, predictable, and to follow through on your commitments.

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

My priority is focusing on what city government can do that is in the best interests of the most people. Decisions have to be made by elected officials that aren’t always popular or easy, but that is part of the responsibility for holding office. Running for office must include the knowledge that at the end of the day, your votes and policies affect everyone in the community, not just those who have supported you in the past. I understand that being an elected official is first a position of service to your constituents – that will always be at the front of my mind.

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.