Middletown Candidate Profile: Jonathan Pulino For Common Council

MIDDLETOWN, CT — The 2019 municipal election is heating up in Middletown and there are plenty of races with candidates eager to serve in elected office.

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

Jonathan Pulino, 48, is running for Common Council as a Republican.

Are you running for office in Middletown? Contact Vinnie Salzo at vincent.salzo@patch.com for information on being featured in a candidate's profile and submitting campaign announcements to Middletown Patch.

Family:

Jean, Wife of 14 years; Emily, my daughter is 14 and a 9th grader at Middletown High School, while my son, Jack is 11 years old and attends Keigwin Middle School.

Education:

Associate of Arts from Middlesex Community College (1992); Bachelor of English and a Bachelor in Communications from Eastern Connecticut State University (1994-95); Masters in Educational Technology from CCSU (2007); A 6th Year Degree in Administration and Library Science from SCSU (2013)- 3 Connecticut Teaching Certificates: Administration (092); English (015); and Library/Media (062).

Occupation:

I have been a public school teacher for the last 21 years in the field of English and Library Science.

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office:

The Board of Education (2016-Present); Zoning Board of Appeals (2007- Present/Chairman); Northern Comcast Cable Advisory Board (2007-Present/Chairman)- Previously Elected to Middletown Board of Assessment Appeals 2007-2009/2011-2013

The single most pressing issue facing our town/district is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.

Bringing fresh and exciting new businesses to the city in order to expand our grand list while helping the citizens of Middletown get some much-needed tax relief.

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

I am extremely pro-active in getting problems solved and I am not a so-called "right fighter," I believe in using positive energy to find logical solutions to the issues at hand.

List other issues that define your campaign platform:

Smart spending and allocation of funds in a proper way. As an educator for 21 years, it is very obvious that a large portion of the monies handed to the BOE should be going to support teachers, staff and paraprofessionals. When this happens: the achievement gap tightens and holistically the public education experience becomes more genuine.

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

As a member of the Board of Assessment of Appeals, I was able to work with a majority of Middletown payers in coming up with a tax cut that was equitable for both the city and the citizen.

The best advice ever shared with me was ...

Focus on what you are doing when you are doing it.

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

As a citizen of Middletown, I have always attempted to keep my pulse on the beat of the town to find out the 'real' issues we are dealing with as a community. As the host of the public access television show, "The Edge", since 1998, I have had the privilege to interview many town leaders and citizens from all walks of life on the political spectrum. It is through this experience that has allowed me to formulate intelligent and thought-provoking data and opinions on serious city issues. I am also huge advocate of Middletown sports- as my daughter has been playing softball in local leagues since she was in first grade, while a few nights a week one can find me at Baroni Field coaching my son's team.

Campaign website: Facebook-Pulino4CommonCouncil