Mandy Kilmartin Running For Shelton 4th Ward Alderman

SHELTON, CT — Election Day is approaching fast, and a number of key positions in Shelton will be on the ballot.

To help readers make an informed decision on Nov. 2, Patch has reached out to local candidates to share their views on various topics of importance in the city.

Patch will post these candidate profiles over the next couple of weeks, so check back often to see the latest.

Democrat Mandy Kilmartin, 46, is running for 4th Ward Alderman in Shelton.

Occupation: Consulting

Family: Doug Kilmartin, husband

Experience: Board of Education

Family in government: No.

The single biggest issue in town is ______, and I plan to do this about it:

This is such an interesting question because, of course, the most pressing issue depends entirely on your current living conditions. If you're a parent with kids in the school system, the most pressing issue is education. For seniors, it's maintaining low taxes. For residents who have watched new homes, condos, and businesses pop up around them, it's smart development. All of these issues are both pressing and fundamental to our community identity. And that, for me, is the most pressing issue we're facing in this election. For years, we have watched our current administration operate haphazardly, without any apparent long-term vision or strategy. Parcels of land are sold to the highest bidder and are developed as the buyer sees fit. School and other city department budgets are developed one year at a time. Mill rates are conceived through chronic underfunding, rather than long-term financial planning and forecasting. Fundamentally, Shelton has fallen victim to leaders who have become disconnected from our growing community and who have presented no vision for who we want to be. This election presents an opportunity for this town to make their voices heard and vote for leaders who are invested in this town-- not just in our sellable properties, but in our community, our seniors, our families, and our kids. It's a chance to be part of forging a vision for who we are and who we want to be five, seven, even ten years from now. As the 4th ward Alder(wo)man, I am- and will be- committed to forging collaboration between our city leadership, our schools, our small business owners, our Land Trust, and the members of our community. Together, we can continue to build a stronger vision for Shelton.

Critical differences between me and my opponents:

The current Board of Aldermen, with the singular exception of 1st ward Alderman, David Gidwani, is a chorus of rubber stamps to a mayor without a vision. They have shown themselves to be unburdened by independent thought and have demonstrated an unwillingness to discuss any idea that isn't completely in line with the mayor's directives. Last year, their Charter Revision proposal went so far as to attempt to eliminate the City's only financial oversight board and prevent effective minority representation on all other city boards. Fortunately, our community came together to vote down that proposal, but I have no doubt we'll be seeing similar proposals down the road unless there is a change in leadership. Anyone who has viewed or attended a Board of Education meeting over the last 4 years knows that I am not someone who simply follows orders. What sets me apart from other Aldermanic candidates is that I am someone with profound integrity, who is willing to push back and go to bat for the things that are right. I am not a real estate agent, contractor, developer, business owner, or someone with a political agenda who can be bullied into simply "going along." I am an independent-minded mother of 2, with a full time job and an unpaid role on the Board of Education. I intend to make every minute that I sacrifice away from my family, working to drive positive change in this community, count.

Accomplishments:

A strong example of my commitment to collaborative leadership was my work in building and leading the 2020 SHS Graduation Committee, comprised of staff, parents and students, and working in conjunction with the state health department, to provide a graduation, in the midst of a pandemic, that was meaningful to our students and their families. The graduation was a tremendous success in the face of unprecedented challenges, but showed what we can accomplish when we work together.

There are several public examples that demonstrate both my willingness and ability to stand up for what is right. One such example was during a BOE meeting in early 2020, when the Board of Ed was looking to appoint an interim Superintendent to replace Dr. Christopher Clouet following his resignation. Dozens of members of the community came out to speak during the public commentary portion of the meeting. Our attorney attempted to shut down the public session, citing an irrelevant Board policy that pertained to Board members-- not to the general public. I stood firm and questioned him on that policy until he agreed he was mistaken and allowed public commentary to resume.

In addition to my accomplishments in the public sector, I work full time as an advisor to health care organizations across the country and around the world. I have been honored to speak to leaders and administrators at conferences at Harvard Medical School, the Patient Experience Forum in Doha, Qatar, and the Postgraduate Forum at Hospital Sirio-Libanes in Sao Paulo, Brazil, to name a few. I am also the lead advisor to several hospitals across NYC and am the liaison to the Ministry of Health in Saudi Arabia. Leadership and collaboration is something that I practice- and preach- every day.

What else would you like voters to know about you?

Fundamental to my campaign for Alderman is my belief and commitment to putting party politics aside and working with folks on both sides of the aisle in order to grow and strengthen this community. As a founding member of Envision Shelton, I am campaigning alongside both Democrat and Republican colleagues, with all funding coming from our grassroots donors-- not from the Republican or Democratic Town Committees, and certainly not from developers or other special-interest groups. The incredible support that we have garnered from our neighbors gives me hope that on November 2nd, we will make our voices heard and begin working towards a stronger vision for our community. I would encourage all voters to learn more about me and my Envision Shelton colleagues at www.envisionshelton.com