Patch Candidate Profile: Kevin Kosty, Shelton Board Of Aldermen

SHELTON, CT — The 2023 municipal election is heating up in Shelton and there are plenty of local races with candidates eager to serve in elected office.

Shelton-Derby Patch asked candidates to answer questions about their campaigns and will be publishing candidate profiles as Election Day draws near.

Democrat Kevin Kosty, 44, is a Shelton resident running for the Board of Aldermen in Ward 2.

Education

Bachelor of Science (Biochemistry).

What is your occupation?

Senior Technical Support Specialist (15 years).

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

Married my wife just over 1 year ago.

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

No relatives working in Shelton government.

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

Board of Aldermen (currently first 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 am seeking to remain on the Board of Alderman so I can continue to push for an honest budget, improvements to downtown, and improving our schools.

The honest budget and schools go together quite a bit, if we can build a budget that does not rely on waiting to see what happens during the year, we can work with the Board of Education on programs that improve our school offerings and increase student performance. This year’s budget, which I voted against, gambled heavily on insurance costs dropping quite a bit this year and so far, it does not look like that will happen. There was extraordinarily little discussion on that or other budget holes or requests that we heard from department heads.

Improvements that I would like to see downtown include a better focus on public safety, walkability, and especially parking to help our businesses thrive. Those investments pay for themselves over time both in residents’ ability to enjoy our downtown, and successful businesses help keep our mill rate low.

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

A need for better city services. A good example is one of the most common calls I get from residents is in regards for the paving of Shelton roads. Chip seal is a valid method of resealing roadways, but the amount of stone aggregate ending up in residents’ driveways and rainwater drainage problems created seem to point to use not using it correctly.

Residents have also rarely received more than one day notice before work has begun on any road. As Aldermen we need to advocate for improvements. Other municipalities have shifted to using smaller stones, the sweeping of stones afterwards needs to happen within days, not weeks later, and committing to a resurfacing schedule that gives residents weeks or better yet months to prepare for the work would go a long way to help.

I’ve also answered questions on the conditions and availability of City buildings, and of course the worsening traffic in the City in addition to downtown parking, which I mentioned in a previous question.

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

We get to vote for 2 candidates, Bryan Lizotte is my running mate, and we agree on the same needs for our residents. The two other candidates include the other incumbent and a new candidate for the office.

My experience being involved in politics the last 6 years has been that there are not many scientists that run for office. And that is unfortunate because I have found our training to be able to make objective observations a great advantage to the role of alderman. Too often people in political positions look for how to get to their end goal and cannot step back and look for what is actually best for the community affected.

For example, I have received comments from multiple voters and city employees that I asked some of the best questions and made many excellent points during this year's budget process. During the Parks and Recreation interview there was a discussion about the possibility that restoring cut funds for a full-time aquatics instructor could allow for more classes to be held and potentially increase the revenue generated to offset the increase. But no other Aldermen seemed interested in following up on it.

If you are challenging an incumbent, in what way has the current officeholder failed the community?

Before I joined the board some of our municipal parking lots downtown were sold for development that are really going to exacerbate the parking issue downtown. The current administration wants to claim residents are making up the parking problem. I believe my constituents when they say there's an issue.

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

The Board of Apportionment and Taxation needs to have a stronger role in the budget creation process. There are likely also improvements that can be made to the ability of appointed boards to act independently and in the best interests of Shelton in their roles.

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

I am proud of the work I’ve done on the board thus far and feel I’ve advocated for the best results for Shelton. I have been responsive to residents and their requests and will continue to do so.

What is the best advice anyone ever gave you?

Giving people advice, in the form of telling them what they should do, makes them dependent on you. It's better to help them find the answer they need on their own.