Stratford Election: Kathleen Callahan Running For Town Council

STRATFORD, CT — The 2021 municipal election is heating up in Stratford with plenty of races on the ballot.

Voters will head to the polls Tuesday, Nov. 2 and cast their ballots for the position of mayor, along with seats on the Town Council, Board of Education, Planning and Zoning and more.

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

Kathleen Callahan, 56, is running for election to the Stratford Town Council in the 10th District as a Democrat.

Occupation: Social Worker

Family: My wife, Karen Tracy, and I have lived in the Second Hill Lane neighborhood with our dogs for 11 years.

Experience: N/A

Family in government: No

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

The single most pressing issue facing our town is Stratford's continued designation on the state's 25 most distressed municipalities while making decisions about allocation of millions of dollars from the federal and state governments. What I intend to do about it as a member of Town Council is to review the scores of individual criteria and develop both long-term planning for those continuously high scores and evaluate those more quickly addressed. I will advocate for lower residential taxes with honest budgeting and smart economic development that creates a resilient Stratford by exploring community-based public-private partnerships for innovative green energy infrastructure. Examples include solar-powered WiFi in areas with low connectivity and nurturing relationship with Sustainable CT and CT Green Bank to provide attractive incentives to business and reduce logistical red tape. Stratford has a highly educated and skilled workforce that can meet the technology-driven economy by providing additional skills training and return us to a leader in modern manufacturing. The next administration should develop a town Department of Grants and Opportunities and engage municipal destination marketing consultants to both make our town more attractive to residents and businesses and capitalize on all the opportunities currently available yet not leveraged.

Critical differences between me and my opponents:

I believe Stratford is at a tipping point. While surrounding communities seem to be thriving, even in the midst of multiple public health crises, it appears our town and many of our residents are facing diminishing mobility and opportunities for growth that predate the current challenges. My opponent aligns with the current administration and believes in the status quo of borrowing from our future to pay for the past and thereby limiting the potential for future generations. A healthy town includes the voice of the community in decision-making. Other municipalities are making a concerted effort to gather the needs ahead of such a huge influx of money, which can be difficult to absorb and spend properly. There has been no communication from Stratford's administration regarding the spending priorities of the close to $26 million allocated to our town from the American Rescue Plan Act. Financial support from the federal government will continue over the next few years. We need our mayor and town council to have a true partnership with the state administration and our legislative team to ensure the appropriate people are at the table advocating for Stratford as decisions about public health and safety, health care, education, child care, climate, transportation initiatives, infrastructure, and more are made. I am ready to sit at the table and work with our statewide partners and will bring the residents of District 10 with me. My opponent has not spoken out about the importance of diverse voices and the value of community input and again, aligns with the status quo of making decisions without all key stakeholders – outside of Town Hall – involved in the process Community input is important for many reasons but I’ll mention two: Diverse voices provide a new perspective and information that decision-makers won’t have if they are not intimately involved with the many neighborhoods and communities; and ownership, investment, cooperation, and commitment come from an engaged citizenry. It's important to push for transparency, more so in these challenging, complex days. While elected officials and town staff may have an idea of what is needed, the members of the community have insight on daily challenges that will otherwise go unnoticed and unchanged. Civics and civility have taken a huge hit across the country, our state, and in our town. I believe it is the job of elected officials to listen to all of their constituents and work in a nonpartisan way with other officials to move Stratford forward. Why wouldn't we want all the information when making decisions that have significant impact on our neighbors?

Accomplishments:

I have a Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering from the University of Connecticut and spent over two decades as a software engineer. I later received my Master of Social Work from Southern Connecticut State University. I am the co-founder and co-chair of the statewide Connecticut State Taskforce on ACEs and Resilience, a board member of the National Association of Justice-Involved Females and Organizations, and the chair of the Education and Legislative Action Network for the state chapter of the National Association of Social Workers. When discussing my two careers I often get puzzled looks that ask “Whoa, those are pretty different fields… what could they have in common?” I initially wondered the same and have been pleasantly surprised by the shared skillset. To be successful, these fields require a person with plenty of tenacity, able to address a problem and move toward its solution over a potentially long period of time. Because my work involved substantial decisions involving the public (safety in the case of avionics software and health for macro social work), applying meticulous planning and implementation skills, anticipating unintended consequences, and building broad coalitions is essential. I have been fortunate to work with incredibly talented and passionate mentors and colleagues in both realms and have benefited from all their experiences and lessons. As a social worker, I have been involved with system and organizational change and sustainability and responsible for the development and implementation of community outreach and programming. This includes fostering relationships and educating about behavioral health, equity, childhood adversity, and community resilience while engaging state agencies, legislative champions, and statewide committees and workgroups to promote trauma-responsive, evidence-based best-practices that improve services, empower individuals, and enhance community resilience. My software career was comprehensive, successful, and satisfying, spanning over two decades. My experience was multi-disciplined with systems ranging from real-time, multi-tasking, embedded airborne avionics and surface-based radar applications to early, innovative e-commerce web sites. Both careers highlight my commitment to the work and the respect and trust my work garnered from employers, colleagues, and extended networks as I traveled throughout this country and the world while developing, testing, and installing radar systems and throughout the state guiding behavioral health system and organizational change.

Other issues:

I will support our Board of Education to provide necessary resources in classrooms and build trust for parents and community. I will ensure government, boards, and commissions represent Stratford’s evolving diversity. I will ensure redistricting based on census data to end gerrymandering and ensure fairness and equity. I will monitor and supporting our interests on some of the interesting potential (re)development in our district. I will advocate for the town's Complete Streets Plan's recommended expansion of traffic calming measures, proven to slow traffic, and to our district; I will also advocate for incorporating green infrastructure and supporting the plan’s program for storm water management. I will advocate for retaining Remington Woods as an urban forest to protect what I believe is the largest undeveloped open space in Fairfield County.

What else would you like voters to know about you?

I was raised in a politically active family steeped in civic responsibility. Concerns about the future of Stratford awakened childhood dreams and I am running for office for the first time. I am a woman in long term recovery from addiction; a daughter, sister, wife, friend, and colleague; a community social worker; a former software engineer; and a lifelong learner, consensus builder, problem solver, and leader. I think in relationships, systems, stories, and data. My recovery is my touchstone, the measure of who I am and the determination of how I show up on a daily basis. Through my darkest days, into the challenges of today, and the concerns and hopes for the future, I am firmly grounded in the frailty and magnificence of our human experience, and individually and collectively.

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