Tesoro Announces Candidacy for First Selectman

TRUMBULL, CT — Longtime community activist Vicki Tesoro announced her candidacy for the office of first selectman Tuesday night. She is seeking the Democratic nomination.

She ran against First Selectman Tim Herbst in 2014 and narrowly lost by less than 400 votes. Herbst recently announced he won't seek re-election and instead will focus on election for a state office, likely governor.

“At times, our government seems to mimic the worst behaviors of the schoolyard, not to mention our national politics,” Tesoro said. “Our priorities are wrong. We pay too much for lawyers and too little for programs for youth and seniors. We seek to sell large parcels of land to raise easy cash, rather than think about the impact on the immediate neighborhood or the town as a whole.”

Tesoro has been on the Town Council and Board of Finance and is also an active volunteer when it comes to teen drug and alcohol use prevention.

Some highlights of her platform include:

• Eliminate unnecessary lawyer fees.
• Prohibit long-term six-figure contracts for senior municipal employees.
• Reject proposal that calls for fees to access parks.
• Reject new tax on trash pickup.
• Return town to a seven-district Town council.
• Expand language offerings and access to AP courses in the schools.
• Fund curriculum development and professional development for teachers.