Alida Cella Is New Dem Town Committee Chair

WALLINGFORD—New Democratic Town Committee Chair Alida Cella plans to bring the committee and town government closer to the voting public.

“There is a gulf between the electorate and elected officials in town that has been widening for decades,” she said. “Our goal is to become the resource to narrow that gulf.”

Cella was elected Chair at a recent DTC meeting. Others elected include Fran LaFrance-Proscino, vice chair; Dana Camp, Treasurer; and Nancy Fabrizi-Miller, secretary. District leaders elected include, District 1: Thomas Mezzei Jr, Leslie Williams; District 2: Robert Avery, Jacqueline McFarlane; District 3: Bruce Conroy; District 4: James Hine; District 5: Brian Miller; District 6: Tara Gorvine; District 7: Pasquale Nastri; District 8: Ed Storck, Alexa Tomassi; and District 9: Kristi Doerr and Jesse Reynolds.

“More and more, as our members talk to townspeople, we’re discovering that they have lost touch with their elected officials,” Cella said. “Contributing to this is the at-large voting system, where residents vote from a list of candidates from anywhere in town rather than from their neighborhood.”

Permanently bridging the gap between voters and their elected officials would require a charter change, she said. But, in the meantime, the town committee can bridge the gap.

“Our district representatives will become the voters’ government-access resource, fanning out through our nine districts to get to know the residents, their concerns, the issues they’re having with town government, and how to address them,” she said.

The town committee will also serve as an information resource for the voters through its website and a Facebook page about the be launched, she said. These will include information about topics of interest such as school closings, proposals before the Town Council and Board of Education, and a wide variety of other issues.

The committee will also serve as an information resource for candidates in this year’s state legislative election and next year’s municipal elections, Cella said. “We will offer information to candidates in all House and Senate districts that include portions of Wallingford,” she said, “This will include the all-Wallingford 85th House district, represented by Mary Mushinsky; the Republican-held 86th District, which includes parts of Wallingford, Durham, Guilford, and North Branford; the 90th House District, an open seat representing parts of Wallingford and Cheshire; the 103rd House District, represented by Liz Linehan that includes parts of Cheshire, Southington and Wallingford; and the 34th Senate District, which includes Wallingford, North Haven, East Haven and Durham.

The DTC will also serve as a resource for Democratic members of the Town Council, Board of Education, and other boards and commissions, Cella said. “We will offer them support in getting their messages out to the public, including offering them space in our communications vehicles to propose measures, discuss issues, and interact with the media,” she said.

A political activist, LaFrance-Proscino, has worked for 11 candidates, has testified before the state legislature on several bills and advocated for and attended hearings on the family leave bill. “My motivation for political involvement was to address the lack of a fair government in our town and our country, and the financial, medical and professional disparities it creates,” she said.

Beginning his second term as treasurer, Camp’s goal is “to use my expertise and experience to better coordinate our events and volunteers.”

Fabrizi-Miller’s political/government involvement began as a volunteer for various candidates, “door-knocking, making phone calls, writing out postcards, and advocating in Hartford on a couple of occasions.” Her next step was the increased involvement that being a Democratic Town Committee member and officer brings. This involvement, she said. can “create positive changes for Wallingford that usher us into a future that addresses the needs of all of Wallingford's citizens, and for its development, its infrastructure, and its environment.”