Wallingford Election 2021: Gina Morgenstein For Town Council

WALLINGFORD, CT — The 2021 municipal election is heating up in Wallingford 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 and Board of Education.

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

Gina Morgenstein, 61, is running for re-election to the Wallingford Town Council as a Democrat.

Occupation: Physician Assistant

Family: Larry, Hannah, Noah

Experience: Town Councilor Wallingford

Family in government: no

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

The single most important issue facing Wallingford is INFRASTRUCTURE CONDITION/NEED FOR UPDATE OR REPLACEMENT. This is what I intend to do about it. We must plan for our needs. Our grandlist needs to be grown. We are far too dependent on residential taxpayers without giving them adequate or quality services. Marketing to businesses, innovative outreach that is performed in the manner of our current century is a must. The mayor has built reserve funds over nearly 38 years but we are having come due all at once water/sewer treatment updates, the need for a new/adequate police station, our newest school is 50 years old and conditions at all of them are in need. The town hall building is additionally problematic. I believe that a full time grant writer would pay for their salary and benefits allowing for projects that provide attractive, and community growth. We are losing and not attracting young families. This is a symptom of a fiscal crisis for any community. To implement real change we need to elect the 6 Democrats for Council I am proud to be running with as well as a new mayor (Riley O’Connell).

Critical differences between me and my opponents:

A key difference between myself and the other Candidates is that I am the only one who is a Healthcare professional. This background especially during (continuing now) the Pandemic allowed me to understand and recognize the challenges and severity of the problem. I advocated for a quick closing of Town Hall to protect our Town Workers and the public while the Mayor delayed. I advocated and successfully put on the agenda regular updates from the Wallingford Health Department when my colleagues were not. I continue to request periodic updates although I have colleagues that believe this is over reacting. When the Secretary of State made Absentee Ballot Boxes available I fought the Mayor’s reluctance and lack of understanding that the use of these boxes outside and in multiple places was a necessity in protecting public health. Another key difference is that as a general medical practitioner I am trained to see how an injury or illness affects the whole body’s ability to function and thrive. As a Town Councilor seeing the community in this way is important. When one part of the community suffers economic insecurity and social injustice or environmental degradation as examples the whole community suffers. We cannot just see these issues as separate but need to address them as related to the community as a whole. I believe that this perspective has made a beneficial difference to the community and I hope to continue to serve a community that needs to thrive on all levels to be at its best. There is much work to be done.

Accomplishments:

I have served 2 terms as well as serving on Planning and Zoning commission. I am a parent, grandparent and full time Physician Assistant (over the years working in Family Practice, Hospital Medicine, Orthopaedics, and Drug and Alcohol treatment and currently Urgent Care where I am the sole provider for 12 hours each shift). I am proud in my ability to juggle many reponsibilities and rise to the challenges.

Other issues:

I support Democratic values. Although not controlled by local government, Democratic values I believe in are Medical care/cost that does not bankrupt people/families. I believe in fair voting rights, affordable childcare, and living wages. These values influence my actions when working at the local level and build a strong community.

What else would you like voters to know about you?

I am running in a slate of 6 Town Council Candidates. This group of diverse individuals will work as a team to form a majority that will move forward endeavors that are necessary to plan, govern wisely and use our resources responsibly. We are past due for coming into the current age in how the public is able to interact with their government. I request that people use their local municipal vote November 2 not only for me but the 6 (just 6) Democrats I am running with. I considered whether to seek a 3rd term and chose to do so due to Alexa Tommassi, Nicole Barillaro, Bruce Conroy, and Sam Carmody and Vincent Testa. This is the team I look forward to serving together with for the good of Wallingford.

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