West Haven Election 2021: Meli Garthwait Running For City Council

WEST HAVEN, CT — The 2021 municipal election is heating up in West Haven 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 City Council, Board of Education and more.

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

Meli Garthwait, 49, is running for election to the West Haven City Council in the 2nd District as a Republican.

Occupation: Realtor, Interior Designer, Founder Of Non Profit

Family: Tommy (40), Caleb (10), Liam (8), Rori (13 senior French Bulldog), Lily (10 senior parakeet) & Maia (3 our foster dog through Green Fur Kidz dog rescue that was a severe medical case rescued from West Haven Animal Shelter).

Experience: none

Family in government: No

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

Currently, we have a very serious issue of fraud that has occurred within our current administration. There isn't much that I can do but wait while the FBI investigates & hopefully prosecutes those responsible. The second pressing issue is economic development. West Haven has been extremely stagnant for far too long due to the difficulty of trying to do business in West Haven. It's my hope to serve on the council so that we can work together to make it easier for businesses to come in - starting at our city center & branching out.

Critical differences between me and my opponents:

I am an active, boots on the ground person & have a proven track record within my neighborhood of working with neighbors & other community members whereas my opponent does not. I’m the creator of Sandy Point Bird Sanctuary’s Facebook page & one of the current admins. I’m also the first founding member of Sandy Point Stewards (currently 80+ volunteers) that volunteer in the gardens & along shoreline for all kinds of beautification projects. The Stewards have been invited to attend large events across the state to share information about our grassroots organization, Sandy Point Bird Sanctuary’s shoreline, the nesting & migratory birds. I often call on the Stewards to help those in need all around West Haven when it comes to projects as well. Since moving to West Haven, I have actively spearheaded the “Sandy Point Marsh & Shoreline Clean Up” events several times a year. In 2019, I received an official citation from the State of Connecticut for helping to improve the quality of life of residents through my work in rescue & shoreline clean ups. Recently, I am so proud to say that we formed the first neighborhood association in West Haven that I am a first founding member of - the Sandy Point Neighborhood Association. Overall, I have very strong interpersonal communication skills & a real dedication to community building because I deeply care about improving the quality of life for all West Haven residents. I’m ready to cast my net even wider now & work for the rest of the citizens in District 2!

Accomplishments:

My education is lengthy - Katharine Gibbs College, 1993 Summa Cum Laude graduate Information Processing. Western Connecticut State University, 1993-1997 attended general studies part-time while working full-time. Fashion Institute of Technology, Manhattan, NYC, 2001 Cum Laude graduate BFA in Interior Design.

My professional life has developed over the past few decades as I have worked for many years in different facets of the interior design field & as a Realtor licensed in the state of Connecticut. Besides my Realtor memberships, I’m a member of American Society of Interior Designers (ASID). I am also the Founder of Green Fur Kidz, Inc., a 501(c)(3) publicly owned non profit that is a rescue serving West Haven. I recently stepped down from the board of directors at Green Fur Kidz, Inc. so that I could help make West Haven a better place to live.

Other issues:

◦Economic Development: Retain & grow business starting from the city center & branching out

◦Improve Infrastructure: Eliminate blight, fix potholes & improve quality of streets & sidewalks

◦Enhance Quality of Life: Allow our families to thrive

◦Safer Streets: Protect Citizens & Enhance Crime Prevention

◦Clean Up West Haven: Stamp out illegal dumping & littering

◦Grow shoreline business while practicing coastal resilience

Since I have been walking & talking with residents in District 2 while campaigning, I have taken notice of things that need to be addressed within our community & will work diligently to resolve them if elected. I plan to have two public office hours on a weekend day either on my front porch or at public library (location depending on weather) so that District 2 residents have the opportunity to come meet with me. In addition, and I will always make myself available by phone to address any issues or concerns.

What else would you like voters to know about you?

In February 2012, I founded the 501(c)(3) non profit publicly owned charity, Green Fur Kidz, Inc. (GFK) & sat as an Executive Director on the board until this year when I needed to step down to help make West Haven a better place to live. I’m a life long rescuer that volunteers with several other rescues & 3 generations deep in rescue. I frequently reach across to other rescues & their founders in order to garner help with bigger issues needing lots of volunteers such as the recent bottle & can overload at West Haven Animal Shelter. You may also remember my name as I fought for the little dog that was burned in the sanctuary parking lot by gathering tens of thousands of dollars in pledges for a reward through GFK’s “Jerry’s Fund” to help find the people responsible. I am not only an animal rescuer, I rescue people too. A program that I developed within GFK called “Wendy’s Wish” is activated for those in our community in need of medical & food assistance for their pets. If elected, I have decided to donate whatever stipend is given to council members to Wendy's Wish at Green Fur Kidz so that I can give the money to residents in West Haven that need emergency veterinary help for their pets.

The day I drove into my drive way & stood there on a cold & windy February day looking around into what was an extremely blighted neighborhood & dirty shoreline, I felt a very strong calling to be here. I put an offer in to purchase my home interiors sight unseen that day because I knew I could fix anything & this is where I was supposed to be based upon that feeling. Since then, I have been working non stop to make my neighborhood better & shine brighter. I want to make the rest of District 2 better as well but we have been unrepresented for far too long & I am willing to put the work in to better our community. I am asking please for District 2 Residents' trust & vote on November 2nd because I promise to work hard to make your voice heard & will work even harder to improve the quality of life for all of us. We deserve better & I know we can make this city vibrant once again.

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