West Haven Election 2023: Dorinda Borer Running For Mayor

WEST HAVEN, CT — The 2023 municipal election is heating up in West Haven with plenty of races on the ballot.

Voters will head to the polls Tuesday, Nov. 7 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.

Dorinda Borer, 60, is running for mayor of West Haven as a Democrat.

Does your campaign have a website? If so, include the URL here.

https://www.dorindaborer.com

Education.

Southern CT State University B.S. & M.B.A University of New Haven

What is your occupation?

State Representative & Adjunct Professor

Do you have a family? If so, please tell us about them.

I have one son Drew, the light of my life, who is 22 years old and recently also graduated from Southern CT State University

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

No one other than myself

Have you ever held a public office, whether appointive or elective?

Yes. In addition to State Representative, I served on the West Haven Board of Education

Now we'd like to ask a few questions about your reasons for running and your general views on politics and government. First, why are you seeking this office?

First is my love for our City and knowing how under valued it is and the great potential that we can achieve. It has been my pleasure to serve as a State Representative for West Haven and during this time not only assisted thousands of but have been able to secure approximately $25M in funds for critical West Haven projects. During this time, however, I've watched West Haven face very difficult times and I've seen too many lost opportunities because we need a strong ground game to move forward. I believe my education, work experience and demonstrated drive can help West Haven see a brighter future for all.

Please complete this statement: The single most pressing issue facing my constituents is \_\_\_, and this is what I intend to do about it.

Taxes, Taxes, Taxes. In order to alleviate the burden on our residents we need to grow our grand list and the way to do that is through Economic Development. Through a thorough understanding of West Haven's economic pain points along with my understanding of the State and Federal assistance that is available I will be able to drive public/private partnerships that will result in economic growth. This can only be done with a strong management team in place and therefore I plan on bringing in a new qualified, experienced team around me to help bring projects to fruition. The Economic Development plans coupled with a need to have strong financial controls in place to assure residents that their tax dollars are safe guarded will be paramount to moving West Haven forward.

What are the major differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

At campaign time, candidates can make many promises, use a lot of buzz words and tell voters what they want to hear, but it is important to look at the candidate's record of achievements and abilities. The major difference between myself and my opponent is that I have a demonstrated record of delivering for West Haven, helping thousands of residents with their needs and bringing in almost $25m in resources for critical programs. It shows I can navigate difficult times, bring people together and get the job done. Whereas my opponent as a West Haven Council person who served from 2019-2021 on the Finance Committee had the opportunity to introduce new ideas, new developers, work on projects and ask the hard financial control questions, but unfortunately, has no record of achievements in these areas to show voters.

I have also chaired two of the largest bipartisan committees in CT because of my ability to collaborate across party lines and work together, while my opponent has made his campaign about one party vs another creating further divides when this election should be more about who can lead us. I also have a strong network at the State level that can support our City and I plan to tap into those resources where my opponent has a steep learning curve we can't afford to wait for.

While I applaud my opponent's passion to help West Haven it takes more than that. We need a strong ground game to move things forward; a strong new leadership team, financial controls, & economic development. I can no longer be effective as a State Representative, if we continue with local leaders that don't have the ability to put these aspects into place. I agree with my opponent that we need a change, but we need change we can count on.

If you are challenging an incumbent, in what way do you believe the current officeholder has failed the community?

The current Mayor is not seeking reelection, therefore, I'm not challenging an incumbent Mayor but what I am challenging is the status quo.

What other issues do you intend to address during your campaign?

The top priorities are Financial Controls, Economic Development and a strong management team to make it all happen. With those 3 aspects in place, the many other quality of life issues such as a clean, safe city, education, jobs, youth programs and relief for our seniors and veterans are addressed as we will have more funding to work with and a team that gets things done. We then need to promote and rebrand our City as we here in West Haven know what a great city we have but it's time the rest of the world knew it as well.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

Many roles have prepared me to be the Chief Elected Official of West Haven. My career path has included many years as a bank auditor, personnel director, and marketing executive. I've worked with all levels of government. I also served on our local Board of Education and understand the needs for a quality education. Most recently as a State Representative I advocated and secured funding for our fire departments ($4m) to help keep fire taxes stable, funding for coastal resiliency (Beach Street, Flood Gates/Pedestrian Bridge, Lake Street, Boardwalk restoration and funding for our sewer system: total $16m), youth support ($400k programs that included jobs and activities, $650k for our Community House, $50k for youth computers, funding for our resource centers and pre-k,-and have provided funding to our schools for air quality, mental health and school security) Police resources ($550knew communication system and $20k for community outreach), I started the City's first Food Insecurity Council providing $250k for our food bank WHEAT. And finally for our beloved animals I've worked on getting a $300k grant to upgrade our animal shelter.

What is the best advice anyone ever gave you?

When you are in government and constituents come forward, they are not an interruption to your day they are the reason for your day.

Is there anything else you would like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

I've learned nothing happens without hard work and the residents can be sure I will be working for them day and night to make a difference.

See also: West Haven Election 2023: Barry Lee Cohen Running For Mayor

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