West Haven Election 2023: Michelle Coletti Running For City Council

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.

Michelle Coletti, 44, is running for election to the West Haven City Council as a Democrat.

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

https://www.dorindaborer.com

Michelle Coletti for District 2

If you are running in a district, you can specify the district here.

2nd District

Education.

Attended Columbia University

What is your occupation?

I currently serve as the Director of Real Estate Development with Lighthouse and have decades of experience in the industry.

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

I have just officially been nominated for the Aunt Hall of Fame by my niece, Madelyn, 4, and my nephew Michael, 7. I have many 5 star reviews for my weekend unicorn pancake making skills. It's all about the edible glitter.

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

No

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

Yes, I serve on the Democratic Town Committee for West Haven.

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?

I'm just like so many residents that came for the beach, and stayed for the people. Our community deserves better. West Haven has been teetering on the precipice of a resurgence for years mostly due to setbacks mishandled by a lack of leadership the administration. Blight, dumping, and untapped potential had surrounded me for too long. We formed our neighborhood association (www.sandypointneighbors.org) to partner with the city to improve the quality of life in our neighborhood. Our volunteer cleanups evolved into our own Initiative, the Clear Blue Clean Green Initiative, which could serve as a pilot for all districts in the city. I am grateful for our passionate and active volunteers, and would like to help those senior volunteers by facilitating partnerships with the schools and other organizations. Beyond blight and cleanups, there are many unique challenges and opportunities for District 2 that I feel uniquely qualified to handle on behalf of our residents; Water Treatment Facility issues, Coastal Resilience (D2 has half of the entire coastline), The Sandy Point Bird Sanctuary, Morse Park improvements, Beach Street responsible development advocacy, The Boat Ramp, road infrastructure and flooding challenges, and The Haven site to name a few. I do not shy away from discussing any of these challenges. Further, I look forward to discussing my ideas to help to turn them into realized opportunities that will make the quality of life better for all residents of District 2.

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

The single most pressing issue facing my constituents is responsible revitalization along Beach Street (including the former Debonaire) as well as the site formerly known as The Haven, and this is what I intend to do about it. This is a complex issue directly impacting not only district 2 residents, but the city as a whole for many years to come. If advocated for and executed properly, it also stands to its greatest opportunity. First, we need community input from both the neighborhood and the city as a whole as to the vision. Then, we must all communicate and work together toward those balanced goals in order to realize benefits both financial, design, and proffered. Our district needs an advocate that understands the best practices and principals that should be considered, and speak the language to advocate on your behalf in order to achieve improvements.

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

There is certainly no difference in passion. We are both competent, capable, active individuals. However, I do feel uniquely qualified to tackle the most pressing issues facing District 2. I feel that I have very well rounded, relevant experience. I have served on the board of Business Improvements Districts in multiple cities along the East Coast. I have been a member, and continue to be involved with the Urban Land Institute flight programs having attended an event just last month in Stamford hosted by Soundwaters touring the $8M newly built Soundwaters Harbor Center, a maritime coastal resilience educational facility. I have been involved on the private side of many public-private partnerships and have seen to their execution. I have studied the best practices of similarly sized cities in the Northeast. Most of all, I know that it takes a balanced approach and the compromise to make it all work.

I also feel that I am part of a cohesive team that is by far best suited to lead the city to success. Dorinda Borer has demonstrated achievements as our current State Representative and has secured over $25M for West Haven that has helped minimize tax increases. If we are looking to fill key personnel at City Hall, top tier qualified professionals are not going to apply for the job unless it is an administration they can trust with their careers. Row A all the way.

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

We are entering a challenging state of affairs, but we have a plan to not only get West Haven back on course, but to catapult our city into the future. I plan to advocate for District 2, as well as work with each district councilperson to take fair action on behalf of the entire city. Additionally, I would like to work with the Board of Education to engage more youth leadership programs and connect the kids with volunteer opportunities throughout the city. We should be mentoring. It starts with us. I would love to pair the city council with mentees from the high school council, and encourage those leaders to get started with public speaking at City Council Meetings to build their confidence. This is just a spark.

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

I have already cited a few examples professionally. However, I have always also always played team sports - volleyball, and softball mainly. I know that one role or person is not more important than another. We all have something relevant to contribute, and the more diverse the contribution, the better and more successful the outcome. Communication is key to gain forward momentum and only the entire team can do it together. First and foremost we have to work together build trust back with the community through more public engagement and transparency. There are best practices for multi-generational communication outreach methods that quite frankly are not in place now.

What is the best advice anyone ever gave you?

Measure twice, cut once.

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

I hope to have the opportunity to be of help. I voluntarily relocated many times for my career, and decided to settle in West Haven. The people here have embraced me in a way that I have never been connected to a community. I am happy to give back in any way that I can, but I think the most valuable way would be to contribute my knowledge and experience to not only make an impact now but for the future as well. It's my goal for my niece and nephew to be proud of what we do here. They've already discovered crabs and nature here on our walks. They each have a pair of their 'my-first' binoculars and love watching the birds. They were off their screens for hours! Maybe they will get me a little memorial plaque on a bench one day, and sit on that bench overlooking an even cleaner Sound and my favorite beach.

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.