West Haven Election: Silvana Apicella 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.

Republican Silvana Apicella, 48, is running for election to the West Haven City Council in the 8th District.

Occupation: 17 Years In Communications Industry, Currently Dispatch/logistics

Family:
Son, Lorenzo 18
Fiancé Angel Cadena (2x Congressional 3rd District Candidate

Experience: None

Family in government: No

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

Unfortunately, my response is the same as 2 years ago, we are still dealing with the same pressing issue of high taxes due to the lack of development and lack of fiscal responsibility. I will vote in favor of any appropriate utilization of our shoreline and bring development to our city. I will also ensure that the administration abides by the balanced budget ordinance, which requires the Finance Director to deliver a report detailing the status of the city's revenues and expenditures at the end of each fiscal quarter. This has not occurred since adoption of the ordinance.

Critical differences between me and my opponents:

The differences are clear, this is my 3rd time running. I show my commitment to the city, time and time again through my work with local civic organizations such as the Italian American Civics Association's Ladies Auxiliary and the West Haven Elks #1537. "Pizza Wars" was an extremely successful event in 2019. We raised enough money to give out 5 scholarships to West Haven High School Seniors that excelled in Italian. Even during the pandemic I had the opportunity to assist with "Serving Your Servers" at Johnny's Grille, some concerned residents/many fellow republicans, got together to give back to the people that make their money serving us. At this time they were not able to, not only work, but collect unemployment. We gave out approximately 120 care packages that day.

I have no other agenda than to serve my community. I have no link to any political faction in the city. I do not work in city hall. I am an extremely hard worker. I want our city to thrive, and I want young families to experience a piece of the West Haven I had growing up. I think it's great that my opponents care enough to run for office. It's not an easy thing to do and I wish them well.

Accomplishments:

Over the years, I have received several awards at work for Outstanding Commitment and Dedication to Serving my Customers at work, as well as for working fast under pressure. I also can't stress enough what had been done during my tenure on the Charter Revision. It's very clear to see with such recommendations what my intentions are. In work and life, I am a hard worker who always looks at the bigger picture and thinks outside of the box.

Other issues:

I am fully committed to bringing Fiscal Responsibility, True Economic Development, Improved Quality of Life, Educational Excellence, and Honesty and Open lines of Communication between my Constituents and the Council.

What else would you like voters to know about you?

I've lived in this city all my life. I bought my home in the same neighborhood I grew up in so my son and I could be near my parents. I spent summers in Italy and am bilingual. I was a competitive figure skater, who started in West Haven's Learn to Skate Program and also trained in Lake Placid. I have always worked hard, as a single mom, I put myself though school, finally finishing my degree in 2011 with a BS in Business Management. I am also passionate about animals, as a BARC-CT Animal Rescue Volunteer I have fostered and assisted in finding homes for many dogs over the years. In 2019 I was a member of the Charter Revision Commission in which we submitted the boldest recommendations for restructuring our city's government. We recognized as a commission, that the way our city currently functions is not working and in many ways our politics and policies have stood in the way of our progress. I have no agenda other than loving this city and its people. I plan on working diligently with everyone as a team to help bring West Haven to her glory once again and bring relief to its people.