Redding Candidate Profile: Chuck Cilo For Planning Commission

REDDING, CT — The 2019 municipal election is heating up in Redding and there are plenty of races with candidates eager to serve in elected office.

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

Chuck Cilo, 58, is running for reelection to the Planning Commission as a Republican. He has been a commercial and fine artist for over 30 years, and has served as an alternate on the Zoning Board of Appeals. He holds a BFA from the University of Connecticut at Storrs.

The single most pressing issue facing our town/district is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.

The need to revitalize the Georgetown Wire Mill area has been, and continues to be of utmost importance. Its dormancy is an enormous drain on the taxpayers of Redding; a waste of space and money. As a commissioner I will continue to work with the other commissioners, town leaders, and state representatives to help resolve the litigious stalemate that has been going on since the 2008 recession.

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

Though the Planning Commission is comprised of members of both political parties, the difference has nothing to do with the work needed to steward Redding toward a healthy, productive future. No decision or suggestion is ever made along party lines. The current members of the commission are all like minded in this belief.

List other issues that define your campaign platform:

Continuing to serve Redding in any capacity is an honor, and to have some substantive part toward enriching this beautiful town is an absolute joy.

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

Contributing to the drafting of Redding's Town Plan of Conservation and Development, mentored by Toby Welles and John Hayes has been an amazing process of research, discussion, and learning. Through this nearly year and a half task, a greater understanding of Redding's strengths and challenges is achieved.

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

That I cradle newborn, stinky baby snapping turtles after they hatch in late August from our flower beds, and escort them down to the bog behind our house. That I volunteer at the New Canaan Nature Center, caring for flightless birds of prey- owls, hawks, and a bald eagle named Glory.

The best advice ever shared with me was ...

If you don't go for it, you'll never know if you could.