Kelly Van Horn, Democratic Candidate for Ramsey Borough Council Seat

Kelly Van Horn is a Democratic candidate for a seat on the Ramsey borough council. 2012 marks Van Horn’s first run for council in the borough.

Van Horn is a 23-year-old University of New Haven graduate who is currently student teaching to earn her teaching certification. She has a Master’s Degree in Forensic Science and Chemistry from the University of New Haven.

Van Horn is an 11-year resident who graduated from Ramsey High School. Her parents’ families have a long history in the town, she said – her aunt, Julie O'Brien, previously served on the Ramsey borough council.

Van Horn, who said she ran on a “spur of the moment write-in campaign” for mayor last election, said she is running to bring a new perspective to the borough council.

“I am running for council because over the years I have seen the town that I moved to decline from its former glory,” she told Patch. “Too many decisions are made without the consequences being accurately assessed, and that needs to change. I think the council needs a new voice that is not afraid to stand up and say that this is wrong, or that there are better things to spend that money on that will benefit everyone in town, not just a select few. Ramsey needs to change, and I want to be a part of that change.”

She cited some of the most important issues facing Ramsey as rising water and sewer rates and a “the lack of honesty and communication the exists between the council and the residents.” Van Horn has criticized the current council for moves like adding “the light at Darlington and N Central was supposed to be a temporary light for construction and it is still there and causing more traffic than there used to be; [and] the renovations to the library went over budget and over schedule and did not create the community space that was promised.”