Economic development

Editor: 

As Election Day approaches, I want to highlight some key points about myself and my plans for Meriden’s future if I’m elected to serve again on City Council. I have been involved in community service in Meriden for over twenty years.

I do this because I care for the well-being of our city, not to garner attention for myself. My family instilled a passion in me for helping others from a young age, and I’m serious about my intentions to improve Meriden for all its residents. My entire professional life has been in public service: first, as an emergency services dispatcher in Wallingford and now as a Maloney High School teacher. Serving as a citywide elected official is an honor, but also an enormous responsibility and should not be taken lightly. Having served on council before, I know how government works and have established relationships to get new ideas rolling from day one. My major focus is finding fresh perspectives for economic development.

Much has been made of the plans for both downtown and across the city, but for too long we’ve been focused on small steps. It’s time to rethink how we leverage private investment and help current investors succeed. We must be open to joining with nontraditional uses of commercial and industrial properties that can be flexible and adaptive.

Meriden is at an inflection point: do we continue our hard work of ongoing improvements throughout the city, or do we only look backwards with nostalgia at what once was? I choose to move forward, knowing that continuing progress requires all of us working together. I hope you choose to as well and humbly ask for your vote November 7th.

Chad Cardillo,  Meriden

Editor: 

Vinny Cervoni must be elected to be mayor of Wallingford. He has an experienced legal mind and strong leadership to help lead Wallingford to the next level. We can’t afford to “experiment” and have someone in that office with zero experience and someone against all the forward-looking policies that Vin Cervoni is looking to implement for a better Wallingford. Regardless of your party affiliation, we need to vote for clear effective policies like the ones Cervoni strives for; a safer town, an affordable town, a town with strong leadership at the helm to sail us into a brighter future!

Francis McNulty Sr., Durham

Editor’s note: The writer notes he has multiple properties in Wallingford.