Meet the Candidate: Chris Williams

We-Ha.com is offering our readers the opportunity to meet the candidates running for election on Nov. 3, 2015.

Compiled by Ronni Newton

We-Ha.com is offering our readers the opportunity to “Meet the Candidate” – designed to help them get to know the candidates running for office in the Nov. 3, 2015 municipal election.

Identical questionnaires have been sent to all major party candidates, and each profile received has been submitted directly to We-Ha.com by the candidate or the candidate’s campaign management. The responses have not been edited but have been formatted to match our publication style. Questions left blank have been deleted.

As profiles are received, they will be published on We-Ha.com under the “Government” tab. We-Ha.com is not making endorsements of any political candidates but we are publishing this information in order to assist West Hartford voters in being informed and prepared when they go to the polls on Nov. 3.

If you are a candidate and wish to submit a profile, please return it by email to Ronni Newton at [email protected] by Oct. 9.

Name: Chris Williams

Age: 32

Party, position seeking: Republican, West Hartford Town Council

Family information: I was raised in West Hartford by my parents Denise and Paul. I have two siblings, my brother, Scott, and my sister, Joan. Scott, Joan and I are all Conard High School graduates. Holly, my wife, and I have lived in West Hartford since we were married seven years ago. After first renting apartments on Vera Street and Loomis Drive, we were fortunate to purchase our first home on Fern Street a few years ago. We are now raising our two children, Lilia Clare and Joseph – about two blocks from where I lived when I was their age.

Other occupation, if applicable: Litigation Attorney with Conway Stoughton LLC located in West Hartford.

Political experience: I have never previously sought elected office but have always been committed to public service. To that end, I am proud to have served on West Hartford’s Advisory Commission for Persons with Disabilities, its Conservation and Environment Commission and as a Town Council Zoning Alternate.

Other relevant experience: As a litigation attorney, I am tasked with advocating on behalf of my clients but also entrusted to identify opportunities to work with the other side and effectuate productive negotiations. If elected, I will bring these skills to the Council to ensure that resident concerns are voiced to the Council and work with my Council colleagues in developing pragmatic solutions to the issues that face our Town in a manner most beneficial to it residents.

Why are you running for office? I believe in my heart that West Hartford was the greatest town that I could have grown up in and I want to preserve that same opportunity and experience for my children and the next generation of West Hartford residents. West Hartford has great schools, beautiful parks and vibrant commercial areas. That said, West Hartford’s crown jewel, and its legacy is the manner in which all of its qualities come together perfectly to make it the ideal place to start and raise a family. The backbone of its legacy is its people who come from all different backgrounds and economic levels.

I am running for Town Council because I am concerned that the Town’s spending trajectory and yearly tax increases are forcing many West Hartford residents to leave town and discouraging others who grew-up in town from returning. If West Hartford is to preserve its legacy the Town must reverse this trend.

What issue(s) are your primary area of focus?

1. Whether you are a young person trying to balance raising your children in a Town with great schools with your student loans, a family trying to balance a mortgage with your child’s college tuition or a retired person on a fixed income, each Town tax increase is felt by residents. We need to better identify and procure budgetary efficiencies so that our municipal services can be provided in a manner that is balanced with respect to its residents’ budgets.
2. The educational quality of our schools must be protected – not only for the sake of our children and their development – but also because school-quality is a major driver of resident property values.
3. West Hartford has certainly been a regional trendsetter for shopping and dining which absolutely attracts visitors from the entire region. That said, with increasing economic competition from neighboring towns and an alarming number of vacancies in The Center and Blue Back Square, West Hartford could benefit from a fresh approach to economic development. With our beautiful commercial areas already in place and our ideal location in between New York and Boston, as well as our proximity to Bradley, we should increase our efforts at attracting regional businesses to set up shop in our great town.
4. Safety/Traffic. The West Hartford Police Department does a great job of protecting town residents and investigating crimes. We need to continue to ensure that West Hartford remains a safe place to live, work and play.

As a resident of Fern Street, I am also sensitive to the safety concerns that motor vehicle speeding presents in town and would like to see increased efforts to reducing speeding through our residential neighborhoods and improve pedestrian travel paths.

What do you feel is the biggest issue facing West Hartford today? Its ability to offer residents great schools and municipal services at an affordable cost. We can do it! We just need to work together to develop and implement pragmatic solutions.

What do you feel differentiates you from other candidates also running for this position? Perspective. I believe that I can be a voice for the next generation of West Hartford residents and families to ensure that fresh and new ideas are brought to the Town Counsel. My wife, Holly, and I were married in the midst of the Global Financial Crisis of 2008. We have successfully built our entire family and careers in very uncertain economic times through hard work, by working-together and efficiently using our resources in a manner that achieved our goals. I believe the Town Council’s frame-of-reference would be enriched with the addition of my perspective.

(Optional) Anything else you would like to share? I ask for your vote on November 3^rd! Feel free to email me at [email protected] to discuss any issues that concern you and don’t forget to check out my campaign website on Facebook!

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