We-Ha.com is offering our readers the opportunity to meet the candidates running in the Nov. 4, 2025 municipal election. 

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 2025 municipal election.

Identical questionnaires have been sent to all 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 noted.

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 voters in being informed and prepared when they go to the polls on Nov. 4.

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

TOWN COUNCIL CANDIDATE

Name: Ben Wenograd

Party affiliation: Democrat

Family information: I am married to Shannon Wegele and have one daughter, Sasha Wenograd. My mother Marlene still lives in the area.

Primary occupation: Union Representative for AFT Connecticut. As an advocate for working people, I have represented police officers, nurses and other health professionals, teachers, paraprofessionals, and college professors. I am especially proud to have bargained one of the first domestic partnership benefit plans in the State, and raised living standards for some of the most poorly paid employees.

Previous political experience: I have served as Deputy Mayor since 2023 and have served on Town Council since 2015. While I’ve not held any other elected office, I have been active in various grassroots and community organizations.

Other relevant experience that may be related to your desire to serve the community, and further qualifies you for the office you are seeking: I love this town I grew up in and have been watching and participating in many of the changes over the years that have made this one of the best places in the country to live. I supported some of our earliest affordable housing developments in the 90’s that were among the first steps in making West Hartford the welcoming place it is. I served as a board member and then officer of Congregation Beth Israel, helping it to continue to provide quality daycare and grow its community.

Why are you running for office? West Hartford is a great place to live and much of that can be credited to community members and town leaders always asking what we can do better.  The skyrocketing price of housing and the need for safer streets are issues I’ve focused on, and I will continue that work if elected again.

There have recently been numerous residential and commercial developments approved by the Town Council, and it is likely that more will be considered during the upcoming Council term. What is your overall opinion of the pace of development in West Hartford? I think it is appropriate. We are a highly desirable place to live with little open space, unlike many other communities in the area. The type of infill projects we’ve been seeing is exactly the type of smart growth we need for West Hartford and the entire region. The alternative would be sprawl in neighboring communities and all the environmental harm such development causes, as well as even higher rents. This growth, of both market rate and affordable places to live, gives us the ability to maintain our excellent schools, expand our grand list, and avoid becoming a wealthy enclave.

What are your specific ideas for keeping future budget increases to a minimum? We have already taken important steps to control costs, including reform of our pension funding and innovative collective bargaining agreements. Our participation in the State’s Partnership insurance program continues to provide excellent health benefits to our employees at reduced costs. We need to work with our Board of Education on controlling ever increasing special education costs. And we need to continue to fight for appropriate funding for the State which continues to underfund us.

How do you think the town will need to/be able to respond to cuts in federal aid to education, Medicaid, and food assistance? This is the big question, and we can add to that list a slew of other potential problems caused by the cruel and irrational actions of the president and his party.  I am glad that the State is moving to cover some of the cuts to Medicaid, and expect our community to step up with increased generosity, despite the fact that we probably can’t offset all of the cuts.

Do national issues affect your approach to local governance, and if so, how? It’s hard to escape national politics these days. Like most people I find it to be chaotic and even scary. The administrations deployment of the National Guard to various American cities is shocking. I think that leaders in Chicago and Portland have faced these threats will bravery and integrity.

Growing up I could often find my mom at the kitchen table researching various political issues for the League of Women Voters.  She taught me that good policy isn’t made by knee jerk reactions, it’s done by thorough research and collaboration. My professional skills as a negotiator have prepared me to find reasonable compromises without abandoning my core values.

What do you feel is the biggest challenge facing West Hartford today, and how do you plan to address it if elected? Affordability remains our biggest concern, which is why we dedicated seveen million dollars of ARPA funds towards affordable housing loans which will continue to benefit our town for decades to come, why we must continue to support quality public education and libraries, why we need to increase our housing stock to keep prices under control, and why we need to continue to manage our budget as prudently as possible.

What do you feel differentiates you from the candidates from other parties – or your own party – who are also running for this position? [Editor’s note: This question left blank.]

Anything else you would like to share relevant to earning votes on Nov. 4? It has been a great honor serving on the West Hartford Town Council. I would be very grateful for your support for me and the rest of our Democratic team on Row A.

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