We-Ha.com is offering our readers the opportunity to meet the candidates running in the Nov. 7, 2023 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 2023 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 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 voters in being informed and prepared when they go to the polls on Nov. 7.

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: Carol Anderson Blanks

Party affiliation: Democrat

Family information: My husband Charles and I have three adult daughters, graduates of Conard High School; Channen a 2004 graduate, Cynthia and Kaye are 2017 graduates and each earned graduate degrees in Business Administration from UCONN, Sports Administration from University of Miami and Journalism from Columbia University respectively.

Resided in West Hartford since 1996.

Primary occupation: Retired Section Manager for Contracts and Grants Management for the Connecticut Department of Public Health after 34 years of providing public health services to Connecticut residents. Former union member and delegate of SEIU/1199NE P1. Current member of CSEA/SEIU Local 2001.

Previous political experience: Two term Town Councilwoman since 2019, former West Hartford Board of Education Chairwoman 2018/2019 and member from 2016 to 2019. Member of the West Hartford Democratic Town Committee since 1997. Volunteered in Governor Ned Lamont’s campaign, volunteered in Governor Dannel Malloy’s campaign, volunteered in former Congressman Christopher Dodd’s Presidential campaign, as well as state, federal, and municipal campaigns.

Other relevant experience that may be related to your desire to serve the community, and further qualifies you for the office you are seeking: Chairwoman for the Public Safety Committee; Vice Chairwoman of Public Works, Facilities, and Sustainability Committee; former CREC Council Board member; former member of the Connecticut Cancer Partnership; former member of the Connecticut Martin Luther King Holiday Commission; former coach for the West Hartford Girls Basketball League; former vestry board member of St. Monica’s Episcopal Church.

Why are you running for office? I am running for my third term to continue smart growth, improve public safety and hold violators accountable to the letter of the law, increase our grand list. Provide appropriate resources to town staff to enhance services; protect property values and taxpayers; address climate change and replace aging infrastructure; maintain our highly rated school district.

There have recently been numerous residential and commercial developments considered by the Town Council, and there are others in the pipeline. What is your overall opinion of the pace of development in West Hartford? The developments supported by the Town Council is aligned with growth of the population size of our town. For years our town experienced no growth with vacant spaces. These are opportunities to introduce new employment, revenue growth for the town and neighboring businesses as well as welcome new residents to our town that will contribute to the tax rolls.

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

• Public Safety for our entire community
• Affordable Housing and access
• Aging Infrastructure replacement and repair
• Effective Storm Water drainage systems/management

What do you feel is the biggest challenge facing West Hartford today, and how do you plan to address it if elected I believe Public Safety is the biggest challenge and I will continue to collaborate with our Public Safety team and Vision Zero to address reasonable objectives for short and long-term solutions.

What do you feel differentiates you from the candidates from other parties also running for this position? My experience allows me to govern with a commitment to listen and respond responsibly and reasonably. I strongly believe and demonstrated the importance of being a good steward of public funds and protecting how resources are distributed.

Anything else you would like to share relevant to earning votes on Nov. 7? I believe your vote is your voice.  I am committed to responsible governing, listening to voices in the community, protecting our school district and our environment. Working together as collaborators and change agents to address critical issues for positive outcomes.

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