We-Ha.com is offering our readers the opportunity to meet the candidates running in the Nov. 5, 2019, 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 2019 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. 5.

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.

Name:  Lee Gold

Age:   47

Party, position seeking:  Republican, Town Council

Family information: I am married to Monica for over 18 years and have two school aged boys, Jack and Adam. I have been a resident of West Hartford for 20 years.

Other occupation, if applicable:  Lawyer, Butler Norris & Gold

Political experience: I was a member of Mark Merritt’s executive committee during his 2016 campaign for the State of Connecticut 5^th District senate seat.

Other relevant experience: I presently serve on the Kingwood-Oxford Head’s Advisory council. I am very active in West Hartford Little League where I have been a coach and sponsor for over 7 years. I have been on the Board of Directors as the Vice President of Tumble Brook Country Club, was the President of Talcott Glen Condominium Association as well as a former member of the Board of Trustees for the Emanuel Synagogue. I am active in several bar associations, including the Connecticut Bar Association and the Hartford County Bar Association.

Why are you running for office? We need to refocus. We need to establish a long-term strategic plan that reduces the budget, rebuilds our infrastructure, supports local business growth and promotes growth in our Town. We need to make the right choices to protect what is important to us all. Working together, we can bring fiscal responsibility back to West Hartford, reduce unnecessary and wasted spending and provide a bright future for our Town.

What issue(s) are your primary area of focus? I believe there are four areas that we must focus on. Budget accountability, business expansion, local government structure and a pedestrian friendly town center.

What do you feel is the biggest issue facing West Hartford today? I feel that the biggest issue facing the town presently is our budget. We need to examine the ways in which our budget can be more stable and certain.

Please provide a brief statement regarding your opinion of the Town of West Hartford’s fiscal situation, and what, if anything, can be immediately addressed. (This question is more relevant to Town Council candidates, but Board of Education candidates are welcome to comment on the school budget.)

The Town needs fiscal responsibility in its budget process. There needs to be a plan in place to curtail expenditures while still improving the quality of services expected in West Hartford. We need to rethink the way our Town develops a budget. This requires real structural change. Budgets that have been approved in the past have created the same cycle of fiscal problems year after year. There needs to be a plan in place to curtail expenditures while still improving the quality of services expected in West Hartford.

What do you feel differentiates you from other candidates also running for this position? I am new to the political world. I bring a unique ability in problem solving. After college I attended the University of Connecticut School of Law and I am a partner at Butler, Norris & Gold on Prospect Avenue. Law school taught me to look at issues differently and solve problems. My experience and the results I have achieved have prepared me to serve West Hartford. 

Anything else you would like to share? I have a desire to give back to the Town as it has provided me and my family so much over the years. I want to help continue creating an environment that my children would want to return to and raise families of their own. I ask for your support and vote on November 5^th!

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