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: Mark Zydanowicz

Age: 52

Party, position seeking: Republican, Board Of Education

Family information: Mark resides in West Hartford with his wife Nella and their three children, all who attend West Hartford public schools.

Other occupation, if applicable: Mark was previously an owner of Guida’s Dairy. He currently advises and assist in the development and execution in the areas of strategy, marketing and business development to drive improved revenue and profitability growth of businesses. He’s a retired military engineer officer, an Iraq war veteran where he earned the Combat Action Badge and a Bronze Star.

Political experience: I’ve served the last 7 years on the Board of Education and also served as a commissionaire on the Zoning Board of Appeals.

Why are you running for office? I’ve enjoyed serving on the board of education and as the longest serving member I believe education is the building blocks of our society’s foundation. With three children in the school system, I want to ensure our students are provided an environment to succeed in.

What issue(s) are your primary area of focus? Our school system excels in many areas and it’s one of the major reason people move to and love West Hartford. However, we cannot rest on past performance. One area I will continue to focus on, is our test scores, albeit not the only value, I’ll closely monitor test results, it’s critical we manage the results and be flexible enough to adjust curriculum. The fact is we have such a talented administrative team, other schools systems and even the state has viewed us as subject matter experts in many areas. Curriculum development in the West Hartford will continue to be a dynamic process that constantly evolving in our continuous improvement model.

What do you feel is the biggest issue facing West Hartford today? As a highly successfully and nationally rated school system, it’s not necessarily one big issue, but continuous improvement through fine tuning curriculum, professional development and  making sure each student has the environment to succeed in.  Having said that, the safety of our students is always a top priority. I’ve supported, through bipartisan efforts the construction and funding of safety priorities and will continue to push for additional safety improvements and construction.

What do you feel differentiates you from other candidates also running for this position? Unfortunately at this time, I have not met the new candidates nor do I know their platforms. I like to think that if you have the best interest of the students, teachers and the taxpayers in mind, then political lines can be removed and positive results can be an outcome. 

Like what you see here? Click here to subscribe to We-Ha’s newsletter so you’ll always be in the know about what’s happening in West Hartford!