The West Hartford Republican Town Committee says their ‘diverse, experienced team is poised to win in November.

Submitted

On Tuesday, July 18, 2023, at the West Hartford Town Hall, the West Hartford Republican Town Committee (RTC) endorsed a slate of candidates to run for Town Council and Board of Education this November.

RTC and Candidate Exploratory Committee member Paula Mercier nominated a slate of candidates, which included incumbents Mary Fay, Alberto Cortes, and Mark Zydanowicz, as well as a new Republican candidate, Aaron Sarwar, for Town Council.

In addition, she also nominated incumbent Ethan Goldman, as well as Republican candidate Kyle Zelazny, for Board of Education.

In her nomination speech, Mercier described the slate as “an extremely diverse set of candidates who will promote our core set of values with policies that will foster economic growth, reducing government regulations, protecting parental rights, and preserving personal freedoms essential to fostering a more thriving economic and living standard for West Hartford residents.”

Incumbent Town Council member Alberto Cortes recognized the diversity of the slate. “As the first Hispanic elected to the West Hartford Town Council it was great to see such a diverse slate. We have candidates from all walks of life including members of the LGBTQ+ community, different ethnic backgrounds, different genders, and different religions,” said Cortes. “As Republicans, we truly have the freedom in our party to appreciate and express the differences that bind our conservative values together.”

Mark Zydanowicz, Town Council incumbent, also recognized the commonalities of the slate from a military perspective. “I love that we have such a great representation of veterans from different branches within our slate,” said Zydanowicz. “Serving one’s country provides a unique beneficial perspective with values that will serve our town well.”

Current Town Council Minority Leader Mary Fay spoke about the strength of the slate. “I hear from and meet with constituents frequently. They continue to be concerned with taxes, inflation, overdevelopment, public safety, roads, traffic, parking, and parental rights,” said Fay. “We hear them and this team is one of the strongest Republican teams we’ve run in West Hartford with prudent solutions to many of these issues. With this team, we feel we have a very good chance to increase our presence on both the Town Council and Board of Education.”

Though not a newcomer to running for municipal office, local business owner Aaron Sarwar is running this year as a Republican candidate. “As a former unaffiliated candidate for Town Council, I find myself part of the moderate majority whose values run towards a more fiscal conservative focus,” said Sarwar.  “As a local business owner in town, I’ve seen how Town Council decisions have not always been fiscally responsible and in the best interests of our town. Coupled with the fact that the West Hartford Republicans are so welcoming while doing an amazing job at promoting a party with values that align with many of the residents in town, it was clear that the time was right for me to run as a Republican candidate.”

From the Board of Education perspective, Ethan Goldman commented that, “Dr. Gayle Harris and I have worked hard to come up with solutions that are constructive and will be beneficial and fair to all members of school community and West Hartford residents.”

Kyle Zelazny spoke about why he is running for the Board of Education. “Ethan and Gayle have been doing a great job on the Board of Ed. However, there is only so much they can do against the constant partisanship from across the aisle who have supported wildly unpopular decisions like the near preclusion of a Connecticut Native American chieftain speaking in support of retaining our high school names, the unjustified curbing of public comment at meetings, and the erosion of parental rights,” said Zelazny.  “I’m also proud that I and some of our other Republican municipal candidates contribute to the diversity of our slate by representing a younger generation with a unique voice not historically well-represented among our town’s long-standing elected officials.”

Election day is Tuesday, Nov. 7.  For more information about the endorsed West Hartford Republican Town Council and Board of Education candidates you can visit the candidate website at www.whgop.com/gop4wh or find out more about the campaign at the West Hartford Republican Town Committee website at www.whgop.com.

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