Editor’s note: Easton Democratic Town Committee Chair Nanette DeWester submitted the following statement.
The Easton Democratic Town Committee is immensely proud of the group of experienced professionals running as Democrats on Row A this November.
The energy and professional expertise on this slate of candidates is truly remarkable. They bring not only life experience as physicians, business leaders, teachers, attorneys, librarians, and financial executives but also a deep understanding of what makes our town special and a shared dedication to ensuring Easton remains a well-run, welcoming town. They are committed to working for responsive and transparent local government with civility and compassion.
Everyone in Easton has benefitted from more effective, bipartisan, and transparent local government under Democratic leadership. Before David Bindelglass led the first Democratic majority on the Board of Selectmen in decades, government was much less transparent, with little emphasis on informing residents about important town issues or broadening our opportunities to participate.
Dave Bindelglass on the Board of Selectmen and Art Laske on the Board of Finance have provided a roadmap for how well local government can work for the people when the emphasis is on building consensus and openness. On the Board of Selectmen, Dave has solved longstanding problems that had challenged Republican administrations for years, delivering more local control over land use and expanded town services with more input from citizens — and mostly with unanimous votes. The same goes for Art Laske’s leadership on the Board of Finance, where he set a tone of bipartisan collaboration with a consensus budget that supports our excellent schools while keeping taxes reasonable.
Like governments everywhere, Easton needs to focus on the next generation of leadership. Nick D’Addario, running to join Dave on the Board of Selectmen, brings not just significant professional qualifications but the perspective of a young father who is deeply invested in preserving the character of the community and our great schools.
Recruiting candidates with a high level of professional expertise and strong commitment to transparency was a high priority for Democrats this year.
- Michael Gutowski, running for Board of Finance, brings professional financial management
experience as a Comptroller and Chief Financial Officer. - Jon Stinson and Karen O’Brien, running for Region 9 Board of Education, both bring vast experience in budgeting and school board policy and a history of advocating for rigorous academic standards and expanding school services.
- Whendi Cooke Broderick, running for town clerk, has spent decades as a paralegal focused on regulatory compliance and land transactions.
- Thomas (Tim) Hughes, running for treasurer, brings experience managing million dollar budgets.
- Beth Natt, running for Easton Board of Education, is a dedicated physician, a mom of four, and has a Master of Public Health and an MBA.
- Renee Neiger, running for Library Board, is not only a professional librarian at Joel Barlow, but
holds a Masters in Information Science. - Leny Wallen-Friedman, with decades of experience as a land use attorney, is running for Zoning Board of Appeals.
- Scott Charmoy, an attorney with a deep background in Easton property valuation, is running for Board of Assessment Appeals.
- For Constable — Irv Silverman and David Katz — both residents with a long record of stepping forward to serve our town, and Raymond Martin III, who is seeking his first elective office and eager to find ways to serve Easton.
The qualities we believe are essential for good government are reflected in these candidates’ shared commitment to making government more responsive in Easton. When accomplished citizens with professional credentials like these step forward to serve, the whole community wins.
