We reached out to both the Killingworth Republican Town Committee and the Killingworth Democratic Town Committee and asked candidates to respond to a set of questions; if a candidate did not respond, their name is listed, so that you know who is running for each office. Updates from all candidates are welcome, and will be published as Letters to the Editor. The questions posed to the candidates were:
Cathy Iino (Democrat) – First Selectman
Cathy Iino has been living in Killingworth since 1996. Iino was attracted to Killingworth by the beauty of the town, and the quality of the schools.
She is running again for First Selectman because “the job is immensely satisfying, because I can actually make things happen, whether it’s a new stretch of curbing or a senior lunch program.” When she looks around, she sees “our volunteers are generous and talented; that moved me to get involved.” She thinks this time is important as the state looks for more regionalization of services, and she enjoys working with other towns in the region to find ways to improve services.
Iino loves the resources that Killingworth offers, from the trails at Chatfield Hollow, Cockaponset Forest, and Auer Park, to Parmelee Farm, and from the Farmers Market, to Sheldon Park with its paved, accessible trail.
Francesco Lulaj (Republican) – First Selectman
Born and raised in Albania, where he attended the military academy and was an accomplished athlete, Francesco arrived in the U.S. in 2002. He quickly built a string of successful businesses. He married his wife, Cassandra, in 2007. Two years later they moved to Killingworth.
After investing heavily in renovating a building on Route 81, in 2014 they opened the popular restaurant La Foresta, in Killingworth, Connecticut which has earned worldwide awards and recognition.
Francesco proudly became a U.S. citizen in 2008. He and Cassandra have four beautiful children and make their home on Jacob Lane, in Killingworth.
Francesco wants to help protect Killingworth’s way of life for future generations. And he believes it’s time for a change.
For starters, he believes our government needs to be run more transparently. There have been too many instances recently of our town government taking positions on important matters with little or no public input. If the citizens will be faced with the bills, they should have more say in how the money is spent.
Among other things, Francesco cherishes the spirit of volunteerism in Killingworth. From the volunteer fire company, to the Parmelee Farm, Francesco understands that the backbone of our town is the willingness of neighbors to help their neighbors.
Francesco is not afraid of hard work. He’s self-made and has no obligations to anyone but the people of Killingworth. He can be counted on to be open, accessible, and honest at every turn.
Lou Annino Jr. (Democrat) – Selectman
I am Lou Annino, Jr. and I am running for the Board of Selectman. A lifelong, fourth generation resident of Killingworth, I have had the privilege of growing up in this town, attending its schools and later owning a home and raising my family here. I served as an officer in the United States Naval reserve for 12 years from 1982 to 1994. I have also had the honor of serving the people of Killingworth as Selectman for the past eight years.
I have spent better than half my life serving this community as a volunteer and an elected official. I served on The Emmanuel Church Council. I also was a soccer and baseball coach for the Killingworth Youth League.
As a Commissioner of Planning and Zoning for over twenty years, my record of balancing the growth needs of Killingworth along with maintaining its rural character speaks to my commitment to Killingworth. I was a recipient of a public service award in recognition for my years of Public Service acknowledging my 20+ years as a Commissioner for Planning & Zoning from Secretary of the State Susan Bysiewicz,
My experience as a Registered Professional Engineer and nearly 30 years of facilities management experience including Yale University, Bayer Corporation and currently as the Chief Facilities Officer at the University of New Haven combined with my experience in public service make me uniquely qualified for the position of Selectman. This experience includes budget and staff management, strategic planning, road, facility and infrastructure planning and maintenance, emergency management as well as a track record of creativity, leadership and integrity.
I believe my record as Selectman speaks for itself. During my tenure as selectman, I have played a leadership role in fiscal responsibility. I led the charge for development of a strategic capital plan while carefully managing along with our First Selectwoman, Cathy Iino, our precious operating dollars (your taxes). This has led to a nearly flat operating budget over the same period while at the same time allowing for responsible capital planning that will insure the quality of our town roads, municipal facilities and services for the future. In addition, I have worked to strengthen municipal services through staff accountabilities and improvements in interdepartmental communication.
I am proud to be a resident of Killingworth and I am privileged to have had the opportunity to serve my neighbors as an elected official. I hope to continue and if reelected, my commitment as Selectman is straight forward and simple. It is to serve responsibly so that all of us (children through senior citizens) will have the opportunity to thrive and serve in Killingworth.
Eileen Blewett (Republican) – Selectman
My family has lived in Killingworth for 22 years. My 4 children are all graduates of HK. I am very proud to say that they started and finished their educational journey here in Killingworth. I have always been deeply involved in volunteering in my community. I strongly believe that his community is strong because of its strength in volunteers. I currently serve on the BOE, which has involved work on the Finance Committee, Executive Committee, Strategic Capital Planning Committee and Personal Committee. I spent 8 years working for RSD17 as a substitute teacher and a paraprofessional for special education. Currently, I work at Vista Innovation in Madison, working with adults with special need; prior to raising my family I worked as a Commodities Analyst in the financial industry.
Running for office is important to me because I feel that I have the leadership skills to serve this town to help build the bridge between town government and its residents. We need to work together to understand the needs of this community. We need to discuss ways to build a tax base without increasing taxes. We need to build a stronger relationship with the BOE and discuss ways to share services and be efficient in our spending. Collaboration is the key to Killingworth’s success, being able to communicate effectively with all points of view.
Killingworth’s issues: Finances and budgeting are the most important issue facing Killingworth. Now is a critical time for Killingworth and other small towns in the state. State budgets and therefore funding from the state back to small towns and school districts is in a constant state of turmoil, making it difficult for towns to plan. In parallel, the state is shifting pension burdens from the state back to the towns. Along with those challenges, the town needs to implement a long term capital plan to address the aging infrastructure like the Town Hall and Fire Station.
What I love most about Killingworth are the people and sense of community. The people in town are kind, helpful and cherish our rural nature and small town values. We are all neighbors and dedicated to each other and it is incredible to see that amount of volunteerism and the things we are able to accomplish when we work together and help one another.
Like my running mate and friend Francesco Lulaj, I feel we must avoid the name calling and divisiveness. Killingworth is not a place for labels, it’s a place where neighbors and friends work together for the betterment of all of us. I hope to have your vote at the Republican Primary on September 10th, and again in the general election on November 5th.
Nancy Gorski (Republican) – Selectman
