Derby Board Of Aldermen/Alderwomen Candidate Sarah Widomski

Widomski

DERBY — The Valley Indy emailed general questions to the candidates running for the Board of Aldermen/Alderwomen in the City of Derby.

The questions were sent Sept. 25 to the political party chairmen of the Democratic and Republican parties. They were asked to distribute the questions to the candidates.

The deadline to respond was Oct. 16.

The Valley Indy is publishing all responses received by the deadline.

SARAH WIDOMSKI
Candidate running in the First Ward on the Democratic line

Years lived in Derby: 10

High School: Shelton High School

College: Southern Connecticut State University

Current Employment: Quality Assurance Manager – York Analytical Laboratories, Inc.

Civic groups/community service involvement:
St. Michael Church Picnic, Troop 3 Boy Scouts of America, American Legion Veterans Day Ceremony, St. Margaret Mary Parish.

Prior gov’t experience, if any:
Justice of the Peace, Deputy Registrar of Voters

Job experience that could help you be an Alderman/Alderwoman?

As a scientist, I recognize that details matter and paying attention to those details is critical to progress. As a manager, I know that we need to lead by example in order to inspire excellence and gain respect from others. 

As Deputy Registrar of Voters and Head Election Moderator, I was trained to ensure a free and fair election is available to all Derby residents. As a caterer, I learned to listen to customers and create a positive experience from their input. 

As a trained vocalist, I understand that just because a task looks easy to accomplish doesn’t mean it is easy to accomplish. It means that you need discipline and hard work to achieve outstanding performance. 

My diverse life experiences have taught me that managing, leading, and representing people is challenging but rewarding. I look forward to using my training and skills to make Derby a better place for each citizen.

Why are you running for the Derby Board of Aldermen/Alderwomen?

I will work to improve communication with and listen to the concerns of the residents of the 1st Ward. I will support measures to increase accountability and transparency in our City government. Regardless of differing political views, we need to encourage more citizen participation in our government.

We need an aggressive approach to fixing the current financial crisis. Our City needs bi-partisan consensus toward smart economic growth. For a better Derby, we need a new outlook on governing. Derby needs our collective creativity in order to improve the quality of life for all our residents.

Derby deserves leaders who will put the time in to representing the interests of its citizens. I will be an active voice for the 1st Ward.”

In your personal opinion, what are the two biggest challenges facing the City of Derby?

I have observed that one of the biggest challenges facing the City of Derby is the difficulty of encouraging more members of the community to get involved in positive activities of the City. 

The world we live in is very busy, but we, as leaders, need to do a better job at communicating and encouraging more participation in all aspects of the community.

Another major challenge facing the City of Derby is that we, as leaders, need to apply decision making that looks at the long term benefit to our City. Quick fixes are not what we need. 

We need thoughtful dialogue and data driven decision making so we don’t repeat the same mistakes. We should be confident that Derby’s best days will come with careful planning and deliberate action.”

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