Jeanne Loda Offers Another Option In Seymour

Jeanne Loda was going rogue long before Sarah Palin made the term popular. 

She went up against the town’s Ambulance Association in 2004, and was even a vocal critic of the way the Katharine Matthies Foundation distributed grants.

So when Loda wasn’t nominated by the Democrats to run for re-election on the Board of Education this year, it wasn’t a total surprise when she set off on her own and launched a campaign for the town’s top office. 

Loda, 70, is Democrat running for First Selectman as a petitioning candidate. 

She faces incumbent Democrat Paul Roy and Republican Kurt Miller in the election Nov. 8.

With more than two decades of experience in Seymour politics — including time on the Board of Finance and Board of Selectmen — Loda said she knows how to tackle tough issues.

So branching off into her own one-woman race felt comfortable, Loda said. 

I’m willing to make an effort,” Loda said. I have no special agendas. No personal agendas. I’m willing to work with anyone — on the Democrat side, or the Republican side.”

I’m not beholden to either party,” Loda said. I’m beholden to myself, and the town.”

The Split

Loda said she had inklings that her party wouldn’t support her for the Board of Education position again, so in April she told the Democratic Town Committee she planned to run for First Selectmen if she didn’t get nominated. 

The party also didn’t nominate the other Board of Education incumbent, Judith Flood. 

Flood and Loda declined to go into why they thought the party didn’t re-nominate them. 

She said people in town are looking for a change from the status quo. 

At this point, I just felt, there’s a lot of changes to be made. I felt, let me give it another shot,” Loda said. 

Loda unsuccessfully ran for First Selectman in 2005 against Former First Selectman Robert Koskelowski. 

If we win, I will be there to do my best,” she said. Whatever it takes.”

When asked if she felt her current candidacy might pull votes from the Democratic party candidate, Roy, Loda said: 

Whatever is to be, is to be. If it does, it does. If it doesn’t, it doesn’t… I figure I’m giving people a third choice.”

Going Rogue

Loda was the kind of Board of Education member who does not go along to get along.

Sometimes she could ruffle feathers, said Ed Strumello, chairman of the Board of Education.

She always said we were chosen to be leaders, and we have to make tough decisions sometimes,” Strumello said. 

Loda was on the Board of Education from 1993 to 2003, and again from 2007 to the present. In her current four-year term, Loda is the chairman of the liaison committee, which negotiates contracts with teachers and administrators on behalf of the board.

Strumello said Loda’s work negotiating contracts called for a lot of tough decisions. 

She was the leader, and I thought she did a good job,” Strumello said. She saved the town a lot of money on negotiating good contracts.”

Loda also cited her fight against the Seymour Ambulance Association in 2004 as an example of her drive. 

Loda started pushing against the association when a resident told her the group was using town-issued license plates on its fleet. The research into that matter led to the discovery that there were severe financial problems with the group at the time. Those problems have since been rectified.

In the past, and again in an interview this month, Loda questioned why more funds from the Katharine Matthies Foundation don’t go to Seymour programs.

The Platform

Loda has campaigned on key issues of economic development, budgeting changes and what to do about the town-owned building at 98 Bank St. 

Tri-Town: Like most candidates for First Selectman in Seymour over the past decade, Loda has goals for getting tenants into the Tri-Town Plaza.

The answer to long vacant store fronts at the strip mall: Tax incentives. 

I know the economic times are not good right now, but I think the town needs to offer tax incentives and programs to entice businesses,” Loda said. We need to give somebody a reason to want to establish a business in Seymour.”

She said tax incentives for incoming shops would help Tri-Town owner Ron Spector fill space at the shopping complex.

Budgeting: Loda also said she would implement zero-based” budgeting if elected First Selectman. That means the Board of Finance would look at a clean slate when building its budget — and departments would have to justify every single dollar spent, not just increases. 

I know it would take a lot of work and a lot of effort on the behalf of the finance board,” Loda said. But I think we need to take a look at the budget on a zero base, scrutinize every line item.”

98 Bank St.: The town owns the building at 98 Bank St., where the Board of Education and Valley Health District have offices. In December, Roy proposed selling the building to make some money for the town. 

FILELoda, as a member of the Board of Education at the time of the proposal, said she thinks the town is not doing enough research on the proposal — specifically where the Board of Education offices would relocate if the building is sold.

I don’t mind selling 98 Bank St. as long as Central Office is not moved to the high school,” Loda said. It needs to be studied. We need to look at LoPresti School and the Community Center (as possible offices for the Board of Education).”

The Background

Loda was born in Fairfield, and moved to Seymour in 1965. She has three children and six grandchildren. She is married to Frank Loda, who has been active in politics and has had his experience calling out perceived wrongs — including a videotaping battle he had with Koskelowski.

Jeanne Loda is a retired real estate broker and office manager. 

She got active in Seymour politics in the late 1980s, when she served on the Board of Finance. 

In 1993, she was appointed to fill a position on the Board of Education, and she was elected for a full term in 1995 and again in 1999. She ran for First Selectman in 2005, and lost to Koskelowski. 

In 2007, Loda ran for the Board of Education again, and is finishing up her four-year term. 

That experience across several different boards makes her well qualified for First Selectman, according to Judith Flood, who worked with Loda on the Board of Education for several years. 

I think Jeanne’s a very hard worker. I think she knows the town of Seymour very well. And knows the issues in the town,” Flood said. So I think she’s qualified.”

View Loda’s campaign website here.

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