(EAST HAVEN) —While a rattled Mayor Joe Carfora engaged in shouting matches with petitioning candidate Anthony Camposano, Republican challenger Samantha “Sam” Parlato outlined a clear vision for the future of East Haven during the mayoral debate, Thursday night. In her opening statement, Parlato emphasized her commitment to affordability, support for our law enforcement, and plan to develop East Haven and protect our quality of life.
Moderated by local radio personality, Vinnie Penn, of “The Vinnie Penn Project”, the East Haven Mayoral Debate ironically turned turbulent when a question on the proposed expansion of Tweed New Haven Airport prompted raised voices between Carfora and Camposano. The verbal wrestling match continued throughout the night, sadly hijacking key moments of the hour-long debate.
“We can’t afford to have our next mayor display this kind of immature and reckless behavior,” said Parlato following the debate. “Our audience consisted of voters interested in candidate platforms and our ability to answer questions on the spot. It was disappointing to see my opponents prioritize personal grudges over top issues like crime, education, and taxes.”
Candidates were each allotted two minutes per question, with a two-minute opening and closing statement. In her opening, Parlato stated, “Right now, East Haven has no direction. With my experience in education, service to our community and small businesses, and my dedication to transparency on the Board of Education and as a current member of the Town Council, I am the only candidate capable of knowing the issues of East Haven to confidently lead us in Town Hall.”
On affordability and taxes, Parlato stood out in her commitment to finding wasteful spending so that money earned can equal money spent. Her most significant point addressed concerns with the current administration’s spending of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) emergency funding and their inability to distribute necessary financial relief to residents after drafting their most recent budget.
On crime, Parlato shared her two-tiered approach to collaborating with police locally and our elected officials in Hartford to promote recruitment, secure grant funding, and stand against the Police Accountability bill that currently binds law enforcement from efficiently carrying out their investigative duties. Most importantly, Parlato was the only candidate to propose installing a patrol station in Foxon and starting a conversation with bordering municipalities to cut crime off before it enters East Haven.
On education, Parlato confidently proposed an investment in programs to help students explore career opportunities to employ better ways to secure a higher graduation rate. As an educator for over a decade, she also believes that it is important to meet the students where they learn and ensure that financial investments in our schools support our students and teachers first.
On economic development, Parlato announced that her first order of business is to hire a qualified Economic Developer and a dedicated grant writer that will meet business owners and secure state funds. Once again, she was the only candidate seeking to host quarterly small business and crime forums that allow residents to share their voices and needs on new developments in East Haven.
Parlato added, “Politics nationally can be divisive and scary, that’s why I am running for mayor because our voters don’t deserve a leader who radiates anger and division. I am running because I put our people before politics. The choice is clear: do you want a mayor who argues with voters and shouts at their criticism, or a mayor who is seasoned in respect, service, honesty, and transparency?”
For more information on Samantha Parlato, please visit SamParlato.com and never hesitate to reach out to Sam via email at Sam@samparlato.com.
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