Early voting dates for the Fall 2025 municipal elections include:
- October 20-27 (10am – 6pm)
- October 28 (8am – 8pm)
- October 29 (10am – 6pm)
- October 30 (8am – 8pm)
- October 31-November 2 (10am – 6pm)
Killingworth’s Early Voting location is Town Hall.
News and Events
The leaves are turning, which means election season is upon us!
Meet the local Killingworth candidates who are running for office this fall.
Join the Killingworth Democrats for a campaign kickoff on Thursday, August 14, 6:00-8:00pm, The Barrelhouse (176 Route 81, Killingworth).
You’ll have a chance to talk with the excellent candidates who are running this fall.
Light refreshments will be served. Suggested donation: $20
RSVP to KillingworthDTC@gmail.com
The Killingworth Democratic Town Committee is proud to announce the 2025 Democratic slate of candidates for town offices, unanimously endorsed by the Killingworth Democratic caucus:
First Selectman
Eric Couture
Board of Selectmen
Joel D’Angelo
Town Clerk
Dawn Rees Mooney
Town Treasurer
Donna C. Dupuis
Board of Finance
Annie K. Stirna
Steve Reeps
Board of Assessment Appeals
Matthew T. Stillman
Planning & Zoning
Geoff Cook
Lisa D’Angelo
Stephanie Warren (alt)
Zoning Board of Appeals
William Joyce
Cinny MacGonagle (alt)
Fire Commissioner
Michael Reimers
RSD17 Board of Education
Tara Amatrudo
Lisa Connelly
Ben Sodergren
Several of these candidates are running for reelection and based on the integrity and commitment with which they have served.
In his first term as First Selectman, Eric Couture has worked hard to build relations with the state to allow us to address the most challenging problems we face. These include PFAS remediation, limited housing stock, and—as always—solid waste disposal. He will continue to bring his thoughtful approach to building a bright future for Killingworth.
We count on Selectman Joel D’Angelo to bring his steady focus and calm consideration to the way every issue affects the whole community. Those qualities have served our town well for eight years on the Board of Education and in his first term on the Board of Selectmen.
Dawn Rees Mooney has served as Town Clerk for almost ten years, after seven years as assistant town clerk. Dawn is certified as a Master Town Clerk. Her attention to detail is matched by her sense of humor and her love of our town’s four-legged residents.
Town Treasurer Donna Dupuis has shown herself to be a careful and conscientious monitor of the town’s accounts.
Annie Stirna is seeking reelection to the Board of Finance, which she currently chairs. Under her leadership, the board has unanimously brought forward fiscally responsible town budgets for the last two years.
We also have outstanding first-time candidates:
Steve Reeps is running for the Board of Finance for the first time. Steve is a graduate of Quinnipiac University and is now Senior Director of Business Transformation and Continuous Improvement at Intuitive, a major medical device company. He will challenge old assumptions and ask the questions that can lead to improvement in our town.
Lisa D’Angelo is running for Planning & Zoning Commission. With a bachelor of science degree from Loyola University in Chicago and a Ph.D. from Wesleyan, she is Associate Provost for Research at Yale. She is well experienced in thinking through complex problems and ensuring fair procedures.
Cinny Macgonagle, running for ZBA alternate, has a B.A. from Smith College and an M.A. from Rutgers. She taught grades K-8 for 42 years in New Jersey. As chair of her town’s Environmental Commission, she participated in lots of planning board meetings.
Look for more background on these candidates and the rest of our slate. They all show the energy and commitment that will carry Killingworth into a healthy future.
PUBLIC NOTICE
KILLINGWORTH DEMOCRATIC CAUCUS
Enrolled members of the Democratic Party of Killingworth, CT are hereby notified in accordance with the Rules of the Democratic Party and State election laws that a caucus will be held on Tuesday, July 15 at 7:30 pm at the Killingworth Library, 301 Route 81, to endorse candidates for the 2025 Municipal Election and to transact other business that may be proper to come before said Caucus.
Notice dated June 24, 2025 by the Killingworth Democratic Town Committee, Catherine Iino, Chair.
Below is a letter to the editor that appeared in HKNews and The Source.
June 26, 2025
I am writing to express my strong support for the RSD17 School Budget. The Board of Education has approved a responsible budget with unanimous consensus.
Until now, the Board has been able to make cuts that have avoided direct impacts on student learning. However, we are now at a critical point where further reductions could adversely affect our children. We have seen other districts lose essential programs such as middle school sports, art, and music programming. It is my belief that we should protect these valuable offerings in our schools.
It’s worth noting that each budget referendum costs our towns approximately $5,000 to $7,000 and the July 8 th referendum will be our third this cycle. Investing in our children’s education is both a financial decision and a profound commitment to the future of our Killingworth community as a whole.
By voting Yes to pass this budget, we continue our commitment to invest in the promise and potential of all our young learners.
The referendum on the school budget will be held Tuesday, July 8th at KES. Voting hours are 6 AM through 8 PM. Absentee Ballots may be obtained at the Town Clerk’s Office at Town Hall during office hours. (Due to the shortened time, Absentee Ballots will not be mailed out but must be obtained at the Town Clerk’s office.)
Vote yes for Killingworth’s future. This school budget does not increase our mill rate, but it does uphold our educational standards.
Sincerely,
Kathleen Amoia
Killingworth, Ct. 06419
As you probably know, a second referendum on the school budget is scheduled for tomorrow, Friday, June 6, 2025.
There are arguments about specific expense lines, and you can read the Board of Ed’s responses and explanations to many of them here. Thank you to the Board of Ed for putting out this information.
It’s hard to compare statistics across districts—budget categories are different; staff functions are divided up in various ways; student populations have different needs. The bottom line is that our school board members spend many, many hours trying to provide as good an education as possible for as reasonable cost as possible. Since our schools are highly successful and our per pupil costs are well within the range of other Connecticut districts, I trust that the board made careful choices in constructing the budget. They have continued to refine it, and they will monitor it throughout the year.
Please join me in voting yes for a strong education for the next generation.
Every vote counts!
Cathy Iino
Chair, Killingworth Democratic Town Committee
The Killingworth Democratic Town Committee is holding its Annual Bake Sale on Saturday, May 10, 8am until 2pm, Recycle Way.
Sourdough bread! Fresh muffins! Sticky buns! Homemade preserves!
Cookies, brownies, cakes, and more . . .
All homemade and perfect for Mother’s Day
HALF THE PROCEEDS WILL BE DONATED TO THE HK BACKPACK PROGRAM
Donations of baked goods happily accepted!
Grassroots organizers nationwide are mobilizing for HANDS OFF, a day of action on April 5th in response to the alarming policies and decisions coming from the federal government.
Now is the time for us to stand up and make our voices heard. We are calling on all members of our Democratic Town Committee to take part in this effort—whether by attending rallies or amplifying our message online and in our community. Our collective action is crucial to defending democracy, protecting our rights, and pushing back against harmful policies.
Here’s a brief list of local events and links to more information.
9-10am – Peaceful sign-waving rally on the sidewalks in front of Deep River Town Hall.
10-11am – Hands Off! Middletown, register for more information.
11am – 1pm – Hands Off! New London at the New London Superior Court
12-1:30pm – Hands Off! New Haven on the New Haven Town Green
3-6pm – Hands Off! Hartford at the Connecticut State Capitol.
Learn more: https://handsoff2025.com/
Whether this is your first visit or one of many, we want to assure you that there are things we can do to save our democracy in these unprecedented times. Our Town Committee acts on the principle that good policy and politics begin on the local level. With that in mind, we seek out and put forward municipal candidates we believe will best serve the Killingworth community and support democratic principles, locally, statewide, and nationally. Our municipal elections will be held this November 4, 2025. There will be more about our candidates and our election activities from late spring through early fall.
With the White House and the GOP-controlled Congress throwing us into chaos, it is easy to be discouraged. But we can do many things to let legislators know how we feel and to make sure they know that they will be held accountable for bad faith actions. There are groups out there fighting legally and morally to preserve the rule of law under our Constitution. We may not be able to stop every unlawful act or terrible policy, but we can surely try to win a few battles.
There are many organizations you can support with donations and/or actions. A few suggested at our last KDTC meeting were:
- Common Cause
- The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)
- Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington
A statewide organization that has national affiliations is DWA (Democracy Women in Action). You can find the group’s mission statement and learn what they do at info@dwaindivisiblect.com.
Calling and texting your national legislators, The White House, House Speaker Mike Johnson, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer becomes part of a chain of such calls. It is never just one voice. They all have websites and local offices.
In the coming months we will be posting relevant articles from legislators and others that explain what is going on and how the Democrats are planning action going forward. We hope you find them useful. And, of course, you can join us on the Killingworth Democratic Town Committee or stop in for one of our meetings. KDTC meetings are held on the first Thursday of the month at 7 pm, in the Killingworth Library meeting room.
Our Connecticut national legislators’ phone numbers are:
Chris Murphy
860 549 8463
DC phone number 202 224 4041
Richard Blumenthal
860 258 6940
DC phone number 202 224 2823
Joe Courtney
860 886 0139
DC phone number 202 225 2076
We hope you will join your own voice to so many others in support of this democracy we share.
Killingworth Democratic Town Committee 