Letter from Eric Couture

My name is Eric Couture, and I am the Democratic candidate for First Selectman in Killingworth

My family first moved to town 30 years ago, my parents deciding that its school district and rural aesthetic would be a great place to raise their children. After graduating from Haddam Killingworth High in 2007, I attended Rochester Institute of Technology earning a degree in Physics and Political Science. Since then, I have worked in Hartford in a political capacity, learning how Hartford works and how to use that knowledge to best serve our town’s interests. At that time, I also served on the Board of Education, on the Facilities, Policy, and Curriculum committees as well as the High School Renovation Project’s building committee. As I did when I was a student, I learned an immeasurable amount about how our community comes together to solve the issues we face.

I’m running for First Selectman because I believe in giving back to the community in which you are raised and live. This community taught me to be humble, kind-hearted, thoughtful, and respectful and those are the values I will bring to town hall. I’m committed to hearing community input on what matters to us and making sure that everyone’s viewpoint is heard.

I’m also running because I see the challenges we face as a community and believe that we need to take a long-term approach to how we handle them so we can adapt Killingworth to the 21st century in our own way.

Addressing housing affordability to keep our young families and our elderly in town or finding solutions to our aging school infrastructure will require working in concert with both Hartford and our Regional School district. Both issues require patience and consensus building.

Fortunately, we live in a town which has a strong tradition of volunteering to handle the issues which face us. From the Fire House and Ambulance Association to the great work done at Parmelee Farm and Deer Lake, when the town needs people to step up and act, we have great support. Our town thrives and stands out because the people who live here can be counted on to step up to the challenges our town faces.

It’s my view that as we maintain our civility and recognize our shared stewardship of Killingworth, we can accomplish whatever Killingworth needs to prepare for and adapt to the future.

It would be my honor to serve as First Selectman, and I hope I can earn your vote on November 7th .

Eric Couture

Iino will not seek reelection

Killingworth First Selectwoman Cathy Iino announced today that she will not seek reelection this fall. 

“Serving this town and working with this wonderful community as first selectwoman for the last 12 years has been a great privilege,” Iino said.

“Over the next several months, I will continue to give my full attention to the pressing issues facing the town,” she said.

“Killingworth has been fortunate to have Cathy’s leadership for over a decade,” said Annie Stirna, chair of the Killingworth Democratic Town Committee. “She has led the town with energy, integrity, transparency, and fairness. Today, Killingworth is strong fiscally and institutionally. We wish Cathy all the best as she moves on.”

“A number of people have expressed interest in running for first selectperson. The Killingworth Democrats look forward to presenting a strong slate of candidates for the November election,” Stirna added.