FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: June 22, 2025
Contact: Eric Lipka, erictlipka@gmail.com
Wallingford Democrats announce candidate slate ahead of 2025 local elections, pledging to boost local schools, tackle the housing affordability crisis for all ages, and build a fair and sustainable tax system that supports working families.
WALLINGFORD, CONN. — On Wednesday, at a general body meeting of the Wallingford Democratic Town Committee (WDTC) members nominated their initial slate of candidates for the November 2025 local elections, in anticipation of endorsements in July. Alida Cella was nominated by Jim Fitzsimmons to lead the ticket in a challenge to first-term Republican Mayor Vincent Cervoni. Alida Cella is a 20-year Wallingford resident, a solar financing professional, small business owner, and a former union organizer. Additionally, she served as Chair of the Beth Israel Synagogue of Wallingford for a decade and has been the Chair of the Wallingford Democratic Town Committee for over 5 years.
“Wallingford deserves leaders that listen, with real plans to address the problems our town faces,” said Alida Cella, Democratic nominee for mayor of Wallingford. “Right now, Wallingford is seeing a decline in the number of young families seeking to make this place home. Our slate is committed to creating a Wallingford that brings families into the fold and boosts those already here by investing in our schools, making housing affordable, and creating a local tax system that supports our families. With some elbow grease, hard work, and our rock-solid planning, I’m confident we can get there.”
Along with Ms. Cella, the WDTC nominated Jeff Kohan and Bryan Rivard for Town Council, both with extensive experience and connections in town. Mr. Kohan, a longtime IT executive for IBM & Aetna, has been a Planning and Zoning Commissioner for 12 years, in addition to serving as a youth soccer coach, former SCROG Chair and current WPAA Board member. Mr. Rivard, a Program Director at Pratt & Whitney, has served on the Parent Teacher Advisory Council for the past 10 years and is currently on the board of the Meriden Wallingford United Way; he also currently serves on the Planning and Zoning Commission. To round out the new candidates, Melanie Rossaci, MSW, was also nominated. Melanie is a Consulting Senior Manager: Public Sector Service at Accenture who graduated from Sheehan High School and currently serves on the Board of Education. The rest of the slate is set to include the three incumbents: Jesse Reynolds, Sam Carmody, and Vinnie Testa, whose nominations were met with eager enthusiasm by the rest of the Wallingford Democratic Town Committee.
For the Board of Education, the WDTC nominated incumbents Dr. Maureen Reed and Mike Votto to rounds of applause, along with a diverse bench of new candidates. Brenda Shuler is a nurse and business owner well known locally as a community leader. She is joined by Dr. Kyler Allen, a local Clinical Neuropsychologist and public education/community advocate, Kristi Doerr, an accountant and 20+ year Wallingford resident who serves on the Public Library Committee, and Duncan Craig, a sales professional who leads YIMBY Central CT in addition to serving as Chair for the WDTC communications team.
Full list of current nominations below:
Mayor, Town of Wallingford:
Ms. Alida Cella
Wallingford Town Council:
Mr. Samuel Carmody (inc.)
Mr. Jesse Reynolds (inc.)
Mr. Vinnie Testa (inc.)
Mr. Jeffrey Kohan
Mr. Bryan Rivard
Ms. Melanie Rossacci
Wallingford Board of Education:
Dr. Maureen Reed (inc.)
Mr. Michael J. Votto Sr. (inc.)
Dr. Kyler Allen
Mr. Duncan Craig
Ms. Kristi Doerr
Ms. Brenda Shuler
Currently, Wallingford’s public schools rank 97th out of 151 districts, with math proficiency trailing state averages by nearly 10 points. Housing remains out of reach for many residents: just 4.2% of Wallingford homes qualify as affordable—well under the 10% target set by Connecticut law. At the same time, families are shouldering a rising tax burden with many homeowners seeing double-digit increases after this year’s property revaluation.
In light of this, Wallingford Democrats are offering an alternative vision for the town. With a Democratic mayor and majorities on the town council and board of education, Wallingford Public Schools will be a top-twenty district, housing will be affordable and accessible to all, and working families can focus on what matters most, free from the burden of a grand list far too dependent on its residential tax revenue.
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