Trust

Strong relationships are built on trust, whether with family members, friends, or community leaders.  We may not always agree with the people we trust, but knowing that we can believe what they tell us and that they will stand by their word gives us the confidence to deepen our relationship.

When the Woodbridge Democratic Town Committee sought a candidate for First Selectman, the traits we were looking for included Town-specific leadership experience, an honest and direct approach, and demonstrated respect for all members of our community.  We wanted someone we could trust.  And the name that kept coming up was Mica Cardozo.

If you know Mica or have met him in recent weeks at community events or when he has come to your door, you have seen these qualities for yourself.  For those of you who have not yet met him, I offer these observations from some of our fellow residents:

• “As my Deputy First Selectman for four years, I got to know Mica well.  My respect for his judgment, fairness, and determination grew throughout that time.  We didn’t always agree, but our disagreement was always respectful.” Beth Heller, First Selectman
• “As the owner of a small business here in Woodbridge, I very much appreciated working with Mica on the Economic Development Commission.  He was always prepared for our meetings, asked probing questions and provided thoughtful insights and suggestions.” Jamison Scott 
• “I met Mica when he was considering a run for First Selectman.  He impressed me immediately as a person who is genuine, caring and truly interested in hearing from the many voices that make up our Town.  His commitment to supporting our community, kids, teachers and schools is evident.  I am confident that Mica will take Woodbridge forward in a collegial and community driven spirit.” Mohini Ranganathan
• “My family and I are relatively new to Woodbridge.  I’m unaffiliated and began to follow the positions of the Republicans and Democrats in Town.  I happened to meet Mica and he kindly gave me the time to explain his vision for addressing our Town’s current and future challenges.  Mica was responsive and respectful of my being new to Town issues.” Tristan Baker

When Mica tells you that he is open to discussing all options for addressing critical issues facing our Town - fostering economic development and controlling taxes, establishing a community solution to the Country Club, assuring the continued excellence of our schools - you can count on it.  You can also trust him when he says that doing nothing is not an option.

Can Woodbridge residents count on Mica’s Republican opponent to be equally forthright about what he stands for?  I don’t know the answer, but I do find it puzzling that the Republican First Selectman candidate emphasizes his voter enrollment as “unaffiliated,” suggesting that he is aligned with neither party.  While that is true of many unaffiliated voters who provide a robust contribution to our political discourse, it appears disingenuous in this case.  He was nominated by the Republican Party, he is leading its ticket, he is using traditional Republican talking points and he has been a public Donald Trump supporter.

Finally, and most importantly, I know that you can trust who Mica says he is, what he stands for, and what he plans to accomplish to ensure that our community thrives.  You can also trust that the Woodbridge Democratic Town Committee will be there to provide you with the facts you need to make informed decisions.

We hope you will take the opportunity to meet Mica as he visits residents’ homes or at various events we have planned around the community.  Also, please stop by the Woodbridge Democratic Town Committee open houses at our headquarters, 176 Amity Road (the former UPS store) on Wednesdays from 6-8 PM to meet Mica and other Democratic candidates.

For more information about campaign events and the Democratic candidates, visit woodbridgedems.org/election.  For voter information including registration and absentee ballot requests, visit  http://woodbridgedems.org/vote.  If you would like to help on the campaign or have questions for us, please email us at communications@woodbridgedems.org.

Please mark your calendar for Tuesday, November 7th, Election Day in Woodbridge!

<span class="fineprint">This is an opinion not necessarily endorsed by the Woodbridge Town News.</span>