For Election 2026, GOOD Morning Wilton invited all candidates on Wilton’s ballot to submit a 200-word biography, photo and 800 word op-ed. Candidates running for the State Senate and State House were also invited to participate in a recorded video interview. More information is available in GMW’s Election Guidelines and Policies.
Candidate-Submitted Bio
(Submitted after the deadline; included to provide voters with basic candidate information.)
Alma Sarelli is a moderate Republican running for State Senate in Connecticut’s 26th District, cross-endorsed by the Independent Party. Alma grew up in Albania under communism and immigrated to the United States, where she found the freedom to speak her mind and build a life through hard work. While raising four children, she earned a four-year degree in business management. A Connecticut resident for 18 years, she calls Westport home. She and her husband, Nick, own a national event entertainment production company serving more than 100 cities.
Alma joined Westport’s Representative Town Meeting in May 2024 to fill a vacancy and was elected to a full term in November 2025. She serves on four RTM committees and voted on Westport’s $266 million 2026–2027 budgets, along with many other appropriations. She has served four years as president of a 60-year-old Westport nonprofit, sits on several nonprofit boards, is a justice of the peace and is a lector and Eucharistic minister at her church.
Alma is running to make Connecticut affordable by lowering property taxes and electric bills, restoring local control, keeping schools strong and protecting residents’ voice in local government.
Editor’s note: GMW corrected the election history in this candidate-submitted biography. The original submission inaccurately stated that Sarelli was elected to Westport’s RTM in 2024 and re-elected in 2025. She filled a vacancy in 2024 and won election in 2025.
Candidate-Submitted Op-Ed
No candidate op-ed was submitted to GMW in accordance with its submission requirements by the Oct. 12 deadline.
GMW Candidate Video Interview
Sarelli did not participate in a recorded video interview. After multiple earlier outreach attempts went unanswered and the original interview window closed, GMW offered additional interview times on Oct. 13 and 14. Her campaign responded that her schedule was fully committed and she was unavailable during those times.
