There are four other races in which voters will choose from candidates who have also volunteered to serve. Meet the candidates for Wilton’s Board of Assessment Appeals, Zoning Board of Appeals, ZBA Alternate, and Constable.

Board of Assessment Appeals

Robert Wallace (U-D Ballot)

Bob Wallace was recently appointed to the Board of Assessment Appeals by the Board of Selectmen to fill a vacancy. Bob is Executive Vice President with Willis RE and is a seasoned member of the Casualty Actuarial Society with extensive experience in casualty actuarial science and all aspects of reinsurance treaty placement, reinsurance pricing, and risk and capital management. Prior to Willis RE, he was president of North Nod Consultants providing strategic reinsurance consulting.

Bob is an unaffiliated candidate running on the Democratic slate.

Chris Gardner (R)

Since 1984 Chris Gardner served Wilton as a Republican constable. He has lived in Wilton since 1977 with his wife Tina. He helped found Wilton CERT with constables from both political parties. He was an active member of the Wilton Volunteer Ambulance Corps for 17 years, serving as an officer for five of those years. He presently serves as the volunteer Parking Violation Hearing Officer.

He and his wife raised two children in Wilton; both attended the Wilton Public Schools for all of their school years. He served in the USAF from 1965 to 1969. He graduated from Iona College with an MBA. He owns his own business selling and servicing Automated External Defibrillators (AED). He is a CT-certified EMT, AHA First Aid, and CPR/AED Instructor.

Zoning Board of Appeals

Justin Anderson (R)

Justin Anderson was born in Connecticut but grew up in northeast England. With little promise and high unemployment, he packed a couple of suitcases and moved back to Connecticut in 1999. After working in sales for eight years, he chose to follow his passion and started Wilton Handyman. The idea was to build a business, but also to help people in need, including those less fortunate, offering time at no cost to seniors, disabled people, and veterans.

Justin is married with a 16-year-old daughter. He loves Wilton for the friends he has made and the town’s genuine people. He is running to get involved in town governance to help Wilton change with the times, yet maintain what makes Wilton so amazing and unique.

Jaclyn Coleman (D)

Jaclyn Coleman was elected to the Zoning Board of Appeals in 2019. She is a practicing real estate attorney and managing member of Jaclyn S. Coleman, PLC, a firm representing sellers and purchasers in residential transactions in the five boroughs of New York, Westchester County, Long Island and Connecticut.

Her professional experience makes her adept at interpreting zoning regulations to balance usage and preserve the unique character of special properties.

Jaclyn, her husband, and two sons have lived in Wilton since 2013.

Tom Gunther (D)

Tom Gunther is concluding his current four-year term on the Zoning Board of Appeals and serves as the Board’s secretary. Prior to moving to Wilton 14 years ago, he lived in Westchester County and served as a ZBA chair for 13 years, gaining extensive experience in handling land use and zoning issues. Tom is also the executive director of Wilton Community Emergency Response Team (CERT), an active member of the Wilton Volunteer Ambulance Corps, and a licensed amateur radio operator.

Tom’s work experience includes 27 years in the banking and finance industry and 20 years in the global communications industry. Tom is married, and has three grown children.

Zoning Board of Appeals — Alternate

Tara Pagano (U – R Ballot)

A Wilton native, Tara Pagano attended Driscoll, Cider Mill, Middlebrook and Wilton High School. At Pace University she received a BA in political science with a law minor.

In 2010 Tara moved back to Wilton to raise her four children while working as a director of product management and marketing for a custom home builder. Tara has raised four children who have gone through Wilton’s public schools. She has previously served on the Board of Directors of both Trackside Teen Center and A Better Chance of Wilton and has been a camp counselor at the Wilton YMCA.

The community is what brought her back and she looks forward to contributing to Wilton’s future responsibly and sustainably.

Constable

Lianne Griswold Acosta-Rua

Lianne Griswold Acosta-Rua has enjoyed being an active member of the Wilton community for most of her life. She’s served on various committees and volunteered for numerous organizations including Wilton Library, Family and Children’s Agency, Girl Scouts, and Wilton Garden Club. She moved to Wilton in 1976. After graduating from Wilton High School and receiving a BA from Furman University, she worked in Washington, DC and New York before starting a family. She returned to Wilton in 2004 with her husband to raise their three children. Currently a Constable and Justice of the Peace, Lianne feels fortunate to be part of such a special community and hopes to continue working towards ensuring that Wilton remains a safe, prosperous and desirable place to live.

Bo Mitchell (D)

Bo Mitchell was a Wilton police commissioner for 16 years. He has been an elected constable for 18 years since leaving the Police Commission. When he retired as police commissioner, Bo founded 911 Consulting, which creates emergency, disaster recovery, business continuity, crisis communications and pandemic plans, plus training and exercises for organizations like GE, Hyatt, MasterCard and 31 university and corporate campuses nationwide.

Bo has earned 22 certifications in homeland security, emergency management, disaster recovery, business continuity, safety and security, and was instrumental in the creation of the Wilton Community Emergency Response Team (CERT). He also serves as an expert in court cases nationally.

Lisa Pojano (R)

Lisa Pojano is currently serving as constable and vice-chair of the Historic District and Properties Commission. She moved to Wilton, in 2004, with her husband and two sons. Lisa attended Trinity College, in Hartford, where she obtained a BS in history and computer science. She is a senior manager at a major sports entertainment company, where she oversees modern workplace technology transformations.

Lisa is an active leader and mentor with multiple volunteer service organizations in Wilton. She enjoys planning veterans remembrance ceremonies, such as Wreaths Across America; and can often be seen walking with her husband and three white rescue dogs.

Lisa views civil service as an honor; and is known for her passion and advocacy for both Wilton and each of its residents.

Ernest Ricco (D)

Ernie Ricco was elected constable in 2017. Ernie has a long history of community and government engagement. First elected to the Stratford Town Council at the age of 22, he has held numerous government posts. He has been chairperson of the Wilton Democratic Platform Committee since 1999 and has served as Connecticut delegate to numerous state and national conventions since 2000.

Ernie is the owner of Ricco Enterprises, a construction management and property operations firm. Ernie and his wife have lived in Wilton since 1994. They have six children who have either graduated from or currently attend the Wilton schools.

Peter Wrampe (R)

Born in Germany, Peter Wrampe immigrated to the U.S. in 1958. He met his wife Kathleen in high school in NJ. They moved to Wilton in 1979, where they raised two children who graduated from Wilton High School.

A chemical engineer, Peter held senior-level sales, marketing, and management positions with Praxair over a 44-year career, growing industrial gas businesses in five countries. After retiring, Peter founded consulting company BCI International. Today he’s a professor at NYU teaching statistics, emphasizing big data analysis for marketing.

Peter’s been active in and around Wilton as chair of the WRTC, a former board member of the Energy & Utilities Commission, a former volunteer at Americares, and as his church’s financial secretary. He’s proud of never missing Wilton’s Clean-Up Day.

Richard Ziegler (D)

Dick Ziegler has a long history of service to the town of Wilton, as a former Wilton constable, former vice-chairman of the Inland Wetlands Committee, and founder and former executive director of the Wilton Community Emergency Response Team (CERT).

Dick holds certification in FEMA emergency protocols. His extensive career included finance, marketing and operations management.

Dick and his wife have been members of the Wilton community for close to 30 years.