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 on time)
Sam Nestor is serving her third term as first selectwoman of Weston, where she lives with her husband and two teenage sons.
Sam began her public service career in 2017, first on Weston’s Board of Education, then on Weston’s Board of Selectmen. In 2021, she was elected first selectwoman of Weston. Sam’s leadership has been transformative. She brought over $36 million in grants to the town, allowing her to complete long-imagined projects including improvements to facilities for Weston Police and Fire personnel, modernized emergency communications systems, solar energy projects for town facilities, new sidewalks, a brand-new community pickleball center and the largest road paving and maintenance project in Weston’s history. She has also developed public/private partnerships that resulted in the Weston Dog Park and the Offutt Center at Lachat Town Farm.
Sam has worked collaboratively with all towns in the 26th District through WestCOG and has formed deep relationships with state leadership across departments and agencies that she will bring with her to the State Senate.
Before this, she was a marketing, communications and publishing executive, author of two books and founder of a communications and marketing business.
Sam is a proud graduate of Cornell University and The Campaign School at Yale.
Candidate-Submitted Op-Ed
No candidate statement was received as of the Oct. 12 deadline.
GMW Candidate Video Interview
Candidate Interview Clips
Q: What would Wilton get from electing you?
Q: Who is Sam Nestor?
Q: What are two specific problems facing Wilton that you would make priorities in your first legislative session?
Q: For at least the first year, you’d be working with Toni Boucher, our first selectman. How is your relationship with Toni?
Q: What should residents expect to see you accomplish, right out of the gate and then by the end of your first term?
Q: What spending proposals would you oppose if Connecticut cannot afford them?
Q: How would you address Connecticut’s high electricity costs?
Q: What policies would you pursue to reduce health care costs and hold insurers accountable?
Q: Are there particular committees you have an interest in to get involved with?
Q: Earlier this year, the public learned that you had to repay approximately $10,000 to Weston in cost-of-living adjustments to the first selectman’s salary. How was that discovered? Explain what happened — administrative error? What was your role and responsibility in that?
Q: In Wilton, we’ve been confronting questions about transparency and delayed audits and financial information that hasn’t been disclosed properly. When have you disclosed a problem before having a solution?
Q: For years, local control has been the buzzword in Wilton. Where do you think the state has any kind of authority to require towns to change their zoning and step into the zoning process for a municipality?
Q: If you were in the seat last November, how would you have voted on the November 2025 housing legislation, HB 8002?
Q: Is there anything your party has put forward that’s a policy that you wouldn’t agree with or you would stand against or would take a different position on?
Q: 8-30g: Do you support keeping it as it’s written? Amending it? Replacing it? What changes would you pursue?
Q: If you win, what two commitments can Wilton residents hold you accountable for two years from now?
Q: What happens with your Weston first selectwoman position if you win?
Q: How are Wilton residents going to have access to you?
Q: What’s your 30-second elevator pitch — why should Wilton voters vote for you for state senator?
Q: Anything else you want to add?
