Editor’s note: certain points have been updated to clarify information about nominations, party affiliation and minority representation rules. Locations for edits have been marked and explanations have been notated at the end of the article. ALSO: The Wilton Democratic Town Committee nominations have been announced as well.
The Republican Town Committee met on Wednesday evening, July 16, to nominate and endorse its 2025 candidates for municipal office. Kim Healy, one of the most prominent Wilton Republicans that received an endorsement, had already announced just two hours before her intention to run for Board of Finance rather than seek re-election to the Board of Selectmen.
The 2025 municipal elections take place on Tuesday, Nov. 4.
Of the other candidates chosen, several are newcomers to both politics and municipal government, and many of them have lived in Wilton less than a decade. A number of the nominees mentioned their young children when they stood up to introduce themselves and speak to the assembled group.
The Republicans are happy with the new infusion of blood.
“When I see young people coming out that are willing to do and step up and have a vested interest in Wilton, I think that’s great,” RTC Chair Peter Wrampe said. “They look at it from a position of what can be done better, rather than, ‘This is the way we did it yesterday, so why change?'”
Below are the candidates nominated by the RTC, along with some information about the races. (All terms are four years unless indicated otherwise. Voters can vote for the number of seats that are open in all races except for Constable, which has five open seats but voters can vote for up to three.)
Board of Selectmen
Candidate — Andrew Warren (R): Warren, a 10-year Wilton resident and CPA, said he didn’t follow town government until he moved to Wilton. “With my professional background, my personal experience living here, my love of Wilton, I thought I might as well do something, get involved, help out and make Wilton a better place.”
The race — Two (2) open seats: With two Republicans on the BOS who are not up for reelection, only one additional registered Republican could be seated,(1) due to minority representation rules. Warren is the sole Republican nominee. The Democratic Town Committee put the maximum number of candidates allowed — two — on their ballot (although one of them is unaffiliated, but considered a Democrat for minority representation purposed). If both DTC candidates win, the Democrats would have a BOS majority for the first time ever in Wilton.(2)
Board of Finance
Candidate — Matt Raimondi (R): Current Board of Finance Chair Raimondi is an incumbent running for reelection who said a lot has been accomplished by his board since he’s been chair. “We have a lot more to do, there’s a lot more going on in town. I want to stay and make sure that we get everything done,” Raimondi said.
Candidate — Kim Healy (R): She chose to not to run for a second term on the BOS, but instead Healy, a CPA, wants to seek a seat on the BOF. “With my background and skill set, it’s just more aligned with who I am and what I can do with what the challenges are for Wilton in the upcoming few years,” Healy said.
The race — Three (3) open seats: Raimondi is the sole BOF incumbent in the race. With three other members who aren’t up for reelection — two Republicans and one Democrat — anyone of any party is eligible to be seated if elected.
Board of Education
Candidate — Mark Shaner (Unaffiliated, Republican endorsed): This is Shaner’s second time running for the BOE; he ran in 2023 but lost by only 62 votes. With a spouse who works for the Wilton Public School District, Shaner had to answer questions about conflict of interest throughout that campaign. Since then, he has served on the Parks and Recreation Commission. Shaner was not in attendance Wednesday evening, so RTC Nominations Chair Jake Lubel made comments instead: “Since he ran, he’s stepped up, he served on Parks and Rec. You know him, he’s the same great guy who ran last time, we’ll give him another go.”
The race — Three (3) open seats: With the Democrats nominating two of their current BOE members to run for second terms, and the only other Republican-endorsed current BOE member not running again, there looks to be only three candidates running for three open seats — so unless a petition candidate emerges, Shaner and the two Democrats will all be elected in this as-of-now uncontested race.
Planning and Zoning Commission
Candidate — Jill Warren (R): An incumbent, Warren has been on P&Z for six years. In that time she finished law school and wrote a law review article about affordable housing in Connecticut and the impact of exclusionary zoning. She said she’s “very well-versed” in Wilton’s regulations and 8-30g (the affordable housing statute). “Whether we like it or not, we’re facing a lot of development at the moment. The best we can do is ensure it’s done thoughtfully, with respect to the environment, the density. We can try our best,” Warren said, adding she “genuinely love[s] being on P&Z.”
Candidate — Colin Christ (R): First-time candidate Christ has been involved with the RTC for several years — he mentioned campaigning for Kim Healy and his wife who ran unsuccessfully for BOE in 2021. He said he’s eager to get out on the campaign trail again. “We have to fight against the folks in Hartford, some of the ideologues that seem to be constantly mounting an uphill battle,” he told the RTC.
Candidate — Jed Englund (R): Englund is a 15-year resident new to municipal politics. He said his priorities are “thoughtful growth, preservation of our town’s unique character and quality of life. “Other keys for me [are] responsible governance, fiscal prudence, adherence to regulations that protect property and values, and community interest,” he said.
The race — Five (5) open seats: Both parties have endorsed their maximum number of candidates who could be seated(3) — the Democrats have nominated five candidates and the Republicans have nominated three. In 2023 this race was uncontested, but with eight people running for five open seats, P&Z will be a competitive race for the 2025 municipal elections.
Zoning Board of Appeals
Candidate — Amit Vohra (Unaffiliated, Republican endorsed): Vohra has lived in Wilton since 2017. “I’m relatively new to this process, but I am passionate about serving the community giving back for what we’ve received,” Vohra told the RTC.
The race — Two (2) open seats
Zoning Board of Appeals — two-year term
Candidate — Justin Anderson (R): Anderson is an incumbent, finishing up his current four-year term. Anderson was not in attendance.
The race — Two (2) open seats
Zoning Board of Appeals — Alternate
Candidate — Phil Murphy (R): A 30-year resident, Murphy had some blunt comments about why he’s running: “It’s all of our responsibilities to participate in this radical experiment of self-government. And if you don’t take part, you don’t get an opportunity to complain.”
Candidate — Greg Murphy (R): Although a newcomer who’s moved to Wilton two years ago after 22 years in Weston, where he served on the BOF.
The race — Two (2) open seats
Zoning Board of Appeals — Alternate, two-year term
The RTC did not nominate a candidate in this race.
The race — One (1) open seat
Board of Assessment Appeals
Candidate — Eamon Moran (R): Moran has lived in Wilton for 9 years and said he’s an empty-nester with a finance background “running for his first office since middle school.” He wants to “bring balance to the discussion” between what’s right for town and right for homeowners.
The race — One (1) open seat
Constable
Candidate — Lauren Gold (R): Gold introduced herself as the parent of three kids who’s been in Wilton with her family for 10 years. She said she was “happy to help” when the RTC asked her to run.
Candidate — Justin Tishman (R): A Wilton resident of four years with three sons, Tishman said his background is in crisis intervention, law enforcement and high-profile juvenile crime cases — including working in Wilton for the state of Connecticut on the Nick Parisot murder investigation. He now works as a recruiter.
Candidate — Alexandra Ralph (Libertarian): Ralph moved to Wilton in 2018 and said with four children, she has been involved with the schools. Politically, Ralph said she was an active letter-writer for candidates in previous elections and she believed “you have to get involved and stop complaining.”
The race — Five (5) open seats, voters vote for three (3) candidates.
CORRECTION: The article has been updated to correct a misspelling. The corrected name is Lauren Gold.
Editor’s note: some clarifying information in this article was updated on Wednesday, July 23.
(1) We clarified that minority representation rules limit how many registered party members can be seated on a board or commission, not how many candidates a party can nominate. In the case of the Board of Selectmen race, this means only one registered Republican can be seated. Each party may nominate up to the number of seats voters are allowed to vote for. In the case of the BOS race, that limit would be two candidates.
(2) We added information that came out of the DTC candidate endorsements, which we reported on after the RTC endorsements.
(3) For the Planning and Zoning Commission race, we clarified that the parties have nominated the maximum number of candidates that could be seated, not the maximum number of candidates that could be nominated. This too relates to minority representation rules, which only refer to the numbers each party can seat, not place on the ballot. Each party may nominate up to the number of seats voters are allowed to vote for. In the case of the P&Z race, that limit would be five candidates. This year, the RTC nominated three — two fewer than the limit.