For the 2025 Wilton Municipal Elections, GOOD Morning Wilton asked all candidates to submit a 150-word bio; candidates running for the Boards of Selectmen, Finance and Education and the Planning and Zoning Commission were asked to sit for a video interview and submit an 800-word op-ed. In addition, candidates in the other races were invited to submit an op-ed if they wanted. More information is available in GMW’s Election Guidelines and Policies.
GMW Video Interview
Candidate Submitted Bio
Kari Roberts, a 26-year Wilton resident, is focused on maintaining Wilton’s financial strength while supporting responsible development and the continued excellence of our schools.
Kari had a 21-year career on Wall Street, finishing as a managing director at Credit Suisse First Boston in Mortgage Trading. She has volunteered locally with ABC Wilton, Wilton Library Ladies’ Soiree, and Wilton Land Conservation Trust, and as a nursery school board president, youth soccer manager, youth hockey manager, youth sailing manager and Sunday school teacher. She currently serves on the board of an NYC non-profit. Kari holds a degree in economics from Stanford University.
Kari and her (Wilton-reared) husband raised two children in Wilton. If elected, she plans to pursue relentless budgetary excellence and work with organizations like AdvanceCT to attract synergistic businesses and support thoughtful growth.
She looks forward to working collaboratively with all Wilton elected officials to do what’s best for Wilton.
Candidate Submitted Op-Ed
Now is not the time for complacency!
by Kari Roberts, Democratic Candidate for Board of Finance
Wilton stands at a crossroads; both elected and hired town personnel need to proactively and energetically guide it in a fiscally responsible manner, in the direction that residents desire. Numerous financial challenges await Wilton, yet numerous opportunities also exist to meet these challenges.
Economists at S&P Global Ratings (“S&P”) as of Sept. 23, 2025 have “…now forecast U.S. GDP growth of 1.9% in 2025 and 1.8% in 2026 — both up slightly from our previous forecasts, but still below the recent trend.” These lackluster GDP projections reflect S&P’s unease regarding the “…high degree of unpredictability around policy implementation by the U.S. administration and responses — specifically with regard to tariffs — and the potential effect on economies, supply chains, and credit conditions around the world.”1 Wilton’s economy will not be immune from this. The current federal economic policy see-sawing and general unpredictability will not work in Wilton’s favor.
Tariffs and economic uncertainty are engines for inflation in food prices, housing manufacturing costs and healthcare prices (which includes the town-paid portion of coverage for teachers, town employees, etc), among other things. The list goes on.
Given these economic storm clouds gathered on the horizon, now is not the time for a disheveled Finance Department in Wilton’s Town Hall. It appears (on the surface) that most of Wilton’s Finance Department issues, (including the “material weakness” found in the FY24 audit), all flow back to insufficient staffing compounded by the simultaneous implementation of a new information system. While this is most definitely not a minor problem, it is also not insurmountable. Wilton’s Finance Department (along with the Board of Finance and Board of Selectmen) need to prioritize both senior management staffing along with lower-level staffing readiness and potential build-out. The Finance Department, BOF and BOS should be laser focused on staffing, addressing the negative audit findings, and rolling out a disciplined and robust plan for the FY27 budget process, which should include increased follow-up from the auditors (who should come earlier and more frequently until our problems have been successfully managed).
Simultaneously with our financial house being put in order, we need BOF, BOS, Board of Education and Planning and Zoning to work together dynamically and diligently to create economic opportunity here in Wilton. We need those that govern Wilton (both elected and paid) to realistically and cleverly brainstorm about: automating and streamlining administrative processes with new cost-saving technology; identifying and attracting new sources of town revenue that are not exclusively residential real estate based; better analyzing and quantifying the impacts of both high density and affordable housing (not necessarily the same thing) on our schools and town resources to determine if these can be leveraged to our advantage (do increased tax revenue and non-financial benefits outstrip the added use of town resources); working to create a “corridor of opportunity” along Route 7 for either limited additional high density housing, affordable housing or other commercial businesses and/or training or vocational schools or college satellite branches. There are so many resources available to us to consult with (for example, AdvanceCT, WestCOG, Yale Urban Design Workshop, our own Plan of Conservation and Development). We need to learn to think big and think forward, as opposed to reacting and patching things up as they erupt; focus and collaboration are the keys. We can’t have our boards behave as silos; we need to work together to financially plan and realize the town that our constituents want.
Despite foreboding economic weather lurking out there, it’s also a very exciting time! Technology offers large productivity increase potential. We have a downtown that’s going to change dramatically once the already-approved, new, high-density housing goes online. Our school system is the crown jewel, as evidenced by our recent ranking by Niche.com of “A+…number four in Best School Districts in Connecticut.” Wilton has a very smart, motivated, creative bunch of residents. We need to unflinchingly collaborate to fix our current issues and address all that is coming our way.
The future is here! Let’s not be complacent! Let’s have all hands on deck and work diligently as a team, to make Wilton the best ever. We all moved here for a reason, let’s work hard to keep it exceptional!
1 S&P Global; Panday, Satyam; Economic Outlook U.S. Q4 2025: Below-Trend Growth Persists Amid A Swirl Of Policy Shifts, 23-Sep-2025, 15:24 EDT
Candidate Interview Clips
Q: What makes you the right choice for the Board of Finance for Wilton?
Q: You said our finances are good — what’s your take on Wilton’s current financial state? How do you see how the finance department is being run, how we are in the market, and how Moody’s views us?
Q: Talking about solving problems — what’s the Board of Finance’s role, and what would your part be in changing what they’ve been doing? How would things look different with you there?
Q: Have you watched the Board of Finance? If so, how do you think they’ve been functioning within their purview? How have they managed budget situations with the Board of Education and the Board of Selectmen?
Q: We have a great school system — could we try a little harder to find savings? Is it really that big a deal to go from a class size of 19 to 20? Why is it always assumed the Board of Ed gets a 3–4% increase?
Q: Wilton is an affluent town — why are we penny-pinching when it comes to Town Hall or maintenance issues? With $150 million in capital improvements needed over the next decade, is it time to ask residents to contribute more to represent Wilton properly?
Q: Should the town have both a CFO and a town administrator and a first selectman — paying all those salaries?
Q: Regarding the $150 million analysis — what about upkeep of Wilton’s historic buildings like Ambler Farm, the yellow house, Gilbert & Bennett, and Town Hall? Should we renovate or tear down? Should the town continue owning these buildings?
Q: Did you watch the Ambler Farm lease discussions? How do you think the Board of Finance handled its concerns — was the town’s interest represented?
Q: There’s $2.6 million in unpaid taxes and discussion of a tax sale — what are your thoughts on that?
Q: What’s your view on transparency — from Town Hall and different boards? How should executive sessions, open meetings, and communication with the public be handled?
Q: Give us your 30-second elevator pitch — why should voters elect you to the Board of Finance?
