After two unsuccessful attempts running for state public office, Cindy Cartier, Republican nominee for state representative in the 98th district, believes “this is my time.” The reality is different this time, she says, because she is not running against an incumbent, a popular Democratic incumbent named Pat Widlitz.
Cartier, a member of the Guilford Board of Selectman, has spent a good deal of time going door-to-door to meet with voters and on one weekend day she went door-to-door on Valley Shores Road in Guilford, where she lives with her family. The Branford Eagle tagged along. Among the topics discussed along the way were taxes, resources for the disabled and the controversial education program, Common Core.
“In general, I think people are fed up,” Cartier said as she sought votes from her neighbors. “I am well known and have done a lot in the past four years to build ties in the community.” She believes the fact that she is not running against an incumbent, as in past years, will help her chances. In the past, “I had the timing, but I don’t think I had the popularity,” two factors she considers key to success in politics.
The 12th district includes Guilford and the Stony Creek and Pine Orchard sections of Branford. Cartier is running against 27-year old Guilford native Sean Scanlon, who has mounted a vigorous campaign. Cartier is well-known in Guilford and qualified for state public financing in three days. Scanlon qualified in four days, which fellow Democrats viewed as a remarkable achievement since this was his first race for public office.
For Cartier, the top issues facing the state are the economy, the need for more jobs, and the out-of-state migration of young people. She cited a poll that said nearly half of state’s residents want to leave the state.
Sally E. Bahner
Over the summer, Cartier, who is 48 years old, continued to “embed myself in the community” as she put it. A few days a week, she knocks on doors in neighborhoods throughout Branford and Guilford. She has attended numerous events, including a luncheon Sunday at the Pine Orchard Yacht Club to benefit the Compassion Club. Here she is on the runway.
She is seeking the district seat held by Widlitz, a leader in the legislature. Widlitz announced her retirement after serving for 20 years this spring. Cartier ran against Widlitz in 2010 and lost. In 2012 she ran against Ed Meyer, who retired this year as the 12th district’s state senator. Initially, she was thinking of another run for state senate but Ted Kennedy Jr.’s emergence on the scene — with his famous name and widespread appeal — led her to run for state representative again.
For the past seven years, Cartier has served on the Guilford Board of Selectmen and she is a former member of the Board of Education. (BOE) Last year, she also opened Cartier & Bower, LLC, a local law firm, where she serves as an attorney and, with her husband, owns New England Car Wash, with two locations, one in Branford and one in Waterford. Last week she was endorsed by the local Guilford Education Association.
She recently won endorsements from the Connecticut Business & Industry Association (CBIA), the National Federation of Independent Businesses (NFIB) and the Connecticut Association of Realtors. As the campaign enters its final weeks, she is in high gear, she says. Last week she sent out an e‑mail updating followers on her endorsements and issuing a call for involvement. “Volunteers are welcomed to join our campaign. Help is needed to make phone calls, knock on doors, attend events and promote our campaign.”
On The Campaign Trail
Emma Zehner Photo
When we headed out with her on the campaign trail, we met in the parking lot of her law firm’s office. She handed out campaign materials to two volunteers, Art Symonds and Patrizia Dilonardo, (pictured) and then they all headed out.
As Cartier walked from house to house, her aunt, Marilyn Ferraiolo, trailed closely behind in a silver minivan. Cartier comes from a “big Italian family.” She says they have been essential in her upbringing and in her efforts to get to know the community.
“I have gotten tremendous positive feedback from everywhere throughout the district,” Cartier told the Eagle. With a team of 40 – 50 volunteers working on several different aspects of her campaign, Cartier knocked on more than 2,000 doors from May to early September, she says.
She knocks on doors regardless of the household’s party affiliation. “What I find is a lot of cross-party support,” she said. “When you run for local office, party becomes less of an issue for some people.”
It wasn’t until her early 30s that Cartier started considering herself a Republican, when she realized she was “more aligned with from a fiscal perspective.” Today, she considers herself “fiscally responsible and socially aware.” She started out as a Democrat, she said. Click here to read about it.
At one house, upon answering, a woman quickly explained that she was “on the other side of things,” referring to her Democratic political leaning, but told Cartier she would take a pamphlet. Cartier explained that, in the past, this wouldn’t have happened, “but now they are taking the information.”
Before approaching another house, Cartier pointed out that it was a house full of Democrats. Still, she wasn’t surprised when the couple offered her their support.
Constituent Issues
Cartier asked the parents if they wanted to share any issues of particular importance to their family. The mother explained that they have a 35-year-old daughter with a disability and would like to see an increase in the current resources she considers inadequate for the disabled population. “Once they pass 21, they age out of the school system,” the woman told Cartier.
Cartier has worked with the organization Sarah, Inc., which offers support and services in the area to kids and adults with disabilities. Cartier considers finding additional handicapped resources one of her main priorities. “As parents pass on, they want to make sure their kids are okay,” Cartier explained. “With group housing, there is a tremendous shortage…”
At other homes, several residents made reference to the state’s fiscal problems. Cartier explained that, when going door-to-door, she hears a lot of these complaints. Through her work on the board of selectmen in Guilford, she believes she has helped to “turn around the town and make things more solvent for us” and she believes she can take this knowledge to Hartford.
“In my practice, I have seen that you don’t want to retire or die in this state,” Cartier said. “My fear is that we have an aging population that needs resources and we need to plan for that. In the next 20 years, we want the baby boomers to keep their money in the state. Otherwise, we will be left with the very wealthy and the very poor and that’s not good for anybody.”
On Education
On the walk, several residents expressed either concern or gratitude for the new Guilford High School, a project Widlitz helped bring to town. Widlitz is the chair of the legislature’s powerful Finance, Revenue and Bonding Committee. The $92 million project is scheduled for completion by 2015. Cartier served on the task force for the construction project. (Scanlon was involved in the new high school as well, along with helping to bring all-day kindergarten to town.)
“We reviewed all the options and from a financial perspective, it was best to build a new school,” Cartier said, adding that in a survey sent out 70 percent of the community approved the project.
Cartier has also thought about other aspects of the local school system. She says as a former member of the BOE, she knows there are issues with implementing Common Core. Click on the video above to hear her thoughts.
Fundraising
At several doors, Cartier ran into familiar faces, family friends or supporters. At one door, a man insisted he run to go write her a check.
Cartier explained to him that unfortunately she is not allowed to accept donations. In May, Cartier qualified for Citizens’ Election Program (CEP) funds. To receive these funds, a state representative candidate must raise $5,000 from a total of at least 150 residents in the district who can donate from $5 to $100.
Family Life Commitments
Since her previous political runs, in 2010 for state representative and in 2012 for state senate, Cartier has continued to lead a busy personal lifestyle.
Most recently, Cartier adopted a 5‑month-old girl named Charlotte. She also has a son in 5th grade and a 2‑year-old daughter. Several times while door knocking, Cartier remarked how busy she is right now, noting that she recently had to “switch to the minivan” because of her growing family.
In one of her pamphlets, Cartier lists the groups she has worked with, including the Board of Education, the Board of Planning and Zoning, the American School for the Deaf, the Guilford Rotary, Soundview YMCA, Orchard House, GCTV and St. George’s Church.
However, she is confident her hectic schedule won’t affect her ability to commit sufficient time to the state representative position, if elected.
“They all really complement each other,” Cartier said. “With my law firm, I can dictate what we do. I can bring in additional resources as we need them.”
Although Cartier didn’t actively participate in the most recent Republican gubernatorial primary, she told the Eagle she supported Tom Foley. “When you look at what’s going on in this state, we need someone who has business sense, who understands finances,” Cartier said. “It is a fiscal problem we have here.”
After hitting 23 houses, Cartier checked in with Symonds. He reported a slightly lower answering rate, having talked to four people. “Some were undecided,” he said. “But none were totally negative.” Symonds is a native of Madison and has worked with Cartier in the past on her campaigns.
After regrouping, the team piled into the van and drove away from the neighborhood, checking off one more hour on the campaign trail.
Marcia Chambers contributed reporting for this story.
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