Source: Kevin Maloney, CCM

For immediate release
Kevin Maloney, (203) 710-3486

CCM and the Campaign School at Yale to again run groundbreaking training to assist more people of color
with essential skills needed to run for local public office, serve in appointed office and get involved 

The Connecticut Conference of Municipalities (CCM), in conjunction with The Campaign School at Yale University, will again conduct a groundbreaking virtual two-day training program in late February and early March designed to assist more people of color – Black, Latina, and Asian Americans, and others – with the skills needed to run for local government elected office, serve in appointed office and better understand the value of civic participation.

While Blacks, Latinas  and Asians comprise more than 30 percent of Connecticut’s population, they represent a relatively small proportion of elected local and state public officials and state board and commission members.

Representation Matters: Running for Local Office and Civic Engagement is a free two-day training effort  to teach people of color across Connecticut the fundamentals to run for local public office or seek appointed office. The program will take place via zoom on Saturday, February 25 and Saturday, March 4  from 10 am to 3 pm.

The two-day program is also sponsored by the Connecticut Interlocal Risk Management Agency, the Connecticut General Assembly’s Commission on Women, Children, Seniors, Equity and Opportunity, the Parent Leadership Training Institute in Stamford, the Connecticut Association of Boards of Education and Connecticut Public Broadcasting.

“One of the founding principles of this nation is the ideal of a representative government, and it is a goal America is still striving for,” said Joe DeLong, CCM Executive Director and CEO. “Increasing racial diversity and input in local elected and appointed public office will broaden perspectives and ensure greater appreciation for civic appreciation. This effort will help foster a more equitable future.” 

Day One on Saturday, February 25 will be led by the renowned Campaign School at Yale University, which counts Representative Gabrielle Giffords, Presidential-candidate Senator Kirsten Gillibrand and former New Haven mayor, Toni Harp, as alumnae. 

The February 25 program will kick off at 10 a.m. with presentations on making the decision to run and putting the fun in fundraising, both presented by Patricia Russo, Executive Director of the Yale Campaign School. She will be followed at noon by Gilds Bonanno, a veteran presentation skills coach, who will discuss finding your voice and making it matter.

A panel discussion will start at 1 p.m. with panelists talking about how the Campaign School at Yale helped them become leaders in their community. The panelists are: YT Bell, city councilmember in Clarkston, GA; Penny Rashin, a member of the New Canaan Board of Education; Katherine Gilmore Richardson, councilwoman at large in Philadelphia; and  Cynthia Wallace, Co-Founder & Executive Director of the New Rural Project in Charlotte, NC.

The program will conclude  from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. with a talk on effective networking techniques and the next steps in becoming a community leader, presented by Patti Russo. 

“As President Lincoln declared in the Gettysburg Address, the ideal nation is a government of the people, by the people, and for the people,” noted DeLong. “In the 21st century, we only need the willpower to make that a reality. Over this two-day training, the tools and know-how to get involved and to get into local politics will be given to all who attend.”

And here is the complete line-up for day two of the training on Saturday, March 4, led by CCM, with presentations by key local  and state leaders with varying government and community  backgrounds. 

10:00 – 10:30 am: Welcome  

• Wes Moore, Governor of Maryland (Former CCM CARES contributor)  INVITED
• Clarence Anthony, CEO, National League of Cities
• Thomas Dunn, President, CCM Board of Directors 
• Patrice McCarthy, Executive Director, CT Association of Boards of Education  
• Steven Hernandez, Executive Director, CT Commission on Women, Children, Seniors, Equity and Opportunity  
• Joe DeLong, Executive Director and CEO, CCM   

10:30 – 10:50 am:   Civic Engagement: Why you and why now 

• Stephanie Thomas, CT Secretary of the State  

10:50 – 11:10 am:   Become a Leader in your Community and State and Work for Change

• Erick Russell, State Treasurer  

11:10 – 12:00 pm: Getting Involved and Working Toward Elective Office

• Roberto Alves, Danbury Democratic Town Committee Chair  
• Brendan Saunders, Clinton Republican Town Committee Chair 

12:15 – 12:30 pm: How CT Interlocal Risk Management Agency helps municipal leaders respond to emergencies and manage risks

12:30 pm –1:40 pm: Panel of Seasoned Experts—Lessons Learned/ Best Practices for Leadership

• Moderator:  Melvette Hill, CT Parent Teacher Leadership Institute     
• Panelists:                             
  • Aidee Nieves, City Council President, Bridgeport  
  • Don Harris, Chair, Bloomfield Board of Education  
  • Leonard Lockhart, Windsor Board of Education   
  • Juan Melendez, Mayor, Town of Groton
  • Danielle Wong, Mayor, Town of Bloomfield
  • Eric Coleman, Former, State Senator and Council Member, Hartford  INVITED

1:40 – 2:20 pm: Municipal Government and Finance 101

• Scott Jackson, Finance Director, West Haven, former Mayor of Hamden, former Commissioner of CT Department of Revenue Services and Department Labor  
• Thea Montanez, Chief Operating Officer, City of Hartford  

2:20 – 3:20 pm: Ethics, Public Meetings, Roberts Rules, Freedom of Information

• Kari Olson of Murtha Cullina   

3:20 – 3:30pm: Closing Remarks  

• Joe DeLong, Executive Director and CEO, CCM