Most Candidates Running without Opposition

By Avice Meehan

Candidates for roles that will influence Norfolk’s future are running for election this year: Board of Selectman, Planning & Zoning Commission, and the boards of education and finance. Only the Board of Education has a contest because there are five people running for four seats. Norfolk Now asked candidates for these offices to share information about themselves and why they are running. There are new faces on the ballot, experienced town officials seeking to return, and incumbents running for new terms. A list of candidates running for all offices, including alternates, is posted on the town website www.norfolkct.org and in the town clerk’s office in Town Hall.

Early voting begins Oct. 20. Election day is Nov. 4. Full-time residents aged 18 or older by election day are eligible to vote. Danese Perron, a Democrat, is currently the town’s only registrar of voters. Paul Madore, a Democrat and former selectman, has begun the process of becoming certified as a registrar to assist Perron.

Board of Selectman: First Selectman
(two-year term, paid $73,516 per year)

Democrat Henry Tirrell, now in his first term as a selectman, has lived in Norfolk his entire life. He and his wife, Robin, have two children and a puppy named Pluto. He attended Botelle Elementary School, graduated from Northwestern Regional 7 and holds a bachelor’s degree from Central Connecticut State University. He has worked at Big Elm Brewing in Sheffield, Mass., for more than 12 years, but would leave that role and serve fulltime as first selectman. Tirrell would take office in mid-November and has been meeting regularly with current First Selectman Matt Riiska to ensure a smooth transition.
Tirrell has been a member of the Democratic Town Committee for more than a decade and is a former member of the Norfolk Land Trust but still helps plan the trust’s annual trail races. Asked why he is running, Tirrell said simply: “I love Norfolk.” With one child at Botelle, Tirrell identified shrinking population as the top issue facing Norfolk. “I plan to continue to support efforts at all levels of government that can improve affordability and accessibility so that we can hopefully encourage more people with the similar willingness for service to join this wonderful community,” he said.

Board of Selectmen
(two-year term, paid $5,051 per year)

Republican Alexandria “Sandy” Evans is running for a fourth term. She and her husband, Charlie, have lived in Norfolk since 1979. Both of their daughters attended Botelle Elementary School and graduated from Northwestern Regional 7. Evans attended Quinnipiac College and worked for the National Iron Bank for 20 years, beginning as a part-time teller and concluding her career as manager of the Norfolk branch. Since retiring in 2021, Evans has been building manager for Whiting Mills, an artist, artisan and small business community in Winsted. Always an active volunteer, Evans has been an EMT with the Norfolk Lions Club Ambulance for nearly 25 years, is current president of the Lions Club and belongs to the Norfolk Volunteer Fire Department. Evans said she is focused on “keeping the quaintness of the town while still moving forward to keep up with the times.” She also emphasized the need to continue repairing infrastructure while being “more efficient with our projects.”

Democrat Leo F. Colwell Jr. is running alongside Tirrell and would be returning to the Board of Selectmen after a gap. Colwell and his wife Laura have four children between them. A longtime volunteer across many town committees, Colwell was a former Cub Scout leader and baseball coach, in addition to serving as the well regarded head custodian at Botelle Elementary School until retiring after 31 years. He was a selectman for 14 years and a member of the Planning & Zoning Commission for six. Colwell is currently a member of the Zoning Board of Appeals and has been a member of the Norfolk Volunteer Fire Department for 25 years. Colwell, who served on the town’s firehouse committee more than a decade ago, said he was particularly focused on ensuring successful completion of the current plan. “It needs to get done,” he said.

Board of Finance
(six-year term)

Republican Jeff Torrant, a fifth generation Norfolk resident, seeks a third term on the BoF. He has also served as a member of the Planning & Zoning Commission. Torrant is a local contractor, but he and his wife Holly Jenkins Torrant are also known for their small maple syrup business on Bald Mountain. “I don’t mind spending money, but I don’t want to see it wasted,” Torrant said of the perspective he brings to the BoF. With a degree in industrial technology from Central Connecticut State University, Torrant said he has tried to keep a close eye on public works spending and ways to be more cost effective. He cited the town’s purchase of a mini excavator as a good example, noting it saved money over renting. Torrant wants to see greater public participation at town meeting and volunteer services.

Democrat Grant Mudge is seeking his third term on the BoF. He and his wife, Kristin, have two adult children and have lived in Norfolk for the last 15 years. They own Broad Field Farm, a source of locally famous tomatoes. He is president of Shelton-based Shaw Mudge & Co., which was founded by his father, and earned a degree in East Asian Studies from Macalester College in St. Paul, Minn. Mudge is an EMT and safety officer with the Norfolk Lions Club Ambulance and former president of the Lions Club. He also serves on the board of the Norfolk Land Trust, as a member of Gifts and Finance Committee of the United Church of Christ and is a member of the Norfolk Firehouse Committee. Mudge said he considers it a privilege to serve the town. When asked about the top issue facing Norfolk, he said it was to “improve our excellent town resources; make them affordable against the backdrop of rising costs due to inflation, infrastructure maintenance, environmental remediation, regulatory compliance and changing demographics.”

Democrat Bart Wenrich is running as a BoF alternate. He and his wife, Dr. Bonnie Simmons, bought a house in Norfolk in 2018 and began living in town fulltime in 2021. They have one daughter, a public school teacher in New York. Wenrich, who holds a degree in political science from St. Michael’s College, worked in the film and television industry for more than 40 years before his recent retirement. Wenrich described a desire to “deepen my connection with the community and contribute meaningfully” as his reason for running. He said Norfolk faces financial challenges and he hopes to address them thoughtfully, ensuring fiscal responsibility while maintaining the vital services and resources that strengthen our community.”

Planning & Zoning Commission
(six-year term)

Republican Marian K. Felton is seeking her third term on the P&Z. Trained as a nurse with degrees from St. Frances College in Brooklyn, Felton bought a home in Norfolk in 1992 and began living in town fulltime in 2003. She spent her entire nursing career at Kings County Hospital in Brooklyn, beginning with her time as a student nurse, and retired as assistant director of nursing. She currently owns an antique shop in Winsted and presides over a menagerie of four dogs and five rescued cats. Felton also serves on the Historic District Commission. “I am almost the only non-lawyer on the commission, and we need some balance,” she said. She summarized the role of the commission as balancing the goals of current property owners with a responsibility to future generations.

Democrat Christopher Schaut, current chair of the P&Z, is seeking his second, full term after being appointed to fill a vacancy in 2019. Schaut has lived in Norfolk for eight years with his husband Walter Godlewski. Schaut holds a master’s degree in urban planning from the State University at Buffalo and is a certified planner with the American Institute of Certified Planners. He works as an analyst in the real estate development practice group of a Hartford-based law firm. Schaut said he believes his educational and professional background make him well suited to serving on the commission. He declined to share his views about Norfolk’s most significant challenges.

Republican “Ned” Barron is running for a two-year seat on the P&Z and is currently its vice chair. A trust and estates attorney, Barron spent most of his life in Connecticut except for service in the U.S. Marine Corps. A graduate of Fairfield University, he went to law school after a career in banking, earning a degree from the Elizabeth Haub School at Pace University in New York. Barron, who has two grown children, moved to Norfolk a decade ago. He is chair of the Republican Town Committee and serves on the committee for Weekend in Norfolk. He views the P&Z as one of the more significant town boards because it walks a “fine line” of “not trying to stifle innovation or change” while interpreting town regulations. “More input from townspeople is better than no input,” he said.

Democrat Willard “Wiley” Wood has served as both an alternate and a full-time member of the P&Z. He has lived in Norfolk for nearly 30 years and is married to Susannah Wood. They have one son, who attended Botelle. A graduate of Harvard College, he worked as a French teacher and freelance writer before starting his career as a translator and is still actively translating books from French. An active outdoorsman, Wood was an editor of Norfolk Now for about 10 years. He praised the current P&Z membership as sharing a “good mix of points of view and expertise,” and said he is focused on increasing public comment and participation. He also wants to see the P&Z devote more time to planning. From a P&Z perspective, Wood views the top issues as “creating favorable conditions for the construction of more housing; and finding the correct balance between encouraging commercial growth and preserving the unspoiled qualities of Norfolk that we value.”

Board of Education
(four-year term)

Democrat Jeremy Withnell is a first-time candidate. Withnell and his wife Alicia have lived in Norfolk for just over nine years and have a second grader at Botelle Elementary School. He is the public services associate at the library of Connecticut State Community College Northwestern Campus. Withnell has a bachelor’s degree in ancient and medieval history from the University of Maryland, and a master’s degree in library and information science from The Catholic University of America. Withnell served on the board of Norfolk Now from 2018-2022. Asked why he is running, Withnell said: “I have been impressed with the quality of education being provided by Botelle and the devotion and hard work of the faculty and staff there and would like to help it continue to be successful.” He described housing affordability as a top challenge facing Norfolk, noting “families would be beating down the door to live here if there was the housing stock available at a reasonable cost.”

Republican Michael Listorti is running for his first term on the BoE. He and his wife, Jessica Harrington, have lived in Norfolk for more than 20 years and have second grader at Botelle Elementary School. Listorti is an HVAC installer with Perotti & Sons and is a lieutenant with the Norfolk Volunteer Fire Department. He is not in favor of Botelle’s multi-age classroom teaching model and would like to see change. “I would like the town to see why we could be better off with a traditional model. I do not like it, and, in my mind, it is not good,” said Listorti. He believes there is an opportunity to attract parents who homeschool their children or send them elsewhere.

Democrat John DeShazo is vice chair of the BoE and seeks a second term. He and his wife, artist Susannah Anderson, have lived in Norfolk for eight years, but visited Anderson’s family here beginning the 1980s. They have two sons; both attended Botelle and Northwest Regional 7, where the younger is a senior. DeShazo received a bachelor’s degree in liberal arts from St. John’s College in Annapolis, Md., and has worked as a woodworker and theatre technician. DeShazo is deputy fire marshal in Norfolk and North Canaan; fire marshal in Salisbury; a member of the Norfolk Volunteer Fire Department and directs theatre at Northwest Regional 7. DeShazo said he ran for the BoE to focus public conversation on educational quality. “The greatest issue we face at Botelle, as in all of Norfolk, is the declining number of young people, he said. “We continue to provide an excellent education for our students as we seek any way we can to address the student population size.”

Republican Donna Rubin, a veteran BoE member, is filling the unexpired term of Ann DeCerbo, former board chair and had served for more than 20 years before losing re-election in 2021. A registered nurse, Rubin worked for 22 years at Charlotte Hungerford Hospital and then for 18 at the Indian Mountain School as director of nursing. Her children attended both Botelle Elementary School and Indian Mountain. Rubin, who is widowed, said she was initially motivated to run for election when the town sought to reduce the hours of the school nurse, saying “I thought that I could make better decisions.” Rubin, who served on the school board during the unsuccessful effort to join forces with Colebrook, said she believed her experience would be valuable given the changeover in board membership.

Kimberly Thorne-Kaunelis is a petitioning candidate and had earlier served on the board for 12 years. A social worker, she worked for the state Department of Children and Families for 32 years and at the Wilderness School. She is currently a part-time clinician at Focus Center for Autism in Canton where she works with teenagers. Thorne-Kaunelis and her husband, James, moved to Norfolk in 1982 and all three of their children attended Botelle Elementary School. One son, Winter Thorne-Kaunelis, is currently the physical education teacher for Botelle and the Colebrook Center School. Thorne-Kaunelis says she brings breadth of experience to the board and would be “thrilled” to work with School Superintendent Kevin Case. “I believe it is important to listen to the students,” she said. “Next we need to hear/listen to teachers and lastly we need to understand the issues weighing on the school administration and the Norfolk community.”