Cheshire Town Council: The At-Large Candidates

Editor's Note: In the original version of this post, it incorrectly stated that Republican Rob Oris is against the permanent structure at the Cheshire Community Pool. Oris supports the referendum and his comments are in reference to what should be done next if it fails.

Cheshire Town Council At-Large candidates represent the town as a whole and and are on the ballot in every district.

Patti Flynn-Harris (I)
Democrat

Flynn-Harris has lived in Cheshire for more than 40 years. She works for NEC Corporation of America as a field operations supervisor, where she manges technicians and budgets in Connecticut and Massachusetts. She sat on the Planning and Zoning Commission for 11 years.

"I've found in my last two years on the council that has been extremely important background for me that I have brought to the duties of the town council as well as all the activities I've been involved with in the town

I'm pleased and grateful that I've had this opportunity and ask for your support."

James Sima (I)
Republican

Sima has lived in Cheshire 29 years owns a family business, Sima Drilling, for 40 years. He has served on the Town Council since 2007 and before that served on the Board of Education 1999 to 2007 and was on the Cheshire Housing Authority from 1997 to 1999.

"I came from Southington originally but lived my entire adult life in Cheshire and have learned to call Cheshire my home, and I love Cheshire for being what it has been to me over the last 30 years. Over the past six years I've been on the council I've worked very diligently and I've always been ready, done my homework and asked the hard questions."

Dan Nowak
Democrat

Nowak has lived in Cheshire for 21 years and has been a sportswriter for the New Haven Register for 29 years. He has been a sports broadcaster at WICC in Bridgeport and does videos for the Register.

Nowak could make history as only the second sportswriter in Connecticut to win a local town/city government election. Pete Zanardi, a friend of Nowak's and former Chester Selectman who served from 1999-2005, is the first sportswriter to run for a local town/city government position.

Nowak is running on "an economic platform focusing on easing the tax burden and growing the Grand List plus other pressing issues that are important
to everyone in town."

Michael Ecke (I)
Democrat

Ecke is a graduate of Cheshire High School, earned a bachelor's degree and an MBA from the University of Connecticut and works as a comptroller at the Suzio York Hill Companies in Meriden. 

"I have served on the council for a while and I have always been humbled by the trust that the people put into the council to take care of the affairs of the town. I've been on the Budget Committee which I believe is probably the most important balancing act that the council has -- to budget the wants, the needs and the ability to pay and I'm really looking forward to, if elected, doing that for two more years."

Tim Slocum (I)
Republican

"I have been on the Town Council for the past six years and chairman for the last four. I have served on Cheshire's Planning and Zoning Commission and am a lifelong member of the Cheshire Land Trust. I sink my heart and soul into the town of Cheshire and truly enjoy getting a little grief once in a while for doing so but really from serving a useful function in the town and participating in its governance and its management and its fiscal responsibility and I look forward to doing that in the next two years with your support."

Paul Bellagamba
Democrat

Bellagamba is a civil engineer with the city of Waterbury and has served on the Cheshire United Methodist Church administrative council and is a past president of its Board of Trustees.

The council needs to support economic development, he said, especially utilizing underutilized properties, some of which are vacant, by marketing them to new businesses. The Outlets at Cheshire will be a great benefit to the town, he said, bringing needed revenue.

Another priority is updating infrastructure, he said, both in the town and Board of Education buildings.

Sylvia Nichols (I)
Republican

Nichols has lived in Cheshire for almost 50 years and has served on the Town Council for three years and has served on the Planning and Zoning Commission and the Human Services Committee.

Nichols counts the lack of a bulk waste pickup, the Cheshire Community Pool and the issue of full-day kindergarten as the most pressing in town at the moment. She served on the Cheshire Pool Study Committee and supports the $3.2 million proposal for a permanent structure that is on the November ballot.  

Rob Oris
Republican

Oris works in real estate with Oris Inc. & Meridian Atlantic Properties, LLC. He has served on the Public Building Commission. 

In regard to the Cheshire Community Pool, Oris said he enthusiastically supports the proposed solution on the Nov. 5 referrendum. If that vote fails, Oris said he believes the town should use the money it receives from the insurance on the failed bubble to install another one that should be capable of being lowered in the face of severe weather to protect it and could be used until a permanent solution can be found that is cost-effective.

He said he supports the Outlets at Cheshire development for the north end of town and believes that area offers the greatest potential for development that would help grow the grand list and take the tax burden off of residential property taxes.