District A to choose from five candidates
The election is Nov. 7.
NORWALK, Conn. — Candidates to represent District A on the Common Council are incumbents Eloisa Melendez and Steve Serasis, newcomer Chris Yerinides, Fred Fusci and former City Clerk Ellen Wink.
NancyOnNorwalk requested information from each of the candidates. Here is what we learned about them, in alphabetical order:
Fred Fusci, Republican
Fusci works in appliance sales, after a 35-year stint in the printing industry. He is a 32-year resident of Norwalk, where he lives with his wife Norma. The couple have two daughters, Jen and Kim.
Fusci is a graduate of J.M. Wright Technical School, with a diploma in Graphic Arts.
Past volunteer activities include coaching his daughter’s basketball and softball teams.
He has served as a Norwalk election volunteer for 20 years, and is active in his church.
Fusci’s priorities are:
- Fighting against tax increases and new taxes
- Keeping finances in check
- Stopping wasteful spending
- Promoting and growing new small businesses
- Ensuring progress in our public schools
Eloisa Melendez, Democrat
Melendez, 23, is a student at UConn Stamford, majoring in Political Science. She was first elected to the Common Council in 2013, at the age of 19, and is running for her third term. She chairs the Ordinance committee of the Common Council and is a recent graduate of Norwalk Community College.
Melendez is first generation Norwalker. Her mother was born in Medellin, Colombia; her father was born in New York to Puerto Rican parents, and was a Norwalk Police officer for 25 years. She is a member of the Connecticut Hispanic Democratic Caucus. She serves on the Boards of the Girl Scouts of Connecticut and the Darien/Norwalk YWCA.
Melendez writes that she is most concerned about issues related to education, development, and strengthening ordinances.
“I’m running again because I want to continue to represent all of Norwalk’s citizens. Specifically, through the Ordinance Committee. There’s more work to do,” she writes.
Chris Yerinides, Democrat
Yerinides, 24, works as School of Music Director at Crescendo Music in Darien. He has a Bachelor’s of Arts in history from UConn Storrs.
He serves on Norwalk’s Fair Rent Commission and is a member of the Democratic Town Committee and District A Committee, and served as a Bernie Sanders delegate at the 2016 Democratic National Convention. He also helps manage the DTC’s social media and web site.
Yerinides writes that his top three issues are:
- Education – Providing quality education, and adjusting the state’s ECS formula
- Development – Responsible expansion which considers infrastructure needs
- Inclusion/Accountability/Transparency – Valuing the input of the entire community
To learn your district, visit the city’s website here, enter your address, and scroll down to where it says “Voting District”, where you’ll see a letter followed by a number. The letter indicates your district.
NON requested but has not received information from Wink and Serasis; Serasis is on the ballot as a petitioning candidate.