Election Day is November 7, 2023. Polls open 6:00 A.M. to 8:00 P.M.

Melissa Lindsey is a lifelong resident of New Fairfield.

She is married with 3 children, all of whom presently attend or graduated from New Fairfield Schools. She has been a successful business woman and office manager for over 12 years working with budgeting, regulatory compliance, purchasing, blue prints, and a variety of other managerial tasks. Melissa has held various positions for Danbury Schools in the past including Interventionist (both math and reading) and athletic coaching. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics from Western Connecticut State University. She now also leads the youth field hockey organization in New Fairfield and has been successful in expanding it to promote a strong feeder program for our high school teams.

Melissa envisions a town government that actively listens to the voices of all town residents. She wants every voice to be heard, and will listen closely when elected. She plans to use her business expertise and experience in budgeting, data analysis and mathematical reasoning to present only fair and responsible budgets with no excessive spending in order to keep New Fairfield truly affordable for all residents. She will work to protect New Fairfield’s open space and keep our small town charm intact. Melissa will work with all boards and commissions to represent the will of the New Fairfield voters.

Tom Perkins is a lifelong resident of New Fairfield and attended New Fairfield Public Grade Schools and Immaculate High School. 

He attended college in Boston and majored in journalism and broadcast production then began a career in professional audio working on Emmy Award-winning sound in film, television, radio, advertising, programming, music, animation - all forms of audio production. He continues to work from home as an audiobook narrator and recording and mixing engineer.

Tom believes his role as a selectman is to provide fresh perspective, clarity, and responsiveness on the issues facing our town now and in the future.

Terry Friedman worked as a finance professional at a Fortune 500 company for 40 years, where she held many senior Finance Manager positions.   She has extensive experience in all areas of Financial Management, including managing expense & capital budgets, leading investment & pricing decisions, and overseeing all budgetary and financial control aspects of incentive compensation.  

She is currently the Town Treasurer of New Fairfield and an Adjunct Finance Professor at Western Connecticut State University (WCSU).  She is a member of the Advisory Board for the Department of Finance at the Ancell School of Business at WCSU, and serves as the Investment Committee chair for a local non-profit.

Terry earned a BS degree in finance and insurance from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania and an MBA degree in finance from the University of California Berkeley.

Terry and her husband have lived in New Fairfield since 1987.   They have 2 children, both of whom graduated from New Fairfield public schools.   In her leisure time, Terry enjoys hiking and biking the local trails, and spending time with family

Shareen Langdon is currently serving as the Tax Collector for New Fairfield. She was appointed in April 2023, upon Kerrie Greening’s retirement, and is cross endorsed for this November’s election. 

As a lifelong resident of New Fairfield, Shareen Langdon is looking forward to continuing to serve her community. With three sons who graduated from New Fairfield High School, she was an avid volunteer for more than twenty years serving on numerous PTO boards and committees. She served as secretary (2009-2010) and then as student coordinator (2010-2021) for the Post Grad Party. In addition, she volunteered her time and expertise as treasurer for the Post Grad Party, as well as the Diamond Club.

Shareen graduated from Western Connecticut State University, with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in accounting. Her work experience includes public accounting, audit, banking, and tax, as well as running her own bookkeeping business for over twenty years. She recently returned to public accounting with Fiorita, Kornhaas & Company, but when this position presented itself, she made the choice to leave her clients to work for the town of New Fairfield. Her thirty years of work experience, professionalism, attention to detail and desire to work within her community make her an invaluable choice to continue as Tax Collector of New Fairfield and she’s looking forward to the opportunity.

Doug Jendras has been a member of our community since 2006.  He and his wife, Maureen, have raised their children here and have volunteered their time in sports and our schools.

He is currently an investment banker helping private companies connect with private investors.  Prior to this, he was a senior executive in the telecommunications industry, consulted with new companies and startups, and has managed investments in real estate and technology.  He has been responsible for $100M+ operating budgets and $25M+ capital budgets and has also negotiated millions of dollars in contracts, working with businesses, suppliers and municipalities.

Doug received his MBA in Financial management from Pace University, his BA from the University at Albany, and has several FINRA licenses.

Doug is looking to use his strong set of skills and experience to provide improved oversight of our town’s budgets. He will provide transparency and will understand every line item so that he can speak to our residents clearly and responsibly.  He will also work with the proper town leaders to find new revenue opportunities to relieve some of the tax burden the community has incurred to ensure that New Fairfield remains an affordable place to raise a family.

Claudia Willard is a proud resident and homeowner in New Fairfield for over 35 years and raised her family here. She also participated with the Scouts for 8 years.

She has extensive administrative experience in planning, development, implementation and evaluation of county residential programs and services for persons with developmental disabilities. Claudia also oversaw the awarding of contracts with county, state, and federally-funded grants for residential and support services in a large, diversified suburban county. 

Her background includes:

• Served on the New Fairfield Board of Finance since 2021.
• B.A., West Chester State University, West Chester, PA
• M.P. A., Penn State University, University Park, PA

Kimberly LaTourette has served 6 years on the Board of Education as Secretary and is seeking to be elected for another four-year term. She and her husband, Aaron, have been residents of New Fairfield since 2005. They have two boys, Lane and Lee, who began their educational journey in the ELC program at 3 years old and now both attend Henry Abbott Technical High School. Kimberly received her Bachelors of Science in Education and Masters of Science in Teaching from the State University of New York at Cortland. She is currently entering her 21st year of teaching Health and Physical Education in the Byram Hills School District in Armonk, NY. Aaron is a Lieutenant in the New Canaan Police Department as well as a Chief Warrant Officer 4 in the United States Marine Corps. The LaTourette family are members of the Congregational Church of New Fairfield and are active with BSA Troop 42. Kimberly coordinates the Adult Volleyball league here in town through the Parks and Recreation Department.

Kimberly began attending BOE regular and subcommittee meetings years ago to stay informed and to get the facts about what was happening in our district. She has always been someone who will say something, will try to do something, and believes in paying it forward and doing what you can to make a positive impact on others. Being on the board has provided her with an opportunity to serve our community and she is grateful to work alongside the current members, as well as our administrators, staff, and students. She has been a member of the Special Ed Ad Hoc Subcommittee, Curriculum Subcommittee,  Communications/Community Outreach Subcommittee, Business Operations Subcommittee, and is one of the liaisons for the Parks and Recreation Department. She has been a part of the hiring process for two  Superintendents, involved with teacher contract negotiations, and tries to attend as many school, PTO, and town activities or events as she can. She helps to create a more positive relationship on the board, with our community, advocates for all students, families, and staff and hopes to continue doing so for the next four years.

Ann Brown is a resident of New Fairfield for 19 years. She has served on the Zoning Board of Appeals as an alternate for several years and was appointed as a full board member in 2021.

Ann is a licensed Professional Engineer in Connecticut and New Jersey. She received a Bachelor of Engineering degree from Stevens Institute of Technology. She has worked extensively in land use and land development. Ann is currently the Supervising Engineer for the Stamford Water Pollution Control Authority and was Project Engineer for the City’s Stamford Urban Transitway project. Ann’s attention to detail and years of technical experience highly qualifies her to serve on the Zoning Board of Appeals. 

Jennifer Hilderbrand and her husband moved to New Fairfield 8 years ago with their daughter and son. Jennifer is a long-time civil servant. She has worked in education for 22+ years.  

Jennifer earned a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of Connecticut, a Masters of Education and a 6th-year degree in Educational Leadership from the University of Bridgeport, and a Doctorate of Education from Sacred Heart University. 

Throughout her eight years in New Fairfield, she has volunteered at the Community Service Club of New Fairfield and coached middle school field hockey. As an educator and lifetime learner, Jennifer is dedicated to being an active listener to make fair,  informed decisions that ensure consistency for all residents while preserving New Fairfield’s character and prioritizing long-term growth and well-being.

Mark Lamanna is a lifelong resident of New Fairfield with deep community ties. Mark’s service with various community organizations has spanned over 30 years. He has proudly served as past President of the New Fairfield Jaycees. Over the past 20 years, Mark has been an active member of the New Fairfield Lions Club where he served in various leadership roles including President. Additionally, Mark continues to be active with the New Fairfield Park and Recreation committee where he has been a member since 2005. He is currently serving on the Zoning Commission where continuing the growth of New Fairfield while maintaining its small-town New England charm is paramount to him

Gabriel Gouveia has resided in New Fairfield for the past 26 years, where he and his wife have raised two beautiful and successful children. They are now grown and own homes here in New Fairfield. He also has a beautiful and talented 8-year-old grandson.

Gabe is retired from the Town of Greenburgh, NY, where he served the taxpayers in local government for 34 years. He also held the post of Town Inspector for 27 years, where he investigated and enforced town codes. In addition, Gabe served as the Assistant Purchasing Director for 3 years, and the Assistant Commissioner of Parks and Recreation for 4 years.

Gabe would be honored to serve on the Zoning Board, and to share his extensive knowledge and experience in government, so that he may be an advocate for the taxpayers here in New Fairfield.

Jake Lindsey grew up in Newtown, CT and has been a New Fairfield Resident for the past 15 years. He is married and has 3 children (Makayla, Samantha & Liam) who have all attended New Fairfield Schools. Jake has been a preservation and cleaning specialist at the same company for the past 21 years. He looks forward to serving the New Fairfield community while on the Board of Assessment Appeals.

Susan Huwer is an advocate for academic excellence, community building and accountability.  She wants to help improve student outcomes, enhance communication, and make our schools better.  She pledges to listen, keep an open mind, ask questions, and get answers.

Susan has been an involved member of the community.  She served as a Trustee of the NF Library Board for four terms (1988-99) during which time the Library modernized via automation –  the computerizing of our catalogue and circulation -- giving patrons greater, faster access to materials beyond our local collection, revolutionizing how staff carry out key tasks,  and  making it easier and more efficient to track borrowing activity for the sake of improving our collection.   Recently, she spearheaded the petition drive to allow residents the opportunity to vote on the use of the consolidated property.  

A long-time resident and local business owner, Sue managed her husband Ken’s orthodontic practice in New Fairfield for 25 years, allowing her to get to know many parents and students and their perspectives on the schools.    Before this, she worked at Yale University and Northern Westchester Hospital in fund raising and communications.  She holds a B.A. in English from Georgian Court University and attended graduate school at NYU and Fairfield University.  The Huwer’s daughters graduated from New Fairfield HS and from colleges ranked in the US News & World Report Top 10.    She has four grandsons of school age.

Before moving to New Fairfield in late 2021, Gary spent 18 years on his prior town's Planning Commission and the last 5 years as Chair.

Major projects over seen included a major hospital renovation/expansion, power plant remediation, multi-family housing construction, flood remediation, land dispute litigation, commercial building and zoning issues. He is familiar with EIS and Sequa rulings, state codes and regulations.

He concurrently spent 20 years on two "Long Range Planning" committees, formulating 10 year plans identifying issues, establishing priorities to plan, coordinate and monitor work. He collaborated with a non-partisan team to formulate options and make recommendations.

Recent Board Memberships:
 •​ Town Historical Society
 •​ Beautification Council - former Chair
 •​ Nature Preserve-advocating for open space - former Chair
 •​ Non-Partisan Committee for School Board
 •​ Aging in Place Council - Gramatan Village

John built his home and moved to New Fairfield, with his wife Bonnie in 1975 after living in the Danbury area for several years before that.  His daughter, Michele, went through the New Fairfield school system and graduated in 1995.  John is currently chairman of the New Fairfield Zoning Commission and has served on this commission for over 10 years.  Before that he served as chairman of the New Fairfield Water Pollution Control Authority (WPCA), and also on the New Fairfield Park and Recreation Commission.  

The zoning commission of a small town like New Fairfield is important because it helps to maintain reasonable growth. Our zoning commission has just hired a company to help re-write our zoning regulations.  A primary reason for this re-write is to streamline our regulations, making it easier for residents to make changes to their properties.  John is interested in continuing the position on the NF Zoning Commission because he would like to help steer the commission as it enters this phase of re-writing these regulations that will guide our town as it grows.

Mike Oliva is a true native of New Fairfield as he was born and raised here. He volunteered for a few years at the New Fairfield Volunteer Fire Department. Mike prides himself on being involved with this town and also created and administers a New Fairfield Facebook group “New Fairfield - Our Town” to help keep residents connected. Mike is also passionate about keeping New Fairfield affordable and viable and looks forward to being elected and serving this town.  

Dylan was born and raised in New Fairfield, having attended New Fairfield Schools all his life. Outside of school, Dylan was heavily involved in athletics for the Rebels, having had the opportunity to play lacrosse and captain the team his senior year. After graduating, he went on to play collegiately at the University of Hartford where he graduated with a bachelor’s in communications and an MBA. 

Since graduating Dylan has worked in business for 6 years, developing skills in management, finance, and communications. Outside of work, he and his fiancée enjoy cooking, being outside and going for walks with their dog, Sadie.

Ernie has been Town resident since 1942 and was an Educator for 65 years in New Fairfield Schools (42 years) and WCSU (23 years). He also was on the New Fairfield Park and Recreation Commission (member, chairman, director 1957-1972) and was the Director for New Fairfield Continuing Education Program (9/94- 5/05).  He currently is a member of: 

• N.F. Planning Commission (2013-2019, 2021-present)
• New Fairfield Library Board of Directors (2021-present, currently vice chair)
• Treasurer for FISH of New Fairfield (Non-Profit)

 Four generations of the Welsh family have chosen to call New Fairfield their home and an integral part of their family fiber has been in service to our community in one form or another.

In particular for Diane, the library stands as a gateway to knowledge and equal access to information as Martha Fairchild envisioned it so long ago.

Ushering in new technologies and vehicles to access our expanding world to serve our community is a dynamic adventure and one she treasures.

Gail DeFeo has served as a member of the New Fairfield Library Board of Trustees for 16 years.  She understands the importance of supporting a free public library system and all of the many diverse services it provides.  In addition to her service as Library Trustee, Gail has served on the New Fairfield Board of Education, as a Girl Scout Leader, as secretary to the Board of Finance and Zoning Commission, and as New Fairfield Assistant Town Clerk.  As a mother of three children who graduated from New Fairfield High School, Gail knows firsthand how our Library promotes and encourages education and provides our Town with a home base of information and learning.  Gail and her husband Bill have been New Fairfield Town residents for 33 years.