Former East Haven Mayor Capone Running For 34th Senate Seat

EAST HAVEN, CT — Former East Haven Mayor April Capone introduced her candidacy in the present day on a Fb Stay video for the 34th State Senate District masking East Haven, Wallingford, and components of North Haven and Durham.

“I used to be born and raised within the 34th senate district,” Capone stated. “I am excited for the chance to serve the general public once more in a brand new capability. As the one candidate on this race who has held elected workplace, mixed with in depth municipal authorities, state authorities, and personal sector expertise, I’m ready on day one to start working for the folks of this district to ship actual outcomes.”

Capone laid out three prime priorities for her marketing campaign:
● Absentee ballots and functions with postage-paid-return envelopes for all voters to take care of crucial civic responsibility we’ve got as residents whereas defending public well being throughout the pandemic;
● Sharing her expertise from the healthcare business to work towards a extra equitable healthcare system for Connecticut residents, notably as we emerge from the pandemic; and
● Rising from the COVID-19 pandemic economically wholesome in addition to bodily wholesome. As native small enterprise proprietor April understands that our economic system thrives after we put money into our small companies.

“The COVID-19 disaster has revealed that we should reform our absentee poll and early voting approaches to our elections. Individuals ought to by no means be pressured to decide on between their well being and their democracy. Having extra sturdy mail-in voting ensures extra folks collaborating safely in our elections course of.” Capone stated.

Capone stated that she believes {that a} state senator has three jobs: 1) learn and perceive the payments that come earlier than you and vote in the very best pursuits of your constituents; 2) be the chief lobbyist in your district, ensuring that sources in the way in which of {dollars} come again to assist
the district; and three) work with particular person constituents to assist them minimize by way of pink tape when interacting with state companies.

“I consider I’m uniquely certified to function your state senator as a result of I’ve direct expertise with all three of these essential jobs,” Capone stated. “I stay up for having many conversations with voters within the district, whether or not by way of social media or different modern ways in which allow us to attach with one another. This marketing campaign is about us, not me.”

Capone was first elected to the East Haven City Council in 2005 as the only real Democrat on the 15- seat physique, representing a conservative district. As a Council member, Capone stated she typically discovered herself on the other facet of the Republican supermajority however persevered because the main Democratic voice on the town. Her efforts resulted in a city decision opposing Broadwater, a liquefied pure gasoline facility poised to be situated 10.5 miles off the East Haven shoreline. In 2007, she defeated a long-time sitting Republican for the Mayor’s workplace and have become the youngest individual, and the one girl, ever to be the city’s chief elected official.

Throughout her tenure as Mayor, Capone stated she offered widespread sense funds reforms earlier than the Council, together with the creation of the City’s Wet-Day Fund. She focused on financial growth points and championed the rights of those that have been marginalized in her group. Throughout the 2008 monetary disaster, Capone stated she introduced private and non-private companies to East Haven to satisfy with residents to maintain them of their houses.

Capone stated when catastrophe struck once more, this time on the shoreline throughout Hurricane Irene in 2011, Capone stated she labored with residents affected by the storm to make sure that they had all of the assist from city, state, and federal applications that they wanted by making a Aid and Restoration Truthful that introduced in authorities companies, non-profit organizations, and personal entities to East Haven Excessive Faculty to satisfy with residents and supply them with steering and sources. She additionally created a Restoration Roundtable Council to streamline the restoration course of for residents by organising instances for them to satisfy with all related city departments in the identical room to get their restoration plans authorised as shortly as potential.

“Throughout the monetary disaster and within the aftermath of Hurricane Irene, I noticed, first hand, the devastating impacts on the folks of East Haven. I additionally noticed what the results of passionate and unrelenting advocacy can have on serving to folks to the opposite facet of disaster. Not in contrast to what we’re confronted with now, I’ll convey these classes discovered to bear for the folks of this district” Capone stated.

After leaving workplace in 2011, she joined the State of Connecticut’s Workplace of Coverage and Administration because the Supervisor of Intergovernmental Affairs the place she served as municipal liaison between state authorities and all 169 cities and cities. In her capability as liaison she labored with the legislature to make sure that important state funding for municipalities was maintained to ease the burden on property taxes throughout the state.

Capone additionally led a 9 agency- member group to submit the State’s profitable software to the Nationwide Catastrophe Resilience Competitors, incomes first place and leading to a $54 million award for catastrophe resilience initiatives all through the state.

In 2016, Capone joined the group at Yale New Haven Hospital to launch the Middle for Dwelling Organ Donors. As a dwelling kidney donor herself, April uniquely identifies with the position of supporting different dwelling kidney and liver donors all through the donation course of. By constructing lasting relationships, April fulfills the Middle’s mission of supporting the long-term well being and well-being of all YNHH dwelling donors.

Capone can be an adjunct professor at Gateway Neighborhood School, a fellow of Branford School at Yale College, and founding member and previous chair of PoliticaCT, a progressive political group devoted to electing girls to workplace.

Capone lives in North Haven together with her husband Jarrett Rousseau, a longtime native small enterprise proprietor who launched a further enterprise two years in the past together with her as a associate. Additionally dwelling with them is Jarrett Jr. and his mini-poodle Gracie.