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Voters leisurely made their way inside First Presbyterian Church in Stamford Tuesday morning to cast their ballots for the candidates of their choice. Susana Vidan was waiting outside to greet them, hoping her name would be among those selected by a majority of Democratic voters. The mom of two is seeking to represent the party in the November election for state representative from the 144th legislative district.
"I'm going to all the five different polling places for the district," said Vidan, who is running against John Zelinsky. Vidan, the party's endorsed candidate, said she entered the race because she's concerned about education issues.
"I have two kids in the public schools," said Vidan, whose daughter is 11 and son is 6. Of principal interest to Vidan is making sure Stamford schools get their "fair share" of education funding. She wants to ensure all of the necessary requirements for that are in place.
There are other issues important to her as well. "I want to keep taxes low," she said. "And I want to create jobs by investing in new technologies." Transportation also is an important issue, she said.
This is Vidan's first time running for office. "I'm a complete novice," she said, characterizing the match between herself and Zelinsky as a newcomer vs. an entrenched politician. "He's been a politician more than 30 years," Vidan said about Zelinsky, who is a longtime Board of Representatives member.
Much of her campaign has been spent knocking on doors and introducing herself to residents, said Vidan, adding that the reception she's received has been favorable.
"It's been a very good experience. A lot of people invite you into their home and want to talk," she said. As for the remainder of today, "I just need to concentrate on getting those votes," she said.
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