Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region, CT elected officials: mayors, selectmen, councils, school boards and registrars

Who holds every elected county, school board, city and special-district office in Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region: 213 seats on 49 elected bodies. 16 seats were on the November 3, 2026 ballot; they update once the county certifies its results.

School Board

Chester Board of Education

Every member is elected countywide.

Office	Who holds it now
Board of Education Member	David Fitzgibbons source
Board of Education Member	Dale Bernardoni source
Board of Education Member	Jennifer Blalock source
Board of Education Member	Lorraine Connelly source
Board of Education Member	Rebecca Greenberg-Ellis source
Board of Education Member	Stuart Johnson source
Board of Education Member	Jillian Kisch-Zupan source
Board of Education Member	Maria Scherber source
Board of Education Member	Jan Taigan source

Official website

Clinton Board of Education

Every member is elected countywide.

Office	Who holds it now
Board of Education Member	Erica Gelven source
Board of Education Member	Tom Danehy source
Board of Education Member	Jason Feeney source
Board of Education Member	Matt Guarnieri source
Board of Education Member	Lawrence Pilcher source
Board of Education Member	Alan Samet source
Board of Education Member	Catherine Staunton source

Official website

Cromwell Board of Education

Every member is elected countywide.

Office	Who holds it now
Board of Education Member	Laurie Cantwell source
Board of Education Member	Kelly Franklin source
Board of Education Member	Alyssa Goduti source
Board of Education Member	Stephen Heizman source
Board of Education Member	Jessica Lamb source
Board of Education Member	Donna Mattei source
Board of Education Member	Kathryn Russ source
Board of Education Member	Alan Schumann, Jr. source
Board of Education Member	Matthew Zabroski source

Official website

Deep River Board of Education

Every member is elected countywide.

Office	Who holds it now
Board of Education Member	John Ely source
Board of Education Member	Kyra Beta source
Board of Education Member	Robert Ferretti source
Board of Education Member	Lenore Grunko source
Board of Education Member	Kevin D. Harris source
Board of Education Member	Melissa M. McIntyre source
Board of Education Member	Robert J. Palumbo source
Board of Education Member	Suzanne Sutch source
Board of Education Member	Alyson Whelan source

Official website

East Haddam Board of Education

Every member is elected countywide.

Office	Who holds it now
Board of Education Member	Keira H. Thompson source
Board of Education Member	Daniel Flack source
Board of Education Member	James T. Francese source
Board of Education Member	A. Terri Garrity source
Board of Education Member	Jessica Hatfied source
Board of Education Member	Thea A. Jansky source
Board of Education Member	Sean P. Morrissey source
Board of Education Member	Stephen Trojan source
Board of Education Member	Melissa Ziobron source

Official website

East Hampton Board of Education

Every member is elected countywide.

Office	Who holds it now
Board of Education Member	Nancy Kohler source
Board of Education Member	August Arndt source
Board of Education Member	Edie Simone source
Board of Education Member	Kenneth Barber source
Board of Education Member	Corinne Clark Barney source
Board of Education Member	Matt Engelhardt source
Board of Education Member	Nathan Jaycox source
Board of Education Member	Sarah LeBlanc source
Board of Education Member	Sarah Strange source

Official website

Essex Board of Education

Every member is elected countywide.

Office	Who holds it now
Board of Education Member	Lon J. Seidman source
Board of Education Member	Nancy Johnston source
Board of Education Member	Kristen Pillion source
Board of Education Member	Jan Purruccio source
Board of Education Member	Mark Watson source

Official website

Middlefield Board of Education

Every member is elected countywide.

Office	Who holds it now
Board of Education Member	Maura Carmanello source
Board of Education Member	Linda Darcy source
Board of Education Member	Lucy Petrella source
Board of Education Member	James Roraback source

Official website

Middletown Board of Education

Every member is elected countywide.

Office	Who holds it now
Board of Education Member	Sheila Daniels source
Board of Education Member	Rakim Grant source
Board of Education Member	Callie Grippo source
Board of Education Member	Debra Guss source
Board of Education Member	Emily Jackson source
Board of Education Member	Deborah Kleckowski source
Board of Education Member	Susan Owens source
Board of Education Member	Harold Panciera source
Board of Education Member	Charles Wiltsie source

Official website

Old Lyme Board of Education

Every member is elected countywide.

Office	Who holds it now
Board of Education Member	W. Scott Brown source
Board of Education Member	Susan P. Fogliano source
Board of Education Member	Laura Dean-Frazier source
Board of Education Member	Jason L. Kemp source
Board of Education Member	Alexander Lowry source
Board of Education Member	Martha H. Shoemaker source
Board of Education Member	Christopher Staab source

Official website

Old Saybrook Board of Education

Every member is elected countywide.

Office	Who holds it now
Board of Education Member	Eileen D. Baker source
Board of Education Member	Steven Beeler source
Board of Education Member	Karen E. Brodeur source
Board of Education Member	Jack Cardello source
Board of Education Member	James Henderson source
Board of Education Member	Alan Hyla source
Board of Education Member	Karina Julius source
Board of Education Member	Kelly Kennedy source
Board of Education Member	Jane Wisialowski source

Official website

Portland Board of Education

Every member is elected countywide.

Office	Who holds it now
Board of Education Member	Laurel A. Steinhauser source
Board of Education Member	Stacey M. Benham source
Board of Education Member	Angela Hammond source
Board of Education Member	David A. Murphy source
Board of Education Member	Kimberly A. Nagy-Maruschock source
Board of Education Member	Margaret R. Scata source
Board of Education Member	Sarah Spear source

Official website

Westbrook Board of Education

Every member is elected countywide.

Office	Who holds it now
Board of Education Member	Kim Walker source
Board of Education Member	Greg Carlo source
Board of Education Member	Elizabeth Fernandes source
Board of Education Member	Sally J. Greaves source
Board of Education Member	Haifa Jalil source
Board of Education Member	Christine Kuehlwind source
Board of Education Member	Mary Ella Luft source
Board of Education Member	Don Perreault source
Board of Education Member	Andrew Miesse source

Official website

Who lives in each of the 11 school districts (Census figures)

School district	People	Median household income	Below the poverty line	Without health insurance	Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent
Chester School District	3,825	$109,191	11.8%	3.5%	57.4%
Clinton School District	13,377	$124,824	5.7%	3.1%	43.5%
Cromwell School District	14,334	$110,596	5.9%	2.2%	61%
Deep River School District	4,458	$90,253	8.2%	4.1%	58.2%
East Haddam School District	8,969	$107,861	4.4%	4.4%	26%
East Hampton School District	12,925	$124,577	4%	1.9%	48.7%
Essex School District	6,794	$104,395	3.2%	2%	38.5%
Middletown School District	47,958	$79,438	12%	3.4%	47.7%
Old Saybrook School District	10,575	$114,333	5%	7%	61.7%
Portland School District	9,434	$118,929	3.9%	1.7%	48.1%
Westbrook School District	6,856	$91,202	7%	9.1%	53.8%

Census Bureau, 2020–2024 5-year estimates for each school district's area, matched to its board by name. They're estimates with a , larger for small districts.

Cities and towns

Chester · 5 seats
Clinton · 9 seats
Cromwell · Mayor James Demetriades · 9 seats
Deep River · 5 seats
Durham · 5 seats
East Haddam · 5 seats
East Hampton · 9 seats
Essex · 5 seats
Haddam · 5 seats
Killingworth · 5 seats
Lyme · 5 seats
Middlefield · 5 seats
Middletown · Mayor Benjamin D. Florsheim · 15 seats
Old Lyme · 5 seats
Old Saybrook · 5 seats
Portland · 9 seats
Westbrook · 5 seats

How many local governments Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region has

The Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments counts 80 local governments in Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region. This page lists the ones whose offices are elected.

Kind of government	Census count (2022)	Listed on this page
Cities, towns, villages and townships (2 municipal, 16 township)	18	17
School districts (school boards)	4	13
Special districts (elected boards)	58	0

Census Bureau, 2022 Census of Governments: Government Units Listing (census.gov).

About these counts

The Census Bureau counts every independent local government once, in the county it assigns it to: the one it mostly serves or where it's based. A city or district that crosses county lines is counted in only one county, so it may be listed on this page but counted elsewhere, or the other way around. Many special districts, such as housing authorities, have appointed boards, and some places have more than one elected body, so the two columns measure different things. School systems run by a county, city or the state aren't counted as separate governments (11 in Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region), though their boards may be listed here; in some states the Bureau counts community or state colleges as school districts. The counts are as of 2022.

Who lives in Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region

175,822people

45.9median ageU.S.: 38.9

$104,428 household incomeU.S.: $80,734

6.8%below the U.S.: 12.5%

46%of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degreeU.S.: 35.7%

$379,700median home valueU.S.: $332,700

3.8%unemployed (of the labor force)U.S.: 5.2%

8.2%born outside the U.S.U.S.: 14.1%

5.8%of adults are veteransU.S.: 6.2%

3.3%U.S.: 8.4%

49.6%of renting households pay of income on rentU.S.: 51.1%

26.1%of homeowners with a mortgage pay of income on housing costsU.S.: 28.1%

Race and Hispanic origin: Hispanic or Latino 7.8% · White 79.2% · Black 4.4% · Asian 3.4% · Other or more than one race 5.1% (Hispanic or Latino people can be of any race; the other groups are non-Hispanic.)

Census Bureau, 2020–2024 5-year estimates (data.census.gov).

About these figures

The American Community Survey asks about 3.5 million households a year about who lives there, their work, income, schooling and housing. The 5-year estimates pool 2020–2024 answers so that every county and district has enough of them. They're estimates with a (larger for smaller places), and they're different from the once-a-decade census count. "Median" means half are above and half below. Household income is before taxes and includes everyone in the household. The unemployment share here is the survey's five-year average, so it differs from the monthly rate in the BLS jobs report. Race and Hispanic origin are as people describe themselves.

Health insurance means any coverage, private or public (such as Medicaid or Medicare), when people answered; the share is of everyone except people on active military duty and people living in institutions such as prisons and nursing homes. The housing shares are of renting households, and of homeowners with a mortgage, for whom the Census Bureau can compute them (households with no income, or renters who pay no cash rent, are left out). Rent here is gross rent, rent plus utilities; owner costs include the mortgage, property taxes, insurance, utilities and fees.

Jobs in Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region

4.2%September 2026, preliminary. A year earlier: 3.4%. Connecticut: 5.1%.

4,022people unemployedSeptember 2026, preliminary.

91,350people employedSeptember 2026, preliminary. Counted where they live, not where they work.

95,372in the September 2026, preliminary.

Yearly average unemployment rate, 2016–2025.

Every month, last two years

Month	Rate	Unemployed	Employed	Labor force
September 2026 (preliminary)	4.2%	4,022	91,350	95,372
August 2026	3.8%	3,527	89,585	93,112
July 2026	4.9%	4,648	89,861	94,509
June 2026	4.2%	3,925	89,744	93,669
May 2026	4.1%	3,851	89,536	93,387
April 2026	4.3%	3,988	89,524	93,512
March 2026	4.4%	4,175	90,368	94,543
February 2026	5.0%	4,769	90,546	95,315
January 2026	4.8%	4,609	91,227	95,836
December 2025	3.5%	3,414	92,961	96,375
November 2025	3.8%	3,712	93,676	97,388
October 2025	not collected (2025 federal shutdown)
September 2025	3.4%	3,294	93,612	96,906
August 2025	3.4%	3,235	92,877	96,112
July 2025	3.7%	3,578	93,837	97,415
June 2025	3.1%	3,059	94,368	97,427
May 2025	3.3%	3,215	93,997	97,212
April 2025	2.8%	2,694	94,178	96,872
March 2025	3.4%	3,341	93,954	97,295
February 2025	3.7%	3,621	93,054	96,675
January 2025	3.6%	3,544	94,026	97,570
December 2024	2.6%	2,556	94,384	96,940
November 2024	2.8%	2,775	94,610	97,385
October 2024	2.7%	2,653	94,467	97,120

Yearly averages

Year	Rate	Unemployed	Employed	Labor force
2025 (11 months)	3.4%	3,337	93,685	97,022
2024	2.9%	2,793	93,677	96,470
2023	2.8%	2,712	92,905	95,617
2022	3.6%	3,481	93,034	96,515
2021	5.5%	5,106	87,956	93,062
2020	6.8%	6,380	88,019	94,399
2019	3.1%	3,045	93,803	96,848
2018	3.4%	3,268	92,849	96,117
2017	3.9%	3,719	92,115	95,834
2016	4.3%	4,071	91,045	95,116

Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, : BLS publishes county figures only that way, so they rise and fall with the seasons; compare a month with the same month a year earlier rather than with the month before. Connecticut's figure above is on the same basis; seasonally adjusted, as in BLS's monthly state release, it was 5.1% in September 2026. The latest month is preliminary and is revised the next month, and BLS revises earlier years each spring. People are counted where they live. October 2025 wasn't collected during the 2025 federal government shutdown, so 2025's yearly average covers 11 months.

Crime reported in Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region

50.7 per 100,0002025. Connecticut: 109.6.

1,020.1 per 100,0002025. Connecticut: 1,146.0.

0murders2025, 56 violent crimes in all.

Earlier years

Year	Violent	Rate	Property	Rate
2025	56	50.7	1,127	1,020.1
2024	64	58.5	1,402	1,281.9
2023	68	61.6	1,715	1,554.8
2022	92	85.0	1,806	1,668.6
2021	79	75.7	1,465	1,403.7
2020	86	82.0	1,631	1,555.0
2019	68	64.8	1,431	1,363.3
2018	69	65.4	1,393	1,320.0
2017	95	90.1	1,553	1,472.3
2016	111	104.7	1,884	1,777.7

By police agency (6)

Agency	Year	Violent	Property	People served
Middletown Police Department	2025	33	471	49,037
Cromwell Police Department	2025	10	263	14,432
Clinton Police Department	2025	6	189	13,542
East Hampton Police Department	2024	3	55	13,090
Old Saybrook Police Department	2025	2	119	10,745
Portland Police Department	2025	3	40	9,508

Crimes to the county's city and county police agencies (FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, Return A), per 100,000 people they serve. Years with incomplete reporting are left out. Crime in Connecticut · the U.S.

Police staffing

2.05 per 1,000 residents2025, 6 agencies serving 110,478 people.

226sworn officers2025, full-time, as of October 31.

52civilian staff2025, full-time.

Agencies counted (6), 2025

Agency	Officers	Civilians	People served
Middletown Police Department	119	19	49,037
Cromwell Police Department	29	10	14,432
Clinton Police Department	26	11	13,542
Old Saybrook Police Department	23	9	10,745
East Hampton Police Department	16	2	13,214
Portland Police Department	13	1	9,508

Earlier years

Year	Officers	Per 1,000	Civilians	Agencies
2025	226	2.05	52	6
2024	221	2.02	48	6
2023	211	1.91	51	6
2021	211	2.02	48	6
2020	218	2.08	54	6
2019	217	2.07	41	6
2018	215	2.04	43	6
2017	213	2.02	43	6
2016	212	2.00	40	6

Full-time employees of the county's city police departments and sheriff's office, as each reported them to the FBI (Uniform Crime Reporting, Law Enforcement Employees), per 1,000 people in the areas those agencies serve (the FBI's population figures). A year is shown only when every one of these agencies sent a count; a count under half or over double the agency's own counts in nearby years is treated as not sent. Towns policed under contract by another agency are counted through that agency. State police, campus and other agencies aren't included. Sheriffs' offices often also run the county jail and courthouse security, so their staff counts include those jobs.

Quick answers

Who is on the Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region School Board?: David Fitzgibbons (Board of Education Member); Dale Bernardoni (Board of Education Member); Jennifer Blalock (Board of Education Member); Lorraine Connelly (Board of Education Member); Rebecca Greenberg-Ellis (Board of Education Member); Stuart Johnson (Board of Education Member); Jillian Kisch-Zupan (Board of Education Member); Maria Scherber (Board of Education Member); Jan Taigan (Board of Education Member); Erica Gelven (Board of Education Member); Tom Danehy (Board of Education Member); Jason Feeney (Board of Education Member); Matt Guarnieri (Board of Education Member); Lawrence Pilcher (Board of Education Member); Alan Samet (Board of Education Member); Catherine Staunton (Board of Education Member); Laurie Cantwell (Board of Education Member); Kelly Franklin (Board of Education Member); Alyssa Goduti (Board of Education Member); Stephen Heizman (Board of Education Member); Jessica Lamb (Board of Education Member); Donna Mattei (Board of Education Member); Kathryn Russ (Board of Education Member); Alan Schumann, Jr. (Board of Education Member); Matthew Zabroski (Board of Education Member); John Ely (Board of Education Member); Kyra Beta (Board of Education Member); Robert Ferretti (Board of Education Member); Lenore Grunko (Board of Education Member); Kevin D. Harris (Board of Education Member); Melissa M. McIntyre (Board of Education Member); Robert J. Palumbo (Board of Education Member); Suzanne Sutch (Board of Education Member); Alyson Whelan (Board of Education Member); Keira H. Thompson (Board of Education Member); Daniel Flack (Board of Education Member); James T. Francese (Board of Education Member); A. Terri Garrity (Board of Education Member); Jessica Hatfied (Board of Education Member); Thea A. Jansky (Board of Education Member); Sean P. Morrissey (Board of Education Member); Stephen Trojan (Board of Education Member); Melissa Ziobron (Board of Education Member); Nancy Kohler (Board of Education Member); August Arndt (Board of Education Member); Edie Simone (Board of Education Member); Kenneth Barber (Board of Education Member); Corinne Clark Barney (Board of Education Member); Matt Engelhardt (Board of Education Member); Nathan Jaycox (Board of Education Member); Sarah LeBlanc (Board of Education Member); Sarah Strange (Board of Education Member); Lon J. Seidman (Board of Education Member); Nancy Johnston (Board of Education Member); Kristen Pillion (Board of Education Member); Jan Purruccio (Board of Education Member); Mark Watson (Board of Education Member); Maura Carmanello (Board of Education Member); Linda Darcy (Board of Education Member); Lucy Petrella (Board of Education Member); James Roraback (Board of Education Member); Sheila Daniels (Board of Education Member); Rakim Grant (Board of Education Member); Callie Grippo (Board of Education Member); Debra Guss (Board of Education Member); Emily Jackson (Board of Education Member); Deborah Kleckowski (Board of Education Member); Susan Owens (Board of Education Member); Harold Panciera (Board of Education Member); Charles Wiltsie (Board of Education Member); W. Scott Brown (Board of Education Member); Susan P. Fogliano (Board of Education Member); Laura Dean-Frazier (Board of Education Member); Jason L. Kemp (Board of Education Member); Alexander Lowry (Board of Education Member); Martha H. Shoemaker (Board of Education Member); Christopher Staab (Board of Education Member); Eileen D. Baker (Board of Education Member); Steven Beeler (Board of Education Member); Karen E. Brodeur (Board of Education Member); Jack Cardello (Board of Education Member); James Henderson (Board of Education Member); Alan Hyla (Board of Education Member); Karina Julius (Board of Education Member); Kelly Kennedy (Board of Education Member); Jane Wisialowski (Board of Education Member); Laurel A. Steinhauser (Board of Education Member); Stacey M. Benham (Board of Education Member); Angela Hammond (Board of Education Member); David A. Murphy (Board of Education Member); Kimberly A. Nagy-Maruschock (Board of Education Member); Margaret R. Scata (Board of Education Member); Sarah Spear (Board of Education Member); Kim Walker (Board of Education Member); Greg Carlo (Board of Education Member); Elizabeth Fernandes (Board of Education Member); Sally J. Greaves (Board of Education Member); Haifa Jalil (Board of Education Member); Christine Kuehlwind (Board of Education Member); Mary Ella Luft (Board of Education Member); Don Perreault (Board of Education Member); Andrew Miesse (Board of Education Member).
What is the population of Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region?: About 175,822 people, with a median age of 45.9; the median household income is $104,428 and 6.8% live below the poverty line (Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region?: 4.2% in September 2026 (preliminary): 4,022 people unemployed in a labor force of 95,372, against 3.4% a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted).
How many local governments are there in Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region?: 80 in the Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments: 2 municipal, 16 township, 4 school district and 58 special district governments.
What cities and towns are in Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region?: 36: Chester, Chester, Clinton, Clinton, Cromwell, Cromwell, Cromwell, Deep River, Deep River, Durham, Durham, East Haddam, East Haddam, East Hampton, East Hampton, Essex, Essex, Haddam, Haddam, Killingworth, Killingworth, Lyme, Lyme, Middlefield, Middlefield, Middletown, Middletown, Middletown, Old Lyme, Old Lyme, Old Saybrook, Old Saybrook, Portland, Portland, Westbrook, Westbrook. Each has its own page with its mayor and council.

Officeholders as of November 6, 2026, from the Connecticut Secretary of the State's Register and Manual (Section VII, town officers); each name links to its source. Officials change between elections (appointments, resignations), and the body's own website is the authority. Party is shown only for offices elected on a partisan ballot.

Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region's 2026 ballot and results · Every Connecticut planning region · Connecticut's members of Congress

See your members of Congress and every race and measure on your ballot in Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region, from your address. Your address stays in your browser.Look up my races

See something wrong on this page? Report a problem · Corrections