Norwalk Civic Boards and Engagements
Mayoral Candidate: Independent Candidate receiving 45% of the vote. (2019)
Founder Udrivenorwalk.org: Web analysis of city performance data for more informed public choice/policy decisions (2020) Member State Central Committee: Independent Party (2022) Coalition of Norwalk Neighborhood Associations (CNNA): Neighborhood P&Z advocacy (2014- current) Grassroots Tennis: Volunteer. (2021- current) League of Women Voters: Voter programs for local electorate. (2010- 2019) NorwalkFirst: Political Action Committee (PAC) Defeated flawed ballot initiative focused on municipal charter revision. (2016) Norwalk Public Schools District Data Mgmt. Team: State mandated organization focused on district operations, student assessments and closing the achievement gap. (2009-2015) Founder R.Ed Apples of Norwalk: Education advocacy group focused on local reforms. (2009-2015) Roton PTA: President. (2007-09) Save Farm Creek: Non-profit board focused on coastal wetlands protection. (2015-2019. Education: B.S. Journalism & Mass Communications, University of Utah. Masters Public Administration, American University
Independent turned third party activist, Lisa Brinton announced her candidacy for the 25th District State Senate seat for Norwalk and Darien. She will appear on the Independent Party Line – Row D.
A tireless advocate for education and housing reform, Brinton is running against nine-term incumbent and Senate Majority Leader, Bob Duff (D) and Republican endorsed candidate, Daniel Miressi. Brinton wants to call attention to Hartford policies adversely impacting Norwalk’s education and environment, and need for election reform.
Doubling the size of cities, without regard to the impact on schools, roads, infrastructure and the environment is a problem. State funding for education hasn’t kept pace with Norwalk’s high need student population. “Hartford finds money for a regional high school, but can’t fund reading and math? They claim to want to grow industries like financial services, manufacturing, bioscience, software and renewable energy. How will Norwalk compete when nearly half its students aren’t reading on grade level?” Academic performance has declined during Duff’s 18 year tenure and Brinton blames it on Hartford’s housing and education funding policies.
She continued, “Norwalk is now more densely populated than Stamford. In 2018, we sent $155M in income taxes from working and middle class residents to Hartford, ranking us 8 out of 169 municipalities. We send millions in sales tax revenues and get little back. Between tax incentives for developers and unfair state funding, Norwalk struggles to fund its declining school system or fund basic services without continuing to raise property taxes.
“When it comes to our infrastructure’s ability to support the increased density, look no further than the impact on our roads and sewers. Traffic is unbearable and Connecticut’s Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) just ordered Norwalk to clean up its water treatment system, after dumping raw and under treated sewage in the Sound.”
For Darien voters thinking Brinton’s emphasis on Norwalk too strong, she pointed out, “A healthy Norwalk is good for neighboring towns. Darien is impacted by Norwalk’s state concerns and would also benefit from election reform.”
Brinton sits on the Independent Party’s State Central Committee and is in the process of rebuilding Norwalk’s Independent Town Committee. Like the state, over 40% of voters do not identify with either major party. “We lag most states in election reform like open primaries, equal ballot access, early in-person voting, or Ranked Choice. Both parties claim and counter claim a desire for fairer and freer elections – yet refuse to put in-place reforms that would increase turnout, improve proportional representation, increase checks and balances and transparency or tamp down party extremism.”
A resident of Norwalk since 1998, Brinton grew up in Utah, working in both Europe and Asia, as part of a 25-year career executive in telecommunications. Following multiple bouts with cancer, she retired early to focus on family. A fighter against the status quo, she continues to advocate for open discussion and common sense policies in government. In 2016, she defeated a sham city charter revision referendum – campaigning on, “Do It Right or Not At All.” In 2019, she narrowly lost her mayoral bid against incumbent, Harry Rilling, running as an Independent, cross endorsed by the Republican Party. In 2021, she resurrected the statewide Independent Party for the City of Norwalk. She and 14 other bi-partisan candidates ran for common council, Board of Education and other municipal offices. While only winning one office, the Independent Party received nearly 30 percent of the vote in most of their campaigns.
Brinton is committed to bringing a viable independent third party to Norwalk and the state. “More choices, means more voices, and that’s good for democracy.