By Ken Valenti

WESTPORT–The two candidates competing for the Democratic nod for Connecticut house district 136 – Westport RTM member Matthew Mandell and Westport Board of Education Chair Lee Goldstein – discussed a range of positions as they made their cases last night.

Amid conversations on affordable housing, sustainability and the future of the William F. Cribari Bridge, a recurring issue was their shared opposition to the Trump Administration.

“Basic issues we thought were settled – reproductive and voting rights, the safety of our immigrant neighbors, immunizations, they’re under threat,” Goldstein said in the Town Hall forum moderated by Michelle Mechanic, chair of the Westport Democratic Town Committee. “Connecticut has to fight, and that requires people in Hartford who know how to govern. That’s the job. I’ve been doing that work throughout my career.”

She said she never anticipated that abortion rights would be central to her campaign, but it is.

“We need to keep every law as strong…as possible,” she said. “And we may need to think of some creative civil disobedience when the attacks are relentless.”

Mandell, who also is executive director and president of the Westport-Weston Chamber of Commerce, pledged to “defend our democracy against transgressions by the White House and the federal government. We will make sure that there is a safety net for our families. We will try and remove ICE from our cities….We will make sure that Planned Parenthood is protected.”

His vow to protect a woman’s right to choose extended beyond state borders.

“For women in states where they can’t choose, I say come here, and we will protect you as well,” he said. “Donald Trump, your MAGA agenda does not belong in Connecticut.”

Goldstein and Mandell are running to replace Johathan Steinberg, also a Democrat, who is stepping down after 16 years representing the district that covers most of Westport. The town committee members will vote for one of the candidates Tuesday at 6:45 p.m. in Town Hall. However, the losing candidate could force a townwide primary, which would be held Aug. 11.

Both candidates touted their experience as qualifications for representing the district in Hartford.

Goldstein said she has been a teacher, editor and writer and also has investigated abuse cases in foster care and day care centers in New York City. She joined the Board of Education in 2019 and became its chair in 2021. In that role she helps guide a district with 1,000 employees, a $150-million operating budget and three-quarters of a billion dollars in assets, responsible for 5,300 students.

School budgets that used to be contested “have all passed unanimously” in recent years, she said.

“This doesn’t happen by magic,” she said. “I’ve shepherded through these results through the hard and intentional work of collaboration, building relationships forged on trust, transparency, and integrity.”

Mandell talked about his work on the RTM and as head of the Chamber of Commerce.

“The Chamber of Commerce doesn’t just work in Westport,” he said. “We have a cadre of chambers that all work together, understanding where things are working in the state and where they’re not and what we can do.”

He said he has worked with the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities, the Connecticut Business and Industry Association and the Connecticut Council of Small Towns. He served on two state subcommittees: the Affordable Housing Subcommittee of the Commission on Connecticut’s Development and Future, and the Form Based Code Subcommittee of the Commission on Connecticut’s Development and Future. 

Both candidates supported affordable housing, and Mandell said he had spearheaded the initiative to create Westport’s Affordable Housing Fund, which he said now holds about $2 million. 

Both candidates opposed allowing trucks on the Cribari Bridge, an issue that has taken center stage as the state Department of Transportation works on plans to either replace or rehabilitate the bridge.

“I don’t think it’s solely the design of the bridge or design of the intersection,” Goldstein said. “It has to include restrictions and enforcement.”

Mandell said rules and enforcement would not be enough, especially in coming years, when worsening traffic on I-95 increases pressure on the more local roads.

“The answer to the situation is a physical barrier,” he said. “Not signs, not police, not getting tickets, but a physical barrier.”

Ken Valenti

^{_{A career journalist and lifelong resident of the New York City region, Ken Valenti has enjoyed decades of reporting local, regional and national news in New York and Connecticut. Topics of special interest are development, the environment, Long Island Sound and transportation. When not reporting, he’s always on the lookout for the perfect coffee shop or used book sale.}}