Hello, New Canaan!
Did you know that there is a municipal election this fall? Local elections matter, and you can vote starting October 20th through November 4.
I’m Hilary Ormond, and I am an incumbent seeking re-election to New Canaan Town Council. I am the primary parent to two children, one in middle school and another in elementary school. I was elected to Town Council in 2021, and have worked hard to focus on what’s important to you as a voter and protect what makes our town great. I have been a consistent and stalwart supporter of our public schools, library and other institutions that make New Canaan so special. I serve as the Town Council liaison to the Affordable Housing Committee and as co-chair of the By-laws & Ordinances Committee, where I drafted various adopted ordinances, including those establishing the Affordable Housing Committee and re-constituting the Utilities Commission. We are also considering ordinances regarding the use of gas-powered leaf blowers and e-bikes. In addition to my work on Town Council, I am involved in multiple philanthropic endeavors in town, including fundraising for the construction of an all-inclusive playground at Waveny Park, and am a proud founder of New Canaan Pride.
Enough about me. The real purpose of this letter is to introduce the fantastic candidates I am running with: Lina Lee, Mike Rodgers, and Heather Russell. Together, we represent the very best of New Canaan: the mix of families at different stages of their lives, who all want the same thing — superior services at a reasonable cost.
Lina Lee moved to New Canaan in 2023 with her husband, Hassan, and their dog, Archie, drawn to the town’s commitment to education, culture, and community. Lina serves as Executive Director of the Connecticut Bar Association, where she leads over 8,000 legal professionals and oversees legislative advocacy, legal education, and governance strategy. She also serves on nonprofit boards, including Secretary of the Connecticut Bar Foundation, which funds state-wide legal services. Previously, Lina was the founder and executive director of a civil rights firm that led litigation against developers who misused affordable housing laws to push out-of-scale developments into long-standing neighborhoods. She brings deep experience in governance and principled leadership, and is committed to thoughtful, community-led decision-making.
Mike Rodgers, a former deacon at the Congregational Church of New Canaan on the board of STAR, a local non-profit, has lived here since 2002. An entrepreneur who runs his own export business, Mike understands how the federal government’s tariff policies directly impact families and small businesses. Mike and his wife raised their son, Ed, here. Ed recently graduated from New Canaan High School and is a rising sophomore at the University of Connecticut, Storrs. Mike is ready to give back to the community that gave him and his family so much, and we are so lucky to have him running for Town Council.
Since settling in New Canaan in 2019 with her husband and two elementary school children, Heather has focused on building strong neighborhood connections and listening to the concerns of working families. Heather’s commitment to community began early in her career when she founded Houston Young People for the Arts, advocating for the cultural enrichment and civic participation of young people in Houston, Texas. She went on to support revitalization efforts and community programming with the Houston Downtown Alliance, helping to energize the city’s urban core. Inspired from a young age by attending Houston READ Commission meetings alongside her father and then-Councilwoman (and future Congresswoman) Sheila Jackson Lee, Heather has carried a deep sense of civic duty throughout her life. Now, she’s ready to be a bold voice for progress on the Town Council and committed to moving New Canaan forward through thoughtful leadership that reflects the values of progress, transparency and equity.
Mike, Lina, Heather, and I firmly believe that New Canaan’s elected officials should fairly and accurately represent the demographics of the town we live in. We offer voters a choice in an election that will determine how New Canaan can best protect itself from the whims of an undependable federal government. A vote for Row A also protects our town from local forces that seek to undermine our most respected and best-in-class community institutions through, among other things, hasty and performative budget reductions. We promise to show up, do the hard work, and make New Canaan even better in the years ahead.
In the coming months, we’ll be out in the community—knocking on doors, attending town meetings, and hosting local events. Stay connected with our campaign and share what matters most to you by following us on social media at @newcanaandems4towncouncil or visiting newcanaandems.info. Your voice helps shape our priorities. Vote Row A by November 4th!
Hilary Ormond
