Mary Welander. Contributed photo.
Orange Board of Education member Mary Welander announced April 2 that she is running for State Representative for the 114th district. The 114th district encompasses parts of Orange, Derby and the town of Woodbridge.
The seat is currently held by House Republican Minority Leader Themis Klarides, who is serving her tenth term.
“I am running because I believe our district is not accurately reflected by our current representation in Hartford,” Welander said in a release. “I am deeply committed to our area and want it to be as strong as it can be now and in the future for all of our children. I believe we have a duty to stand up for what is right and speak out against what is wrong, and I am not seeing enough of either from our representative. We live in a proud, strong, diverse district; I believe that our strengths lie in our differences and Connecticut will be stronger if we embrace new ideas while still respecting our history. I would be honored to represent the voices of my neighbors in Hartford.”
In addition to serving on the Board of Education, Welander was recently reelected as the Vice Chair of the Orange Democratic Town Committee, serves on the Board of the PTA at Race Brook School, is the statewide representative for Sandy Hook Promise, and is active in other community groups throughout town.
“I first met Mary after the 2016 Presidential election,” said Jody Dietch, chair of the Orange DTC. “Mary began attending our DTC meetings. She showed confidence and knowledge not only of the issues but also she has a keen understanding of the legislative process. Mary quickly educated herself on how accomplishments happen in Hartford. She is not someone who would have a learning curve taking on a new job. She is already schooled in that and also is well known by many in Hartford. She has the energy and more importantly, the integrity to represent not just the 114th district but all of the residents of Connecticut.”
Laurence Grotheer, Woodbridge DTC chair, said, “Mary will be an outstanding representative for the 114th and Connecticut. Her commitment to a better future for Connecticut is evident in her work on the OBOE and all she has accomplished in other community service roles. We look forward to her representing us and bringing bipartisanship back to Hartford.”
“We are very excited that Mary is running for state representative, said Aniello Malerba, III, chair of the Derby DTC. “We need a fresh perspective in Hartford. As a mother of three young children and an active PTA parent, her commitment to the prosperity of future generations is exactly the new approach we need to problem solving in Hartford.”
Mary and her husband, Matt, live in Orange with their three children and dog, Bauer.