Steinberg, Savin: “We believe that Westport should join our neighboring communities in mandating masks indoors.”
Steinberg/Savin Selectmen Campaign Release“We believe that Westport should join our neighboring communities in mandating masks indoors. Fairfield County is currently classified as having "substantial transmission" of COVID by the CDC. While our town has made great progress in getting vaccinated, we must look out for our young children, seniors and immunocompromised residents who are still at great risk. The time is now to make the right decision for the safety of those who live and work in our community."
Westport Republican Town Committee Endorses Jen Tooker for Selectman Seat; Other Endorsements Announced
Back (L-R): Jack Whittle, Andrea Moore, Joe Sledge, Dorie Hordon; Front (L-R): Robert Harrington, Jen Tooker, Michael Keller, Karen Kleine. Contributed photo. Westport RTC Press ReleaseThe members of the Westport Republican Town Committee met last night to officially endorse Republican candidates for this November’s municipal elections. Among those receiving the unanimous endorsement of the Westport Republican Party are: Current Westport Second Selectwoman Jen Tooker for First Selectman; Westport Board of Finance Vice Chairwoman Andrea Moore for Second Selectman; Robert Harrington, Dorie Hordon and current Board of Education Vice Chair Karen Kleine for Board of Education, Michael Keller for Board of Finance; former Westport Planning and Zoning Commission member Jack Whittle for Planning and Zoning Commission; and Current Board of Assessment Appeals member Joe Sledge for re-election to the Board of Assessment Appeals.
“We are absolutely delighted with our strong slate of candidates led by our current Second Selectwoman, Jen Tooker,” noted RTC Nominating Committee Chair Jim Foster. “With principled, experienced leaders like Jen Tooker and Andrea Moore on the Board of Selectmen; Karen Kleine’s, Robert Harrington’s and Dorie Hordon’s passionate advocacy for our school community on the Board of Education, the excellent addition of Michael Keller to the Board of Finance, Jack Whittle’s unparalleled expertise on the Planning and Zoning Commission, and Joe Sledge’s knowledge and thoughtfulness on the Zoning Board of Appeals, I am convinced Westport’s future will remain bright. Our candidates understand the challenges and opportunities facing Westport, and they are the best prepared, most qualified public servants to lead us forward.”
Click Here to Expand Information About the Candidates:
BOARD OF SELECTMEN
JEN TOOKER – Candidate for First Selectman
Jennifer Tooker is the current Second Selectwoman of Westport, a position she has held since her election in 2017. She has previously served as a member of the Westport Board of Finance, the Westport Board of Education, and the Westport Conservation Commission. As Second Selectwoman, Jennifer has worked on several key initiatives. She launched Westport Together, an alliance between the Town, Westport Public Schools and local non-profits to promote the positive development of our youth. Jennifer also created and hosts Westport Means Business - a series of events that brings together local business owners and entrepreneurs to establish connections, exchange ideas and promote Westport as the best town in which to start and grow a successful business. Most recently, in response to the COVID-19 crisis, First Selectman Jim Marpe appointed Jennifer as Chair of the ReOpen Westport Advisory Team in May 2020. This team is tasked with helping Westport businesses open and operate safely during the global pandemic. Prior to her public service, Jennifer had a 22-year career as an executive with Gen Re, during which time she held various leadership and management positions in the U.S. and European reinsurance markets. Jennifer received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics and International Studies from the University of Notre Dame. She is married to Mo Tooker and they have three children; Jack, Riley and Nicole.
ANDREA MOORE – Candidate for Second Selectman
Andrea Moore is the current Vice Chairwoman of the Westport Board of Finance. She was elected to the Board in 2017 and was selected by her fellow Board members as Vice Chair in 2019. She also serves on the Board of Finance’s Audit subcommittee. Prior to this, Andrea was an elected member of Westport’s Representative Town Meeting (RTM), representing District 9 and served on several key committees, including the Education, Public Protection, and the Library and Museum Committees. Andrea has had a 15+ year career in the financial services industry, holding positions in institutional equity sales, equity research and investment banking with some of the world’s leading firms, including UBS, BT Deutsche Bank and Salomon Brothers. She is also an active volunteer in the community and has served on the boards of several local non-profit organizations, including Staples Tuition Grants, the Saugatuck Elementary PTA, the Westport Weston Family YMCA, and the National Charity League, Westport Chapter. Andrea is a life long Westporter and a Staples High School graduate. She received her Bachelor of Science degree in Finance from the School of Management at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. She is married to Dave Moore and has three daughters; Tessa, Janna and Ella.
BOARD OF EDUCATION
KAREN KLEINE
Karen Kleine grew up in CT and has lived in Westport for over 20 years. Her three children all attended Westport Public Schools. Karen has served on the Westport Board of Education for eight years and is currently Vice Chair of the Board, Chair of the Policy Committee, a member of the Finance and Facilities Committee and holds regional BOE positions with CABE (the CT BOE) and Cooperative Educational Services, where we send some of our students who cannot learn in a traditional learning environment. In addition to the BOE, Karen is President of the Westport Women's Club and serves on the Board of the Friends of the Senior Center. Past Board positions include TEAM Westport and ABC.
ROBERT HARRINGTON
Robert Harrington has lived in Westport for more than 10 years. He is married to Claire Harrington and has four children including a Staples High School graduate and three daughters currently attending Staples. Robert has worked in finance for over 20 years in London, Geneva and New York, focusing on technology. He has been an active member of the Westport community and a vocal campaigner for protecting the Westport Public Schools budget, fully restoring Coleytown Middle School during the mold crisis, and advocating for COVID-19 vaccinations for Westport’s teachers. Born in the U.K., Robert recently became a U.S. citizen.
DORIE HORDON
Dorie Hordon has served on the Westport PTA for many years and just completed her tenure as PTA Council Co-President. She was previously President of the Bedford Middle School PTA and a member of the Executive Board at Greens Farms Elementary. She has a professional background as an educator, having taught in the lower school of the Spence School in New York for six years. She currently works as a local coordinator for Cultural Care, where she helps place and manage au pairs from foreign countries with area families. She is also an active volunteer as a member of Temple Israel. Prior to entering education, Dorie held various roles over the course of several years at JPMorgan Chase. Dorie has a Master’s in Education from Bank Street College and a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from the College of Wooster. She has lived in Westport for 14 years with her husband Rob and their three sons. Theo and Nate are both students at Staples, and Josh attends Greens Farms Elementary.
BOARD OF FINANCE
MICHAEL KELLER
Mike Keller is a partner with the Boston based law firm of Morrison Mahoney LLP and leads their Bridgeport office with a focus on civil litigation defense. Mike attended Miami University in Oxford, Ohio for his undergraduate degree in political science before continuing directly to law school on a full academic scholarship at Widener University School of Law in Delaware. After law school, he and his now wife, Courtney, lived in Philadelphia and then Boston, but traveled to Westport often to visit family and fell in love with the town. In 2015, they moved to Westport to start a family of their own. Their oldest son is a rising third grader at Coleytown Elementary School, and his younger brother is starting kindergarten at CES in the fall.
PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION
JACK WHITTLE
Jack Whittle grew up in Westport attending Westport schools, and after graduating Staples High School in 1981, he went on college at the University of Colorado (BA in Political Science, 1985) and then law school at Syracuse University (JD, 1988). He began his career in law as a litigator at the Wilson Elser law firm in New York City and continued to practice in that area at Mudge Rose before shifting focus to M&A and regulatory work in the insurance area at the New York City offices of LeBoeuf Lamb. Since 2009, Jack has worked at Odyssey Re in Stamford, CT where he is Senior Vice President and Assistant General Counsel. Jack and his wife Corrine have raised their family in Westport, with the last of their children graduating from Staples in 2021. Jack previously served on the Planning & Zoning Commission for five years, being elected in 2011 along with Chip Stephens, Cathy Walsh and Al Gratrix and then reelected in 2015.
BOARD OF ASSESSMENT APPEALS
JOE SLEDGE
Joseph Sledge is currently the Chair of the Westport Republican Town Committee, a position he has held since 2019. Joe currently serves our community as a member of the Board of Assessment Appeals; has served on the Westport Historic District Commission; and as a Director of the Westport Transit District. Joe worked in investment management business for 42 years and retired as a partner of an investment advisor and principal investor of a national real estate investment management firm. He and his spouse, Darcy, have resided in Westport for over 30 years and have two children, Kyle and Christopher, both of whom attended Westport Public Schools. Joe has served as a director of The Community Preservation Corporation, The Real Estate Board of New York, Inc., The Urban Land Institute, and the Mortgage Bankers Association of America. Joe received his Bachelor of Science degree in Pharmacy and MBA from the University of Houston.
First Selectman Jim Marpe Endorses Jen Tooker and Andrea Moore for Upcoming Board of Selectmen Race
Press Release, Tooker Moore for SelectmanWestport First Selectman Jim Marpe announced today his endorsement of current Second Selectwoman Jennifer Tooker as the town’s next First Selectman, and current Vice-Chair of the Board of Finance Andrea Moore as Second Selectman. Mr. Marpe has served as First Selectman since his election to the Town’s highest office in 2013. In 2017 he won reelection with Jennifer Tooker as his running mate. Mr. Marpe announced in April that he would not be seeking a third term.
“I am proud to announce my unwavering support for Jennifer Tooker and Andrea Moore for Westport Board of Selectmen,” stated Mr. Marpe. “The primary job of the First Selectman is the day-to-day management and oversight of 15 Town departments and nearly 300 employees. It is truly a combination of being both a CEO and a COO, as well as the “public face” of Westport. Jen and Andrea are the only candidates whose professional backgrounds include significant management and leadership experience. Jen’s additional experience on the Westport Board of Education, Board of Finance and the Conservation Commission make her uniquely qualified to take the helm of Westport leadership,” Marpe continued.
“Jen Tooker has been an invaluable partner in my administration over the past three and a half years,” Marpe remarked. “Her incredible ability to solve complex problems and bring people together is the reason Jen has been tasked with managing some of the most important initiatives of our administration, including chairing the ReOpen Westport Advisory Team. Under Jen's leadership, this team has done remarkable work helping local businesses safely open and operate during the COVID-19 pandemic. This role was a natural extension of the work she has done with the local business community during her entire term as Second Selectwoman,” he added. “Jen also launched another key program of our administration, Westport Together, which promotes the positive development of our children with a focus on the social and emotional health and well being of the community. It is this combination of effective governance and caring and compassion for our residents that makes Jen such a vital asset to Westport. And, because of the key roles in which she has served, Jen has a unique perspective on how to lead Westport into the future and a clear vision of what our community can be.”
“I have also worked closely with Andrea Moore in her roles on the Westport Board of Finance and the RTM over the past several years,” added Mr. Marpe. “I have been continually impressed with
Andrea’s deep commitment to community, her dedication to serving constituents with integrity and transparency, and her common sense, bi-partisan approach to addressing issues facing the Town. I am proud of the work we have achieved together over the past several years on behalf
Westport, and I am confident that Jen Tooker and Andrea Moore are best positioned to continue the Town’s positive direction and meet new challenges and opportunities with success.”
"It has been a privilege, every day of these last three and a half years, to serve this town with Jim Marpe,” remarked Jen Tooker. “Jim leads by example. His love of this community and his tireless commitment to Westport has made us one of the most desirable towns in Connecticut. I am honored to receive Jim's endorsement and to know he has confidence that Andrea and I understand the work of the office and that we will continue the legacy of making Westport the best place to live and work."
“Jim Marpe has been a remarkable leader for Westport,” added Andrea Moore. “He has shown what it means to be a true public servant, and our community has benefited greatly from his responsible, bi-partisan approach to governing. Along with Jen Tooker, I am truly honored to have his endorsement as a candidate for Westport Board of Selectmen, and I am committed to continuing this inclusive, effective and forward-looking management of the town we all love.”
For more information, visit www.TookerMooreforSelectmen.com.
Jonathan Steinberg, State Representative, Joins the First Selectman’s Race this Morning with Running Mate Candi Savin, BOE Chair
According to Westport Town Clerk Jeffrey Dunkerton, Jonathan Steinberg has entered the race for Westport First Selectman, running with current Board of Education Chair Candice as Second Selectwoman, according to their social media. Steinberg is now running against Jennifer Tooker (R) and T.J. Elgin (I/L) after current First Selectman Jim Marpe announced that he would be retiring from the position.
Steinberg, formerly a business executive, has served the Connecticut House of Representatives since 2010, representing the 136th District. He was also a member of the RTM from 2003 until 2010.
Savin, an attorney, has served the Westport Board of Education since 2016, becoming Chair of the Board after a November 2019 election.
Official press release from the candidates has not been released yet.