Mitch Goldblatt

I am excited to be running for my sixteenth term on the Orange Board of Selectmen, which includes the six years that I served as First Selectman from 1999-2005.

My desire to continue to represent the citizens of Orange, comes from a lifetime of dedication to our town, which has been recognized in the last two years by being honored by the Orange Democratic Town Committee with the O’Sullivan Award and awarded the Orange Rotary Club’s Paul Harris Fellowship, after serving as an elected official, all in the Town of Orange, for 44 consecutive years.

I began my elected service as a Constable in 1979 serving 2 years, which was followed by 12 years on the Town Plan and Zoning Commission.  I then served 3 terms on the Board of Selectmen, before 3 more terms on the Board as the First Selectman, and have been a Selectman ever since.

In addition to my elected positions, I currently serve as the Chair of the Orange Recycling Committee and as a member of the town’s Pension Board.  I have also served on the Bicentennial Committee and the Bond Oversight Committee.  I am an Associate Member of the Orange Volunteer Fire Department and always volunteer at its annual Carnival.  I am a Lifetime Member of both the Orange Land Trust and the Orange Historical Society and frequently attend events and programs sponsored by the Orange Lions Club, the Orange Rotary Club, the Orange Players, and the Jamie Hulley Foundation.

Some of the many positions I have held include being involved in the Veteran’s Walkway at the Community Center, chairing both the Library Building Committee and the Fire House Building Committee, and serving ten years as a member and chair of the Orange Inland Wetlands and Water Courses Commission.

While occasionally on the minority side of decisions on the Board of Selectmen, I have always voted for what I feel is in the best interest of our town and its taxpayers.  Whether it is to support an open space purchase, a bond referendum, a resolution of support for a group or cause, support for our schools, or a new recycling initiative, I will weigh the pros and cons to make an informed decision.

I have been outspoken over the years, in advocating against smoking in public places, objecting to the former discriminatory actions against gay boy scouts, supporting larger recycling bins, and asserting the need to stop overtaxing our residents with a bloated undesignated fund balance, that should be used to fix our roads and maintain our buildings.

More recently, I have supported the legalized cannabis distribution center in town, diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives in our schools, and full development of Fred Wolfe Park to become a first-class comprehensive recreational facility.

My full-time position is Director of Human Resources for the Town of Guilford and I am also an Adjunct Professor of Public Administration at the University of New Haven, where I teach Personnel Management and Labor Relations in the Public Sector.

A proud graduate of the Orange and Amity  School Systems, I earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Political Science from Muhlenberg College, in Allentown, Pennsylvania, and a Master of Business Administration in Management from the University of New Haven.

My wife Abby and I are the proud parents of two Amity graduates, Carl and Shayna.

I am always accessible to the public by phone, email, text, or in person.  I value being a public servant.  I love the town I have grown up and raised a family in, and with your support, I look forward to serving another two years on the Board of Selectmen.