Katherine Camara is the Chair of the Independent Party and is seeking her first term on the Town Council.  She is a devoted citizen’s advocate in Town.  She has been a regular attendee of Town Council, Planning and Zoning, Police, and Economic Development meetings for the last decade.  Katherine believes in open and transparent government and wants to bring ethical reform to the Town. She is also known as GadflyGirl06795.

 

She would make an excellent addition to the Town Council because her extensive knowledge of Watertown and local government gives her a deep understanding of our community’s needs, challenges, and priorities.  Her willingness to thoroughly investigate issues and ask tough questions will serve to inform our residents about important matters. 

 

Katherine is a long-time citizen’s champion on P&Z issues.  She was instrumental in working with her neighborhood to force P&Z to reverse their approval of the Sealy zone change as P&Z did not follow their own regulations when they changed the zone.  She was a founding member of the Backyard Preservation Coalition, a citizen’s group that raised money to help homeowners fight Planning and Zoning decisions that hurt residential property values. The Coalition was successful in stopping a proposed car dealership on property where we now have a brand-new medical building, the use originally proposed by the Coalition.

 

Katherine has been a paralegal for over 35 years, and attacks every task with skill, competence, and perspective. She currently handles commercial litigation for a Hartford area firm.  She grew up in Oakville/Watertown and attended Watertown Public schools, Naugatuck Valley Community College, and the University of Connecticut.   

 

Katherine is a Justice of the Peace and Notary Public. She has volunteered for the Fall Festival and Union Congregational Church, where she is a member. 

Rich Rozanski is a candidate for the Town Council.  He is a dedicated Watertown community advocate and the Secretary of the Independent Party.  He became a champion of honest and transparent government after the 2023 $18.8 million water and sewer judgement.  Rich intends to use his business background to make fiscally responsible decisions as a Town Council Member.    

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Rich is committed to informing our citizens about important issues.   He attends almost every Town Council meeting and various other Commission meetings, frequently speaking during Public Participation, and then posting a recap of the meeting on various local social media sites. Rich created the public Facebook group “Watertown-Oakville Citizen Advocate” so residents could learn about local government activities and post their opinions and questions.

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Rich moved to Watertown in 2021, however he has had family ties here for generations.  His aunt was the first woman tax collector for the former Oakville Fire District, and the first woman Chair of the Watertown Republican Town Committee.

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Rich spent over 40 years working in the aviation industry, and is now retired.  He started his career as an FAA-certified aircraft mechanic, advancing through managerial positions at Sikorsky Aircraft and Piper Aircraft.  He was an Aviation Safety Inspector at the Federal Aviation Administration, where he ended his career.  He is a member of the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA), certifying homebuilt aircraft and volunteering as a presenter to aviation groups throughout the country.

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Rich holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree from Florida Atlantic University. He is a veteran of the United States Air Force and a Life Member of American Legion Post 195 and VFW Post 7330 Auxiliary.

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Rich has an adult daughter who is a Senior Engineer for Raytheon Technologies in Tucson, Arizona.

Krista is the current Chair of the Board of Education.  She is seeking her first term on the Town Council, where she will utilize her experience in contracts, policy, data analysis, and budgeting.  As the Board of Education budget is 70 percent of our town’s budget, her knowledge of school budgets and state mandates will be a great asset to the Town Council.

Krista has a record of getting things done while working within budget constraints.  Under her leadership, the Board of Education implemented a $12.8 million capital improvement plan, which replaced athletic fields and upgraded technology infrastructure, established a new K-5 literacy program, expanded the Special Education program, and implemented college credit for courses at the High School, and World Language for 6th graders.

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Krista has worked to improve our schools and community for more than two decades. She founded Project Chemo Comfort Bag and was the community organizer for Watertown’s Adopt-an-Officer Program.  She is also a volunteer at the United Methodist Boutique. As a mother of two, she was a classroom and extracurricular volunteer.  She volunteered on Project Graduation, served as a cheer coach, and was a Scout troop mom.

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Krista has been a Town resident since 1977 and is a graduate of Watertown High School.   She is a paralegal and worked at a Fortune 500 company as a Compliance Officer and a Contracts & Policy Analyst for 21 years.  She is currently the Business Manager of the Watertown Golf Club.  

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Krista believes that government works best when it listens, adapts, and leads with integrity and transparency.  When she is elected to the Town Council, she wants to build confidence in local government by being open and accessible and ensuring decisions reflect the needs of all generations.