Rachael Ryan is seeking her second term on the Town Council. She raises concerns, and asks questions at Council meetings to ensure she votes in the best interest of the Town. Rachael serves on the Public Works, American Rescue Plan (ARPA), and Ethics subcommittees. As a member of the Public Works subcommittee, Rachael pushed for a study of our roads. This led to an implementation plan that schedules projects to improve road quality. Rachael believes all citizens of our Town should be represented, heard, and served. She believes we can improve fairness by implementing a strong Ethics Ordinance and monitoring accountability.

 

Rachael has taught American government and history since 1994. She is a national consultant for the College Board for the AP American Government and Politics course. She majored in American Government at Georgetown University and received her Master's Degree in History at Harvard University.

 

Rachael twice served on the Watertown Charter Revision Commission. She proposed and argued for Section 406 which gave the Town Council the ability to remove an appointed official who acted in a manner detrimental to the Town. The Town Council subsequently used this section to remove a Planning and Zoning Chairman. Rachael and her husband, Greg Hawes, teach at the Taft School and have lived in Watertown for more than 20 years. They have two children, Peyton and Lachlan. Rachael was active in Watertown PTOs and volunteered as the President and Vice President of the Child Development Program at Taft. She also volunteers at the St. Vincent de Paul homeless shelter.

Katherine Camara is a devoted citizen's advocate in Town. She has attended Town Council meetings for more than 8 years, and is a frequent presence at many commission meetings, including Planning and Zoning, Police, and Economic Development. She is a thorough investigator who asks the questions that the Town might not want to answer. Many of you may know her as GadflyGirl06795. Katherine would make an excellent addition to the Council because of her extensive knowledge of the Town.

 

As a Town Council member, she will be even more effective in serving and informing our residents about important issues. 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 because 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 a medical building is now under construction. This is the property use that was originally proposed by the Coalition.

 

Katherine is a registered Independent. She believes in open and transparent government and wants to bring ethical reform to the Town. Katherine has been a paralegal for over 35 years. 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. She has owned a home in Oakville for 25 years.

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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.

Carina Noyd is seeking her first term on the Town Council. She has been watching Town

Council meetings on YouTube and is concerned with the lack of interest and respect displayed to citizens by many members of the Council. She observed that minority party Council members are primarily the ones who ask questions or express concerns on issues discussed during Council meetings.

 

Carina wants to improve the fiscal management of the Town. When she is elected to the Town Council, she plans to focus on spending our tax dollars wisely to maintain and preserve our capital investments. She will support transparency and accountability within our local government. She wants to foster a safe, business friendly environment, where families thrive and seniors can enjoy retirement. When citizens come to Town Council meetings, she wants them to know that she will be listening to their issues and concerns.

 

Carina has been a registered nurse for over 20 years and is employed as a nurse educator for a pharmaceutical company. She holds a Bachelor's Degree in Nursing from Fairfield University and a Master's Degree in Nursing Education from Western Governors University. Carina moved to Watertown in 2007, then to Oakville in 2019. She is the mother of Christian and Juliann, who attended local schools. She was also a Food Bank volunteer.