Don Stanziale, Jr. ( R)

Work history: Owner and operator, Midland Development Co.; owner of Stanziale’s Restaurant, which we had for 10 years. We contributed to the town of Stratford through the restaurant with several fundraisers. We also helped with the Vicki Soto race every year.

School history: Graduated from Shelton High School in 1983.

Family: Met my wife, Kim, who was born and raised in Shelton, in 1985. Moved back to Shelton in 1995. We have two children who went through the Shelton school system. His son, Don III, works for Turner Construction and lives in Shelton. His daughter, Dominique, is in nursing school at University of Bridgeport.

Why you want to be a elected official: We decided to move back to Shelton so our children could attend the school system that my wife and I attended. It is important to me that I am involved in the Shelton Board of Education to ensure that the money allocated to the board will be used to directly benefit the students and teachers that support their learning. Now that my children have all graduated, I see that the foundation created during their early years of education is so important. I want to make decisions toward continued improvements that will benefit my future grandchildren and the children of our future classes.

Any city or municipal committee or experience: I was on the building committee for the fifth and sixth grade school in Shelton.

Athletic or club affiliations: I was a member of the Fathers’ Club at Mohegan School for 15 years. During that time, he participated in numerous activities with the students and was part of the club when it built the playground.