2025 Patch Profile: Mark Kaczynski, Berlin Mayor

BERLIN, CT — Berlin Patch asked candidates to answer questions about their campaigns and will be publishing candidate profiles as Election Day draws near.

Mark Kaczynski is running for re-election as Berlin's mayor as a Republican. He is being challenged by Berlin Democrat Brian DeLude.

The following is Mark Kaczynski's questionnaire sent to Patch:

Candidate's Name: Mark Kaczynski

What office are you seeking? Mayor

What town do you live in? Berlin

Campaign Website: https://www.berlingop.org

Party Affiliation: Republican

Occupation: U.S. Department of Justice, Drug Enforcement Administration, Special Agent/Attorney, 30 years/retired. Currently employed in the security industry.

Family: Faith, wife, is employed by the State of Connecticut, UConn Health. Matthew, son, is in his third year at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University. Matthew is married with one child.

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government? Yes, my wife is employed by the State of Connecticut.

Previous public office, appointive or elective: I am currently the mayor of Berlin and have served in this position for 10 years. Before being the mayor, I was a member of the Berlin Planning and Zoning Commission for 16 years.

Why are you seeking this office?

As the mayor of Berlin for the past 10 years, it has been an honor to volunteer my time to the citizens of Berlin.

I was born, grew up, and raised my family in Berlin. Because of my wonderful experience here, I am always focused on making Berlin an even better place to live and visit.

Furthermore, I wish to continue the policies that have resulted in tremendous economic growth, financial stability, and investments in our town that provide our residents with the highest quality of town and education services that they expect.

The single most pressing issue facing my constituents is ____, and this is what I intend to do about it: To continue moving our town forward with the success we have had in the past 10 years.

When I first took office, the challenge I encountered was the large debt of $107M. This was the cumulative result of years of irresponsible spending and fiscal policy.

We have paid the debt down to $55M and have moved forward with responsible budgets, which have allowed the proper funding of our town government and school system.

The challenge is to keep us headed in the same direction. With my experience and leadership, we can continue on this path so that all of us can prosper and enjoy our wonderful town.

What are the major differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

The major difference between me and the other candidate is that I have a proven track record of success. We have come a long way in 10 years and have further to go in making more improvements to our wonderful town. As the mayor, I can continue to lead the way and work together with everyone to keep Berlin moving forward.

What other issues do you intend to address during your campaign?

I will remind the people of Berlin about the many improvements to our town, one of the most notable being what we have done to enhance our public safety, by investing in new fire trucks and replacing the police and fire radio systems that were obsolete.

We also implemented a new pension plan for our police department so we can hire and retain the best officers.

We have made improvements in our infrastructure by re-paving more roads, improving our playing fields and golf course, finishing HVAC upgrades at Willard, replacing the kitchen at the senior center, starting HVAC improvements at Griswold and Hubbard, and updating security in our schools.

We have also had the addition of 149 new businesses and $145M in new business investments in Berlin.

Another important project that has finally come to fruition is our senior housing project.

We have recently signed the contract with the developer, and they have informed the Town Council that they will be breaking ground in the first quarter of 2026.

The project will contain 70 units. All of the above has been accomplished while keeping our tax mill rate one of the lowest in central Connecticut.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence that you can handle this job?

The accomplishments mentioned above during my 10 years as mayor, I believe, are evidence that I can handle the job.

But my past experience and accomplishments have also taught me the skills I needed to be an effective mayor.

During my 30 years with the DEA, I had many different assignments.

When I was transferred to Connecticut, I was first assigned as the Resident Agent in Charge of the Hartford office. Later, I transferred to our Bridgeport office and was in the same position.

In those positions, I directed all the operations of those offices, which included supervising criminal investigations, managing our task force operations, and supervising the entire staff of agents, diversion investigators, and administrative staff.

In my prior assignment at the New York Field Division, I developed and supervised complex financial investigations of narcotic trafficking/money laundering organizations.

Finally, during my assignment to the DEA Office of Chief Counsel, at DEA HQ in Washington, DC, I provided the legal advice necessary to support the DEA Asset Forfeiture program, which included training our field agents, responding to requests from Congress, and other agencies in the executive branch.

I was one of a limited number of attorneys who were granted administrative forfeiture authority, which allowed me to forfeit seized assets that had completed the administrative forfeiture process.

All of the above experiences have helped me to be an effective mayor.

Of course, it also must be said that the team we have on the council, all the boards and commissions, and, of course, our town staff are all part of our success during the last 10 years.

What is the best advice anyone ever gave you?

Some of the best advice I’ve heard is from my son’s senior class speech at Berlin High.

The last lines of his speech are good advice for moving forward in life. “Do not quit, as there is nothing to gain from it. Endure, and you will appreciate what you did once it is over and once you realize how you are a better person from it. Treat every challenge in life like it is the last 200-yard sprint of your high school football career. Go all out, focus only on the task at hand, and then finish through the line. Or we will start all over again.”

Is there anything else you would like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

If I am re-elected, I will remain committed to the continued growth of our town and a town government that is responsive to all the residents of Berlin.