2025 Patch Profile: Henry Purtill, Farmington Town Council

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

Henry Purtill is running for the Farmington Town Council as a Republican.

The following is Henry Purtill's questionnaire sent to Patch:

Candidate's Name: Henry Purtill

What office are you seeking? Town Council - 1st District

What town do you live in? Farmington

Campaign Website: https://www.farmingtonctgop.org/2025-candidates

Party Affiliation: Republican

Occupation: Attorney

Family: My wife and I have been married for four years and have a 17-month-old daughter and a 7-week-old son.

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government? No

Previous public office, appointive or elective:

I was appointed to the Farmington Historic District Commission in 2023, and continue to serve in that role.

Why are you seeking this office?

My wife and I specifically chose Farmington to raise our family in because of the beauty of the town, particularly its historic district, the generous town services, and the phenomenal public school system.

All of that, taken together with the relatively low tax rates, makes Farmington a second-to-none value in CT.

I believe almost every Farmington resident feels the same.

I am running for Town Council to make sure that Farmington continues to provide top-tier services to its residents, while responsibly spending its residents' tax dollars in pursuit of that goal.

The single most pressing issue facing my constituents is ____, and this is what I intend to do about it: I believe the most important issue the Town Council can address is to maintain Farmington's low tax rate —one of, if not the, lowest in Central CT — while continuing to offer top-tier public services and public education.

Under longtime Republican leadership, the Town Council has consistently delivered on those goals for the residents of Farmington.

If elected, I hope to continue that legacy.

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

I am a new father, with two (very) young children and a growing family.

My wife and I are committed to Farmington, and our children will grow up here and attend Farmington public schools.

We do all our own landscaping and make frequent use of the curbside leaf pickup and Tunxis Meade compost facilities.

I use, and will continue to rely on for decades, the same town services that every other resident of Farmington uses.

I think I am uniquely in touch with what growing families in this town are looking for, and I will bring that perspective with me if elected.

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

I have spoken to more than a few Farmington residents who have expressed frustration with traffic in town, and who are upset that their quiet streets are used as cut-throughs for rush hour traffic.

I can certainly relate — my own street, with a 25 mph limit, has seen a car hit 72 mph on police radar.

I will work with the relevant town agencies to both improve light timing and traffic flow, while also stepping up enforcement of speed limits in residential areas.

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

Being a father to two-under-2 has taught me a tremendous amount about patience and prioritization.

I think this is particularly relevant in town-level governance. It isn't always possible to do everything all at once, and with limited resources and time, decisions about which projects to pursue have to be made.

At the same time, my career as a litigating attorney has taught me to always question your priors.

When faced with a choice between two options, sometimes you need to look for a third option instead.

If elected, I hope to bring my passion — and compassion — to Town Council in service of Farmington.

What is the best advice anyone ever gave you?

"Don't be too excitable."

At the end of the day, we are all residents of this town - we're going to run into each other, our kids may play sports together or share a classroom.

That reality doesn't change, whether I win or lose this election.

I hope to respectfully and seriously entertain input from the residents of Farmington, to understand what outcomes they would like to see, and to work to deliver that for them in any capacity I can.