CT Patch Candidate Profile: Thomas A. Virgulto For Judge Of Probate

MADISON, CT — The 2025 election is heating up in Connecticut and there are plenty of races with candidates eager to serve in elected office.

Connecticut Patch asked local candidates to answer questions about their campaigns and will be publishing candidate profiles as election day draws near.

Candidate's Name:
Thomas A. Virgulto

What office are you seeking?
Judge of Probate for the Madison-Guilford District

What town do you live in?
Madison

Campaign Website
https://tomvirgulto4probate.com

Party Affiliation:
Republican (although this is not a political position)

Occupation:
Attorney. I have practiced for 33 years since 1992, and I am licensed to practice law in all State and Federal Courts in Connecticut and Massachusetts. I have engaged in a civil litigation practice with probate matters a prominent part thereof. I have been routinely appointed by our probate court to represent the interests of respondents without a voice. I have litigated probate matters complex and simple, from will contests to contested conservatorship applications. I appear in our probate court just about every week.

Family:
My wife, Maureen, and I have been married for 29 years. We have lived in Madison for the past 28. We have three children, each of whom attended Madison public schools. Ashlinn is 25 and works in marketing. She is a graduate of the University of Connecticut. Keelin is 22, and graduated last spring from Union College. She is presently enrolled at Boston University, pursuing a Masters in Oral Health. Our youngest, Aedan, graduated from Hand in the spring, and is a freshman at Washington University in St. Louis. We instilled in our children the belief that service to community is of tantamount importance, and they each contributed through scouting, earning, respectively, Gold Awards in Girl Scouts, and Eagle Scout in Boy Scouts. We are so proud of the young adults that they have become.

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?
I have no relatives working for our local government.

Previous public office, appointive or elective:
I was a member of the Board of Tax Review (Assessment Appeals) for the City of New Haven between 1993-1996.

Why are you seeking this office?
I have practiced law for the past 33 years, with probate law becoming a focus since I moved my practice to Madison in 2005. I have had the great fortune to appear before, and learn from, our past two fine judges, Joel Helander and Peter Barrett. In that time, I have taken on many Court-appointed matters, in addition to representing private clients in probate court. I have had the opportunity to work, in depth, with parties and the Court on a wide variety of matters, including will contests, conservatorship applications and guardianships of persons with intellectual disabilities, just to name a few. Unlike my opponent, I am not a politician. Politics do not belong in a court. Rather I am an attorney. I bring many years of probate experience to the table, and view a judicial post as a logical next step in my career. I believe the probate court is our community's court. It serves our neighbors during times of need. This is something that I have done throughout my career as an advocate before the Court. Now, I ask the voters to put my experience to good use serving the citizens of Madison and Guilford.

The single most pressing issue facing my constituents is ____, and this is what I intend to do about it:
"Ensuring that their voice is heard in Court during the trying, emotional and raw matters that bring folks before the probate court." As a practicing probate lawyer of many years, I have a sound grasp of probate law and procedure. However, my experience in working with parties on such matters allows me to understand that which probate litigants want or need. More importantly, that same experience allows me to anticipate those needs, and get to the heart of the issues before the Court. As I have stated before, politics do not belong anywhere near a courtroom. My goal is to ensure that such matters stay outside, and that every party before our Court feels heard, and is treated fairly and compassionately.

What are the major differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?
Experience is the key difference. I have been an active practicing lawyer for 33 years since 1992. Probate law, the heart and soul of the job I am seeking, has been a major part of my practice since I moved it to Madison 20 years ago in 2005. Significantly and respectfully, there is a large gulf of distinction between asserting one's worthiness for the job of Judge by asserting past roles in politics, versus actually having relevant past experience with probate law. Without taking anything away from my opponent, I am proudly not a politician, and bring no such partisan experience to this debate. Building consensus "across the aisle" is a concept best left with the politicians. I believe that the citizens of Madison and Guilford want an unbiased judge free from the baggage of party politics; they want a judge well versed in probate law, with a proven track record of serving people through those same trying types of cases. Unlike what my opponent asserts, I have served in public office, as a member of the City of New Haven's Board of Tax Review between 1993-1996. However, that experience, in my view, is irrelevant. I am not running to be a town official. I am running to be a judge. The members of this community need a judge ready to serve them on Day One.

What other issues do you intend to address during your campaign?
Too many people are unaware of the purpose of the probate court, and in some cases, that we even have a court here in Madison. I would like to take steps to educate the public about the Court and its stated mission. These will include public seminars and workshops about relevant probate issues. I would also like to work with appropriate state agencies to sponsor similar talks, in particular addressing the needs of aging seniors, and those with intellectual challenges. Too often, parties come to the Court unaware and unknowing. Arming those persons with better understanding will help to make proceedings more efficient, and the experience less traumatic.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?
Simply put, the experience of guiding parties through the challenges of probate stands as solid evidence in support of my candidacy. In light of this experience, judges from the Madison-Guilford, East Haven-North Haven, Niantic and Saybrook Probate Courts have seen fit to appoint me to reprsent respondents and parties of interest in a wide array of matters pending before the Court. Those many appointments reflect the trust that those judges had in my ability, as well as my temperment and demeanor. Doing the job of a probate lawyer, in my opinion, serves as evidence that I can ably handle the job of probate judge.

What is the best advice anyone ever gave you?
My Dad, a high school coach, used to send me inspirational writings and poems when I was an undergraduate at Yale. The best advice he gave me was to be true to myself. One poem that resonated was "The Man in the Glass" by Peter Dale Wimbrow Sr. It goes:

When you get what you want in your struggle for self
And the world makes you king for a day
Just go to the mirror and look at yourself
And see what that man has to say.

For it isn’t your father, or mother, or wife
Whose judgment upon you must pass
The fellow whose verdict counts most in your life
Is the one staring back from the glass.

He’s the fellow to please – never mind all the rest
For he’s with you, clear to the end
And you’ve passed your most difficult, dangerous test
If the man in the glass is your friend.

You may fool the whole world down the pathway of years
And get pats on the back as you pass
But your final reward will be heartache and tears
If you’ve cheated the man in the glass.

Is there anything else you would like voters to know about yourself and your positions?
If I am elected as your Judge of Probate, I will always give you the time, and your voice will always be heard. I will treat every party appearing before me fairly and equally, and I will work hard to ensure that your case, the one that is most important to you and your life, will be equally important to me andthe Court. Thank you for your consideration.