2025 Patch Profile: Wendy Mackstutis, Simsbury First Selectman.

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

Wendy Mackstutis is running for another term as Simsbury First Selectman as a Democrat.

The incumbent is running against GOP challenger Heather Goetz and Independent Eric Wellman, a former Democrat who has been the first selectman.

The following is Wendy Mackstutis's questionnaire sent to Patch:

Candidate's Name: Wendy Mackstutis

What office are you seeking? First Selectman

What town do you live in? Simsbury

Campaign Website: https://www.wendyforsimsbury.com

Party Affiliation: Democrat

Occupation: Retired from a 30-year corporate technology career, now serving as first selectman for the Town of Simsbury.

Family: I live in Simsbury with my husband, Brian, better known as Max. We have lived in Simsbury since 1987, and both of us are lifelong CT residents.

I grew up in neighboring Bloomfield, CT, in a family of five siblings, all BHS grads. My dad worked for the State of CT DOT, and my mom, also a pianist, worked for CIGNA in HR.

We have a 1-year-old puppy named Mabel, whom we adopted from the Connecticut Humane Society in 2024, who also lives with us.

Our two kids, Kevin (2008) and Leah (2011), grew up in Simsbury and graduated from Tariffville School, Henry James, and Simsbury High School.

They both went off to college and are now working in the careers they sought.

We recently celebrated the wedding of our daughter, Leah, to Alex Sanchez, in NYC, where they live, with family and friends. It was a great day for all of us.

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

Previous public office, appointive or elective:

Simsbury First Selectman, 2021-25, Simsbury Board of Selectmen, 2019-21
Vice President, Bloomfield High School Class of 1974

Why are you seeking this office? I'm proud to serve as Simsbury's chief elected official and want to continue working for the people of Simsbury.

I have been First Selectman since 2021, when the prior First Selectman decided to leave office and asked me to step up, knowing I was the right choice.

Since becoming the chief elected official, I have been focused on getting things done at town hall and across the community.

You see the results by looking around – the Flower Bridge renovation, Latimer Lane School, Tariffville Pickleball Courts, upgrades at Simsbury farms, expanded trails, and continued safety on our roads and sidewalks.

I’ve also built a more collaborative board and would like to keep that work ethic in place into the next term.

We have open dialogue on the dais, with everyone being able to share their thoughts.

Now is not the time to change leadership and take a step back to reset when we have this experience already in place, which is why I hope to continue in my role.

I want to continue moving forward through charter revision, capital planning, and the 2027 budget, create goals, and work on policies to improve our community.

Local government is about teamwork and collaboration, not partisanship, and I have stood for this as your first selectman.

The single most pressing issue facing my constituents is ____, and this is what I intend to do about it: We face more than one issue.

Instead, we confront a mix of factors that we must evaluate and adapt to as external and environmental circumstances change.

The challenge is how we address the needs of a diverse and varied population — each with different perspectives on what makes Simsbury the place we all cherish.

It also involves listening to and acting in the best interests of as many people as possible when making funding and policy decisions, rather than just hearing from the same voices.

This is why we invite everyone to use their voice and support us in local government.

One known concern is how to retain and attract residents.

Many seniors and longtime residents face affordability concerns, trying to stay in town on a fixed budget as prices and costs rise nationally and in the state.

Young families want to move to Simsbury but can’t afford to buy a home, and with limited stock, they must either wait for something to come up or look elsewhere.

We aim to attract young professionals who seek a place with easy access to work, recreation, retail, and dining, so look to Simsbury.

Many residents dislike apartment complexes, but that is what developers want to build these days, providing a housing option for the people described above.

It must be done in a way that the taxes they pay cover the town’s costs for schools and services through taxes, ensuring a net benefit, while preserving the town’s rural feel and open spaces.

Another concern is how to grow commercial businesses, including retail, while preserving this same sense of space.

We currently have multiple agencies, and our town manager is focused on this, so we need to confirm and measure output, making sure that this is the best setup to accomplish our goals.

I plan to revisit and regroup with these teams so we can collaborate with our next board and ensure it’s the most effective approach for Simsbury.

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

The main difference between me and the other candidates is the leadership skills and experience I bring to this role, and my ability to transition smoothly into the next term.

Additionally, I recently earned a Master of Public Administration, the same degree required of our town manager, which gives me more tools and a better understanding of the administrative side of local government.

One of the candidates is a former first selectman who has been uninvolved for the past two years and will need to rebuild relationships with our town manager, town staff, the board of finance, board of education, and key town partners, which I already have in place.

They will need to catch up on current issues facing our community and how this board has effectively moved Simsbury forward.

I also hope they will recognize the importance of maintaining a collaborative and fun team, which I am very proud to have facilitated, which was not the case under the previous administration.

The Republican candidate has worked alongside me through two terms, and we have collaborated on many issues in a bipartisan way, voting together on most action items, including all of our budgets.

I am interested in learning about the vision she's been speaking about and how it differs from what we have worked on and voted on together as a team.

Going forward, I plan to incorporate existing plans, like our long-term focused plan of conservation and development other developed strategies, to guide us as we set our goals and priorities together in the next term.

I don’t believe we need to reinvent the wheel, but to use our collective sense of where we want to go and how to get there.

Considering the current national situation with decreased funding targeting CT for key projects, Medicaid, SNAP, and the rising costs to residents caused by tariffs and policy instability, I am better positioned to ensure we have a seat at the table.

My relationships with our state legislative team and state leadership support this.

Additionally, as a member of the Connecticut Council of Municipalities (CCM) and Capital Region Council of Governments (CRCOG), I serve on multiple committees, working across the aisle to help shape policies that benefit Simsbury.

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

I’m always happy to answer questions about people’s concerns and am always available as first selectman.

As far as campaign issues, what I’m hearing at the doors of residents is concerns about the national level, our reliance on property taxes, maintaining our high caliber schools, supporting our businesses, and apartments in general.

In regard to property taxes, we have been in a post-pandemic world, where inflation, a recent revaluation, loss of the American Rescue Plan influx of 7.5M, tariffs, rising health care, and salaries have made budgets difficult.

I’m proud to say that I’m a fiscal conservative and presented many budget cuts to keep the mill rate as low as possible, without hurting services.

Not all of the decisions are easy, but with the support of the board and town staff, we reduced expenditures and came in under COLA.

Since my time in office, our board has unanimously voted on our budgets, as a collective action of both parties and three boards.

I've also been selected to serve on the CRCOG Legislative Committee with other mayors and first selectmen.

We will be working on our legislative priorities for the next general assembly session, and many of the ideas are designed to help with funding our municipalities.

The Zoning Commission has the ultimate say on making decisions on apartments, and it is not a charter-defined responsibility of the board of selectmen.

It may sound like I am passing the buck, but this is an elected board, like ours, that the public has the ability to choose with their votes.

They work with the expertise of our planning director, developers, attorneys, and our zoning regulations to make the right decision for Simsbury, and we trust them to do what’s right for our residents.

My opinion is that not all apartments are created equal, and the public should recognize the value of some proposed developments.

The long-planned Iron Horse complex is arriving in the town center.

This type of housing aligns with our POCD and all our goals for a walkable, vibrant downtown focused on businesses, retail, dining, coffee, recreation, the arts, and our famous multi-use trails.

Our schools continue to receive national recognition and are a prime reason people move to Simsbury.

They help keep our property values up and also bring young families to Simsbury to create their futures, like I did in 1987.

Also, a shout-out to our schools: Eli Max Gold was recently awarded as a US Presidential Scholar, one of 4 students in CT, earning recognition of his accomplishments in academics, the arts, and the career and technical education fields.

The recognition is one of the nation’s highest honors for graduating high school seniors.

We also have established relationships with our major employers, like EBAD, and continue to forge new ones.

There is much activity in the north end of town, with the renovation of the Wagner property, which was an eyesore for many years. The ISCC is expanding its facility and the neighboring property to create a commercial village.

We will continue working with the Simsbury Main Street Partnership, Chamber, EDC, Planning Department, and town manager to find businesses that fit our community's needs.

We have a long-time businessman, Steven Antonio, on our board of selectmen, serving as deputy first selectman, who has spent his life in our community and is tuned in to the demands that businesses face.

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

I’m proud of the many accomplishments made during my time in this office and which involved many partners across Simsbury and in the town hall.

They reflect an investment in our community, infrastructure, schools, recreation, public safety, and financial health.

Here are some highlights and ones that impact day-to-day life in Simsbury:

•East Coast Greenway and Trails

•Tariffville Plan

•New PD officers, a Records room, and receiving CALEA accreditation

•Public Works improvements in roads and sidewalks, and bridges

•Pickleball courts at Tariffville Park were started and completed during my term

•Flower Bridge restoration was started and completed during my term

•Town Forest Park reopening

•Support for the Performing Arts Center, including funding and a new agreement

•Irrigation system at Simsbury Farms Golf Course

•Investments in playgrounds and parks, including the new playground at Simsbury Farms

•Brand-new Latimer Lane School

•Established the New Pathways special education program with the Board of Education and Board of Finance to save on special education costs and to keep students in town

•Managed difficult budgets due to the pandemic, inflation, Reval, and lower grand list growth, but fared better than our peer towns

•Maintained AAA bond rating, leading to lower borrowing costs

•Provided tax exemptions for volunteer fire and emergency volunteers, seniors, and farmers

•Rebuilt and Strengthened business partnerships between the Town Manager, SMSP, EDC, Planning, and the Chamber

•Development in the North End and at the ISCC

•Created the Simsbury Housing Policy Advisory Committee to provide recommendations for housing

•Voted to get Meadowood listed on the National Register of Historic Places

•Simsbury Soccer Club agreement on use of Curtiss Park

•Completed the Simsbury Volunteer Ambulance agreement and filled a 3-year funding gap to provide the requested 7-7 second ambulance

•Community Farm re-invention

•Accessibility and parking upgrades at Eno Hall in progress

•Starting the long-awaited Station Street two-way redesign

•Launched a Charter Revision Commission

Looking ahead, we will build on the combined vision for Simsbury with your help.

We have many tools to work with, including the Plan of Conservation and Development, the Simsbury Housing Policy Advisory Committee, the Tariffville Plan, the Parks and Rec Master Plan, the Sustainability Plan, and others that your elected and appointed representatives have already created.

What is the best advice anyone ever gave you?

A former First Selectwoman told me to trust my instincts when making decisions for our residents, as they have proven to be reliable.

As a long-time resident, I’ve been in the shoes (and still am!) of my constituents and usually have the same questions about projects and policy impacts.

I've learned to trust my gut when things seem off.

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

This is a volunteer position, albeit with a $10K annual stipend, that requires a great deal of time, energy, and resources to do what is right for our residents.

I’m now retired, with a long career behind me as a corporate IT director, where I implemented critical projects and managed teams of people.

I consider myself a thoughtful problem solver, with the common sense and energy to do this job.

It can be both fun, challenging, and sometimes very hard, but I have proven to be a good leader and not someone who backs down when standing up for what I believe.

As the chair and member of the board of selectmen, I want to remind people that I am doing this job because I want to help people and make sure our much-loved hometown of Simsbury continues to serve everyone in the best possible way.

My positions and decisions are guided by facts, public input, funding, partnerships, and the professionals that work for all of us in town hall, not by party, as some would like you to believe.

I do believe in the importance of ethics, principles, and values, and will stand up for what I feel is right.

I am very concerned about how the federal government is impacting all of these in the current administration, but that doesn’t stop me from working across party lines and focusing on local issues when acting as your first selectman.