Patch Candidate Profile: Philip Murphy For Wilton Zoning Board of Appeals (Alternate)

WILTON, CT — Election Day on Nov. 4 is fast approaching, and there are a number of key races on the ballot.

Patch reached out to candidates for office to get more information on their campaigns and the issues that are facing their towns.

Candidate's Name: Philip Murphy

What office are you seeking? Zoning Board of Appeals (Alternate)

What town do you live in? Wilton

Party Affiliation: Republican

Occupation: Communications Consultant

Family: My wife Nadia is a national security scholar. Daughter Madeline runs a catering business on Block Island. George lives in Bushwick and works for an AI company. And Bridget is a student at Providence College.

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

Previous public office, appointive or elective: I've served on the Wilton Conservation Commission, Wilton Energy Commission, the Southwest Regional Planning Agency, Hands Off Our Schools, Connecticut Republican State Central Committee, and ran for the City Council in Washington, D.C. (I lost!)

Why are you seeking this office? Because self-government only works if citizens show up, not just on Election Day, but all year long, through reasoned debate and steady civic engagement.

If we don’t step up, we leave the future of our town to developers, bureaucrats, and party insiders who don’t live here and don’t share our priorities. I’m not running for a title. I’m running because I care about Wilton and because if you love your town, you don’t just complain. You contribute.

The single most pressing issue facing my constituents is ____, and this is what I intend to do about it: Overdevelopment. Wilton is under siege from 8-30g, a law that’s been twisted beyond recognition. Developers now use it to override local planning and push through oversized projects that don’t serve seniors, young families, or essential workers, but they do serve profit margins.

I support thoughtful, locally guided development: a Walkable Wilton with real housing solutions, a vibrant town center, and growth we choose, not growth imposed on us. That means restoring local control, raising design standards, and putting residents, not real estate speculators, back at the center of the conversation.

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

I respect anyone willing to serve especially at the local level, where the work is often quiet, complex, and thankless.

What sets me apart is that I’m here to challenge conventional wisdom. I believe Wilton needs a fresh perspective, one that’s grounded in facts and focused on long-term stewardship, not short-term politics.

I’m not waiting for a title to contribute. I’ve already been listening carefully, raising questions, and bringing forward new ideas about how we plan, budget, and build for the future. I bring professional experience, an independent mindset, and a genuine stake in the outcome, because like you, I’ve built a life here, and I want to protect what makes Wilton special while helping it evolve responsibly.

What other issues do you intend to address during your campaign? A Walkable Wilton requires good design, not just good policy. Today, Wilton’s town center favors cars over people. I support building raised crosswalks to slow traffic and prioritize pedestrians. We should restore the sidewalks and traffic patterns in the Village so kids can get a donut at Rise, pick up Band-Aids at the drugstore, and walk to the library without having to dodge cars at every parking lot entrance.

Farther afield, we also need a fairer property tax structure, one based on a home’s original sale price and indexed to inflation rather than subjective assessments. That would create predictability and reward long-time residents. Pair it with zero-based budgeting, and we could fund what matters without overextending ourselves.

(I also think aggressive dog breeds like pit bulls should be discouraged but that’s a whole other matter.)

I’m not just running against overdevelopment. I’m running for a more livable, grounded, and human-centered Wilton.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job? I’ve spent my career helping people understand bold ideas and building coalitions to make them happen.

As a public relations professional I’ve successfully made the case for a World War II Memorial on the Mall in Washington, for resuming postal service after the anthrax attacks, and for calm at one of the world’s largest banks during the Global Economic Crisis.

I’m particularly proud of being present at the creation of Hands Off Our Schools when Hartford bureaucrats tried to eliminate Wilton’s school district. That experience proved to me that Wilton can come together across party lines and fight back against the supermajority in the State Capitol.

But my proudest work is right here at home, raising a family, navigating the schools, and caring about the town we call ours. I bring national experience, local leadership, and a proven ability to build consensus and move ideas into action.

What is the best advice anyone ever gave you? I’m old enough to give advice: Show up, speak up, and stick around.

Don’t let the loudest voice in the room win by default. Learn how your town works. Ask questions. Stay engaged. If you don’t show up, someone else will, and they may not share your vision for what Wilton should be.

That kind of courage is needed again.

The 8-30g housing law has been hijacked. What was meant to promote affordable housing has become a tool for developers and ideologues to punish towns like ours. And too many of our representatives are more interested in pleasing a partisan supermajority in Hartford than protecting Wilton.

It’s time to send a message: We elect leaders to represent Wilton’s interests in Hartford, not Hartford’s interests in Wilton.