Your Elected Officials
Mark Zydanowicz: Town Council Minority Leader
Mark and his wife Nella have lived in West Hartford since 1998, and they have three children. He has served as a commissioner on the West Hartford’s Zoning Board of Appeals, 2nd Vice Chairman, 1st District for the state party, West Hartford Town Committee and three term member of the West Hartford Board of Education (BOE).
Professionally, Mark was an owner and third generation family member of Guida’s Dairy, employing 260; it was one of the largest independent dairies in New England which was founded by his grandfather in 1947. He currently works as an Independent Consultant where he advises and assists in the development and execution in areas of strategy, marketing and business development to drive improved revenue and profitability growth of businesses.
Mark is a retired Engineer Officer (Honorably Discharged in 2016 --25 years of service). He retired as a Major and the Headquarters Commander of the Connecticut Training Center in the Connecticut Army National Guard. He’s an Iraq war veteran where he earned the Combat Action Badge and a Bronze Star.
Mary Fay: Town Council
Mary M. Fay is a life long resident of Connecticut, and West Hartford resident for 23 years. Mary is a Financial Services Senior Executive. She has held several senior business leadership roles, including Senior Vice President and General Manager of Sun Life Financial, where she also chaired diversity and inclusion employee resource groups and served on Sun Life boards. Mary was also a senior executive at GE, AIG, ING, and Travelers, leading retirement and healthcare businesses. She was named by Hartford Business Journal as a “Top Woman in Business”; to the board of overseers at Newton Wellesley Hospital; and as CEO of CT Retirement Security Authority.
Mary was raised in East Hartford and attended public schools. She went on to graduate from Skidmore College, with a B.S. In business/accounting and a minor in government, and earned her MBA from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and completed executive studies at Harvard.
She is active in her community as a school volunteer and coach, and is a member of the Irish American Home Society. Mary and her family are parishioner’s at St. Timothy’s. Mary is married and has a 13 year-old daughter, Katie, who attends West Hartford public school.
She is currently a 3 term councilor, and current minority leader. Mary is committed to public service and looks forward to continuing to serve her community.
Alberto Cortes: Town Council
Alberto Cortes is West Hartford’s first Latino Town Council member. We’re proud of the diversity our party brings to our local government.
Al was born and raised in the City of Hartford and moved to West Hartford in 1998 with his wife Jessica Serrano where they have two boys: Gabriel, who attends King Philip Middle School, and Adrian, who graduated from the Post Secondary School in West Hartford.
Al retired from the Connecticut Department of Corrections with 20 years of service. He is a veteran of the Connecticut Army National Guard and an active member of his church.
Dr. Gayle Harris: Board of Education Member
Dr. Harris has been a resident of West Hartford for most of the last 50 years. She attended public school in West Hartford and UCONN Medical School. She raised her four children in town and has practiced medicine in town for the last 20 years working in private practice as an OBGYN.
She is active in her synagogue and religious life in town and has been a DCF mentor at the Village, as well as worked with incarcerated women and helping improve health outcomes in this population.
Ethan Goldman: Board of Education Member
Ethan Goldman and his wife Julie have lived in West Hartford since 1989 and all four of their children have grown up in West Hartford. Ethan received a Bachelor of Science in Economics from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Pennsylvania. He is a graduate of the Harvard Business School with a Masters of Business Administration and also a graduate of the University of Hartford, with a Masters in Accounting and Taxation.
Ethan is currently working as the CFO of a midsize (international) manufacturing company. Prior to his current position, Ethan worked at ADVO as their Vice President of Network Planning. Ethan is also a CPA (State of Maryland non practicing license).
Ethan spent over twenty years in the US Army/Army Reserve in the Army’s Field Artillery branch, retiring as a Major.
Ethan is currently serving as the Treasurer of the West Hartford Youth Soccer Assn (WHYSA) and coached in the WHYSA (Boys/Coed League) and WHGSL (Girls) for approximately fifteen years. He is also a Trustee of the Jewish Community Foundation of Greater Hartford and previously served on the Board of the Jewish Federation of Greater Hartford as its Treasurer.
Beth Kyle: Registrar of Voters
Beth has lived in West Hartford for over 20 years and is the co-owner and publisher of Fun4Kids, a resource guide for families throughout Connecticut.