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MEET YOUR DEMOCRATIC TOWN COMMITTEE
Fighting for a Bridgeport Democratic Party with purpose.
The Democratic Town Committee is the group of people who are elected to represent Democrats in Bridgeport. Each City Council district elects 9 members. The 130th DTC members recruit, endorse, and support candidates for local office - offices like City Council, Board of Education, and the Mayor. The DTC holds a lot of power to shape our local politics.
We believe it is time to return our local Democratic Party to the people. Together, we will deliver the respect, transparency, and leadership Bridgeport’s Democratic Party deserves.
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BRANDON CLARK
Brandon Clark is deeply committed to the city and its people. He has spent most of his adult life living and working in Bridgeport, with a long track record in education, youth development, and community organizing. He is the Executive Director of Park City Presents and the Founder of No Dreams Deferred, a boutique consultancy focused on leadership development and building capacity within organizations and communities. Brandon holds a BA from Sacred Heart University, an MA in School Psychology from Fairfield University, and an MA in Educational Leadership from The Broad Center. He lives in Black Rock with his wife and three children.
JOHN FITZPATRICK
John Fitzpatrick is a Black Rock musician and music teacher. After starting a private teaching studio in 2020, he gradually developed an adaptable “music mentorship” approach centered on trust, collaboration, and autonomy. He has performed as an actor in regional theatre and currently serves as a seasonal Music Director at Hartford Stage. John developed an interest in politics during Bernie Sanders’ inspiring 2016 presidential run. He actively fostered his interest through research and civic discussion, eventually volunteering to canvas on various campaigns, including for Zohran Mamdani in New York City. His political passion centers around economic justice and bringing greater humanistic considerations into government and public policy. He holds a BM in Vocal Performance from New York University.
CALLIE HEILMANN
Callie Heilmann is the founder and Co-Director of Bridgeport Generation Now, the civic engagement organization dedicated to strengthening democracy in our city. Callie moved to Bridgeport with her family in 2013 and in addition to her work at Gen Now, has served in volunteer leadership roles with the Wakeman Boys & Girls Club, PT Partners, the Downtown Special Services District, and more. Her three sons all attend Bridgeport Public Schools. In the fall of 2027, Callie along with her husband Niels will open a 36-room boutique hotel in downtown Bridgeport. She believes deeply in the power of organized people to move the place they love and live towards positive social change.
DONNA KARNAL
Donna Karnal is a lifelong community advocate running for local political office because she knows change starts at the neighborhood level, grounded in listening, showing up and doing the work. Donna has spent years engaging with residents, business owners and local organizations, through her work on the Fairfield Board of Education, in the executive search industry for the financial sector, and even as a trader on the New York Stock Exchange. She believes deeply that local government should be transparent and responsive and that real progress happens when community voices, not special interests, lead the conversation. Donna and her family moved to Bridgeport two years ago and have not looked back.
CARO MARRERO
Caro Marrero has been a Bridgeport West Side resident and homeowner for 19 years. She is the mom of a soon-to-be 26 year-old, wonderful young man who attended Bridgeport Public Schools. Caro is a licensed electrician and a Carpentry Instructor at one of Connecticut’s Technical High Schools. She is passionate about education and the lack of affordable housing in our city.
CHANTEL MENDEZ
Chantel is a faith and community outreach organizer for a healthcare union, mobilizing community leaders and people of faith into action. A longtime Bridgeport resident, she is raising her daughter, a college student, in Connecticut and brings lived experience to her work addressing systemic inequities in local communities. She believes real change happens when we unite around shared values, amplify our collective voice, and work together for justice. Chantel remains committed to advocating for working people and building a more equitable future.
ILANA OFGANG
Ilana Ofgang moved to Bridgeport with her husband, Jon Coffin, in 2011 and quickly fell in love with this city. She works as a staff attorney at the Center for Children’s Advocacy in the Educational Success Project, focusing on special education advocacy. Her two children attend Bridgeport Public Schools. Previously, she was a community organizer with Congregations Organized for a New Connecticut (CONECT), working on legislative campaigns such as the passage of the Clean Slate Act. For several years, she served as the Music Director at St. Ann Church and currently serves as a board member of the Greater Bridgeport American Guild of Organists. She is a congregant at Congregation B’nai Israel and recently joined the BPS special education advisory council.
ANNA PRICE
Anna Price is a Professor of Public Health at Sacred Heart University and has been working as a community health advocate for over 20 years. She has served on Bridgeport’s Food Policy Council, as an Advisory Board member to the City of Bridgeport’s Department of Health and Human Services, and on the Black Rock Community Council as Director of the Farmers’ Market of Black Rock. She lives with her partner, a high school English teacher and musician, and her son who attends Black Rock School.
CLEA WILSON
Clea Wilson has been an active member of Bridgeport since she moved from The Bronx in 2020. Clea lives with her husband, a St. John’s University professor, her mother and her two children who attend Bridgeport Public Schools. She has a MS in social work and has been a practicing social worker for over twenty years. As a social worker, she is called to empower people to find their inner strength and voice, and where needed advocate for them in fighting injustice. She is focused on supporting her community so that Bridgeport citizens can reach a place of trust that their elected officials will be dedicated to inclusiveness, transparency, and ethics.
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