Carol Jones, First Selectman

Carol Jones is the 2025 incumbent candidate for First Selectman in Deep River, CT.  

Carol has tirelessly served Deep River as our First Selectman since being elected in 2023. Before taking office, she worked for the town for nearly 15 years and has been a dedicated resident and volunteer in our community for over 30 years. Now seeking reelection, Carol is committed to building on the strong foundation she has laid and continuing the work she’s begun on behalf of all Deep River residents.

A natural relationship-builder, Carol has earned the trust and collaboration of town officials, employees, citizens, and state officials in Hartford. Her leadership is marked by transparency, responsiveness, and a deep commitment to community engagement.

Carol earned her double major in science from the University of Rhode Island and attended Central Connecticut State University for her postgraduate studies, where she received her teacher certification to teach science in Connecticut. After the passing of her husband while their children were young, Carol raised their four children as a single mother right here in Deep River. Carol was inspired to pursue public service by her grandmother, who was active in Chester politics and was the first woman in Connecticut to be endorsed by a major political party for the office of Selectman.  

Over the past three decades, she has remained an active volunteer—serving on numerous town boards and commissions, leading a Girl Scout troop, volunteering with the Boy Scouts, assisting in school programs, and teaching Sunday School at her church.

Since 2009, Carol has worked in various roles within Deep River’s Town Hall, gaining invaluable experience that laid the groundwork for her role as First Selectman. Before being elected First Selectman, she served the town for fourteen years and became the town’s first full-time Park and Recreation Director. Under her leadership, she significantly enhanced and expanded programs that benefit the entire community. Even with the demands of her official duties, she continues to volunteer as a Sunday School teacher and with organizations such as the United Way and Women United, which supports women and children across the region.

Carol brings energy, vision, and hands-on dedication to the role of First Selectman. Some of her key initiatives include:

• Recruiting new businesses to grow the tax base and help lower the tax burden for residents

• Leading school restructuring efforts that provide cost savings and educational improvements

• Driving renovations and improvements to our public spaces and town infrastructure

Carol is an experienced leader and a gifted communicator who responds to our community’s needs. Her weekly Friday newsletter, shared online and via email, is widely appreciated by residents for its detail, transparency, and honest tone. 

Carol’s door is always open—she truly values listening to your concerns and ideas. With your support, she hopes to continue working tirelessly for the betterment of Deep River and for each of us who calls it home. 

Duane gates, Second Selectman

Duane Gates is a 2025 Democratic candidate running for re-election as Second Selectman in Deep River, CT.

Duane Gates is a lifelong resident of Deep River, with deep roots in the community. Recently retired, he and his wife Melissa raised one daughter who is now grown, and they are expecting their first grandchild. 

Duane spent 18 years as a heavy equipment operator for Local 478, where he worked on several large highway and bridge projects across the State of CT. Duane has served as a Union Steward (a frontline Union Member who acted as a representative and advocate for fellow Union Members within the workplace). He negotiated several Union contracts for his membership.

Duane spent 19 years as a Business Representative for Local 478, where he held several different positions: Recording-Corresponding Secretary, Financial Secretary, and President, representing over 3,300 members of the Local. In addition to those offices, he was a Pension Trustee who managed a $750 million pension fund.

On the state level, Duane was appointed by Governor Lamont to serve on the State of Connecticut Crane Licensing Board, where he still proudly serves. He served as President of The Fairfield County Building Trades, where he represented over 7500 Union Craftsmen and negotiated several million-dollar projects throughout Fairfield County. 

Duane has volunteered for various projects over the years. In his early days, Duane was a soccer coach for Valley Youth Soccer and was also the President of Valley Girls Soccer. Duane served for over thirteen years on the Deep River Elementary School Board and the Region 4 School District Board of Education.

Duane is starting his tenth year as Selectman for the town of Deep River, and was instrumental in the installation of the lights at Valley Regional football field. Additionally, he helped negotiate the solar farm at the town landfill, where the town is now receiving over $40,000 a year for the next 20 years. Currently, he is on the John Winthrop MS mold remediation board for its clean-up project, which is now in the closeout phase and is under budget. 

Duane is a dedicated community advocate and is passionate about making Deep River a great place to live, work, and raise a family. Duane is a forward-thinking candidate who can reach across the aisle to work together for the betterment of Deep River. He believes that the “D” and “R” represent DEEP RIVER and not Democrat or Republican. Duane is committed to public safety, great educational opportunities, low taxes, and helping the elderly of our community.

Duane feels that his career and life experiences have made him a viable candidate. He has spent his life committed to public service and believes in open communication and collaboration to address the challenges facing Deep River today. Duane is committed to fiscal responsibility and transparency in local government. He believes in empowering residents and ensuring their voices are heard in decision-making.

Katie Cryder, Tax Collector

Katie Cryder is the 2025 Democratic candidate for Tax Collector in Deep River, CT.

Donna Mingrone, Library Board of Trustees

Donna Mingrone is a 2025 Democratic candidate for the Library Board of Trustees in Deep River, CT.

Donna is a recently retired public-school educator, as is her husband, and they chose to move to Deep River two years ago from Old Saybrook. They love the small town, community feel, and appreciate how family-oriented Deep River is. Donna is a lifelong Connecticut resident, and attended Fairfield Public Schools and the University of Connecticut for both her BA in English and her Masters in Special Education. She also earned a Sixth Year Degree in School Administration from Sacred Heart University. 

Donna’s 37 years in education covered a wide variety of experiences, including being a live-in house parent for a state-sponsored group home for boys, a paraprofessional, a special education teacher, a computer teacher, and a Teaching Principal. Once she earned her administrator’s certificate, she was the Director of Curriculum, Instruction, and Technology for the Portland Schools, and the Chief Technology Officer for the Branford Schools. 

In her three administrative positions, among many responsibilities, she was in charge of the districts’ technology and the library/media programs and their teachers. A strong advocate for building library collections that provide a broad range of resources and materials, she also did state grant writing for her districts, and was successful in bringing in well over $500,000 in new technology and library resources to her students and staff.

Donna has attended all but two of the Library Trustee meetings since she arrived, and has already offered to assist in the grant writing for the library’s expansion/updating if the town decides to go forward with this. Donna believes that the taxpayers of Deep River deserve an updated and expanded library and communal meeting space, without it falling on the taxpayer to fund improvements through additional taxes.

Donna’s previous success with obtaining major state funding for municipal projects and resources makes her an excellent candidate for the Library Board of Trustees as we strive to make the Deep River Library an enhanced hub for this community. She believes that infrastructure projects such as this should be completed so Deep River can continue to thrive, remain competitive, attract businesses, and improve the quality of life for our residents.

Joshua rutty, Ethics Commission

Joshua Rutty is a 2025 Democratic Candidate for the Ethics Commission in Deep River, CT.

Nancy Cohn

Nancy Cohn, Ethics Commission

Nancy Cohn is a 2025 Democratic Candidate for the Ethics Commission in Deep River, CT.

Nancy and her husband moved to Deep River in 2005, and live in the blue house next to the cemetery on High Street. At that time, she still worked for the New York State Council on the Arts, from which she retired after more than 30 years in September 2010. Most of her working life has been devoted to the public sector. Nancy’s first job following completion of her Master’s Degree in Public Administration was with the New York City Budget Department, monitoring the community development block grant program. From there, she moved to the Arts Council.

Locally, Nancy has been and is currently an active volunteer at several community-based organizations. She was involved in the initial discussions that led to the creation of Deep River’s Design Advisory Committee. She was a board member of the Deep River Historical Society from 2011-2020 and was their Corresponding Secretary for eight of those years, as well as a member of their Finance Committee. She left that board to focus on other local non-profits. She is currently a pantry volunteer for the Shoreline Kitchens and Pantries. She also has helped “Save the Sound” with their oyster repopulation experiment in Clinton Harbor, and is a volunteer at Forgotten Felines, a cat shelter in Westbrook, where she gets to play with wonderful, homeless kitties in order to help them move from the shelter to their forever homes. 

Nancy has always prided herself on maintaining a separation between her work and her personal life. When the idea for the creation of an Ethics Commission for Deep River was first put forward, she was a strong supporter, not because she felt that there were violations of such a separation, but because it could provide a framework for all members of local government, be they salaried or volunteer, to follow.

Nancy believes that a critical task in any government work, be it on the local, state, or federal level, is to ensure that all programs operate ethically. Conflicts of interest must always be called out; there can be no personal entanglements in decision-making. Local ordinances and policies must be created and applied equally without regard to favor or prejudice. Nancy looks forward to providing thoughtful input on the Ethics Commission to ensure honesty and fairness in Deep River government.

Andrew Schmitz, Ethics Commission (Alternate)

Andrew Schmitz is a 2025 Democratic candidate for Full-Term Alternate Member on the Ethics Commission in Deep River, CT.

 A lifelong educator, Andrew moved with his wife to Deep River after many years in academia, drawn by the town’s natural beauty, and strong sense of community. He is a devoted husband, proud father of two adult children—one an aspiring electrician and the other a graduate student in Classics at Boston College—and a dog and cat lover who enjoys life in Deep River with his two cherished pups, Maisie and Mr. Guffman, and two enormously fluffy cats, Moe and Lion. He also is a member of the Deep River Land Trust, and works weekly on the trails crew. 

 Andrew spent over thirty years teaching writing, literature, and philosophy in colleges and universities in both the U.S. and Canada. He holds a Ph.D. in Comparative Literature from the State University of New York at Buffalo and has served as both professor and department chair at institutions including D’Youville University in Buffalo, Seneca College in Toronto, and Conestoga College in Kitchener, Ontario. In these roles, he not only taught a wide range of students—including many first-generation and nontraditional learners—but also developed new academic programs, led faculty hiring, and championed initiatives that supported student success.

 Throughout his career, Andrew has been an advocate for accessible, inclusive, and transformative learning experiences. He has authored and edited scholarly work, won national research grants, and led college-wide curriculum efforts—always with the goal of helping learners find their voice and pursue meaningful knowledge.

 Now retired from full-time academic life, Andrew brings his passion for public education, thoughtful governance, and service to the Ethics Commission. He believes deeply in the role of public ethics to assure Deep River residents of their funds are being used fairly and justly.

Andrew’s deep experience in education, curriculum design, and nonprofit governance makes him a thoughtful and capable candidate for the Deep River Ethics Commission. He looks forward to giving back to the community he now calls home.

Kate Webb, Ethics Commission (Alternate)

Kate Webb is the 2025 Democratic Candidate for 2-Year Alternate on the Ethics Commission in Deep River, CT.

Kate has spent time in the Deep River area for all of her life, but since moving to town 5 years ago has gotten to know and appreciate it much more.

To Kate, Deep River is a community with a wide range of interests and temperaments but who all value our beautiful town and environment, want to take care of it, and make sure it continues.  This is a sentiment she agrees with wholeheartedly.  

As an architect who has run her own business for 30 years, Kate has spent much of her time weighing options and opinions from contrasting points of views between clients, contractors, building departments and zoning commissions.  Kate was also on a board of directors responsible for a building of 100 apartments.  From both of these experiences, she learned that a solution often takes time, so that there can be ample discussion and thought.  

Kate hopes to bring these experiences to the position on the Ethics Committee. 

Bob Ferretti, DRES Board of Education

Bob Ferretti is a 2025 Incumbent Democratic Candidate for the Deep River Elementary School Board of Education in Deep River, CT.

Bob Ferretti is proud to call Deep River home. A resident for the past sixteen years, Bob has embraced all that small-town life has to offer—tight-knit community connections, a shared commitment to civic life, and the opportunity to contribute meaningfully to the place he and his family love. Having grown up in a small village on Cape Cod, Bob understands and values the unique character of towns like Deep River, where neighbors look out for one another and community involvement is essential. As he often says, “It takes a village,” and he’s dedicated to doing his part to help make Deep River the great small town that it is.

Bob and his wife, an educator at Valley Regional High School, are raising two children in the Region 4 school system—one currently attending Valley, the other at John Winthrop. As both a parent and community member, Bob is deeply invested in the continued success of our school system.

For the past ten years, Bob has served on the Deep River Elementary School Board of Education. During this time, he has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to supporting the school’s educators and administrators. He works collaboratively with fellow board members to ensure that students receive a rigorous, engaging, and inclusive education. Bob brings to the board a thoughtful, balanced perspective rooted in long-term involvement and a belief that strong schools are the foundation of a strong community.

Professionally, Bob has nearly two decades of experience at Yale University, where he has held positions of increasing responsibility. His roles have provided him with a broad and valuable skill set—spanning leadership, operations, budget development, labor relations, contract negotiations, and strategic planning. These experiences have informed his work on the Board of Education, helping him to advocate effectively for smart, sustainable investments in public education.

With a deep appreciation for Deep River’s character and a strong record of service, Bob Ferretti is committed to continuing his work to support the students, families, and educators of Deep River Elementary School.

Lenore Grunko, DRES Board of Education

Lenore Grunko is a 2025 Democratic Candidate for the Deep River Elementary School Board of Education in Deep River, CT.

Lenore Grunko is running for her 5th term of office for the Deep River Elementary School Board of Education.   She reports that serving on the board for this length of time has given her insight and perspective of the machinations of school governance that can only be gained by serving on the board for several years.  

Lenore received her B.A. In Psychology from the University of Maine, an M.A. In Performing Arts from American University and a 6th Year in Gifted Education from the University of Connecticut.  While Lenore is a Maine native, she and her husband became homeowners in Deep River to be close to family after she retired from 32 years as a public school teacher in 3 states, 9 grade levels and 6 schools. She has had 2 grandchildren in the Region #4 schools.  Lenore is also an actor, theater director and costumer.   She was fortunate to be able to continue teaching at Eastern Connecticut State University in Theatre for 9 years following “retirement.”  She also enjoys substitute teaching in Region #4 schools, a rare opportunity to gain insight into the workings of the Region #4 for people who work outside the system.  Otherwise, locally, Lenore is involved with and deeply concerned about environmental issues.  She is Vice-Chair on the Sustainable Committee and is Chair of the Deep River Transfer Station Committee. 

Having taught in such a wide capacity at so many grade levels gives Lenore the experience needed to make decisions with confidence and understanding.  She has worked and lived through school closures and school openings throughout her lifetime.  Locally, people have a wide range of opinions and concerns regarding the possible restructuring of Region #4, all of which can be addressed with education and discussion. Populations are decreasing all over the world and adjustments have to be made.  Looking forward, Lenore hopes to work to bring the schools together so that they may function in the best possible capacity for children and staffing alike while paying close attention to programming for today's needs. If every voice is listened to, heard and concerns addressed we can make our school system not just different but better.

Kyra Beta, DRES Board of Education

Kyra Beta  is a 2025 Democratic Candidate for the Deep River Elementary School Board of Education in Deep River, CT.

Kyra Beta is a longtime resident of Deep River, CT and a proud parent of three students, two of whom attend Deep River Elementary School and a dedicated advocate for public education. She graduated from Valley Regional High School in 2007 and went on to complete her studies in Political Science with an emphasis in International Development and Women’s Studies. Kyra spent time abroad working with children in Ethiopia, Guatemala and Ecuador. She returned to Deep River with her husband, Patrick, in 2015 where they have become invested members of our community. Kyra has served as secretary for the Friends of the Deep River Public Library since 2015 and on the Deep River Elementary School PTO board since 2022. She has also devoted the last ten years to volunteering as a mentor for youth 11-18, where she helps them strengthen leadership and life skills.

Over the past year, Kyra has regularly attended DRES Board of Education meetings, Region 4 Board of Education meetings and reviewed town meetings to better understand the challenges, priorities, and opportunities facing our school district.

With a background in non-profit leadership, Kyra brings practical skills in budget oversight, program development, and collaborative leadership. As the Deep River Elementary School PTO president (2023-2025) Kyra has spent the last two years regularly meeting with teachers, parents, and students to understand real classroom challenges. She values:

• Equitable access to education—for students of all backgrounds and abilities

• Fiscal responsibility—balancing resources to benefit our elementary school and our town

• Enhancing transparency & trust—ensuring open communication with all stakeholders, encouraging monthly reports, clear budgets and inviting parents to decision-making forums.

Kyra brings a deep commitment to public education, grounded in a belief that strong schools are the foundation of a strong community.

Keri Maclean, Region 4 Board of Education

Keri MacLean is a 2025 Democratic candidate for the Region 4 Board of Education.

Keri MacLean is a dedicated resident of Deep River, Connecticut, an experienced educator, and a proud mother deeply invested in the success of Region 4 Schools. She and her husband, Tom MacLean, have cherished living in Deep River for the past 12 years, raising their two children, Andrew (12) and Brooklyn (8), in this small, close-knit community. Keri has lived in Connecticut her entire life, fostering a lifelong commitment to the state's educational landscape.

Keri received her BA in English Education from Siena College, her MA in Humanities from Wesleyan University, and received her Doctorate in Educational Leadership from Southern Connecticut State University.

Keri has 26 years of experience as an educator in Connecticut school districts and 13 years in district administration, gaining extensive knowledge of school policy, budget processes, and strategic planning. She is deeply involved in two new school construction projects, providing significant experience in grant writing and facility development.

Keri is an active member of the community, including membership of the Deep River Elementary PTO from 2018-2023. She served as Co-President of the Deep River Elementary PTO during the 2022-2023 academic year. Her involvement has provided invaluable insights into the needs and aspirations of local families and educators.

Keri MacLean is running for the Region 4 Board of Education to leverage her unique blend of professional expertise, personal investment, and community dedication for the benefit of all students and taxpayers. She is driven by a strong desire to maintain the excellence of the Region 4 School's education system while simultaneously achieving a significantly lower cost for taxpayers.

During her term on the Board of Education, Keri's primary goal is to support the mission of restructuring the elementary schools. Her extensive background in district administration, including budget management and school construction, provides her with the practical knowledge to navigate this complex process effectively. She believes this strategic restructuring will:

• Strengthen Programming: By optimizing resources and facilities.

• Enhance Fiscal Responsibility: Delivering a more cost-effective educational model for taxpayers.

• Maintain Small Class Sizes: Ensuring personalized attention and quality learning environments for students.

Voters supporting Keri MacLean can expect a board member who is not only deeply knowledgeable about education policy and finance but also genuinely committed to the well-being of Deep River's children and the fiscal health of the community. Keri will bring a balanced approach to the Board, ensuring that Region 4 Schools continue to provide an outstanding education efficiently and responsibly, securing a strong future for our students and our town.