Board Of Selectmen

 Charles, a former business owner who operated a local printing company for 25 years, is seeking re-election to the Board of Selectmen for a fifth term. Charles and his wife, Marlene, a longtime second-grade teacher at Melissa Jones School, raised two sons in Guilford and are proud grandparents to two granddaughters. Deeply committed to public service, Charles has served as Chairman of the Board of Trustees at Guilford Savings Bank and has been a Selectman’s appointee to the Representative Policy Board of the South Central Regional Water Authority. He has also served on numerous town boards and commissions, including the Planning and Zoning Commission, the Inland Wetlands Commission, and the Economic Development Commission. Charles has been an active volunteer with the Soundview YMCA, Guilford Youth Mentoring, and the Guilford Land Conservation Trust. As an incumbent Selectman, Charles has prioritized fiscal responsibility, infrastructure improvements, and bipartisan collaboration. He remains committed to strengthening Guilford’s economic base, easing the residential tax burden, and ensuring sound management to keep Guilford well-positioned for a successful future. 

 Jeff is currently serving his third term on the Board of Finance, where he has worked collaboratively with the other members of the Board to propose budgets that provide efficient, reliable service to Guilford’s citizens while being mindful of the cost of those services to Guilford’s taxpayers.

Jeff grew up in Guilford and graduated from Georgetown University and the University of Connecticut School of Law. He returned to Guilford in 1996 to practice law with his father. An active member of the Guilford community, Jeff has served on the boards of several community organizations including The Guilford Arts Center, The Guilford Community Fund, The Guilford Chamber of Commerce, Guilford Youth Mentoring, The Guilford Board of Ethics, The SARAH Foundation, The Guilford Foundation, The Guilford Free Library,  The Guilford Keeping Society, and as a corporator for Ascend Bank (formerly Guilford Savings Bank). 

As an Independent candidate for re-election to the  Guilford Board of Finance, Jeff will continue to find practical solutions that address the immediate needs of the Guilford community while planning for Guilford’s long-term fiscal health.

 Elias is a global leader with over 20 years of executive experience driving growth, managing multi-million-dollar budgets, and building strategies that deliver measurable results. As Vice President of Sales & Marketing for Samsung Electronics in Latin America, he grew sales by over 300% and earned a reputation for financial expertise and results-driven leadership.

Beyond the corporate world, Elias teaches algebra and trigonometry at Amity Regional High School, where he inspires students to think critically and solve problems creatively. This role has strengthened his commitment to serving the community with transparency and integrity.

As an Independent candidate for Guilford’s Board of Finance, Elias will bring a pragmatic, data-driven approach to managing town finances. His priority is to ensure that every dollar spent enhances the quality of life for residents while protecting Guilford’s long-term fiscal health.

With proven experience in international markets, financial planning, and team leadership, Elias is ready to guide Guilford’s financial future responsibly—so the town thrives today and for generations to come.

 A mother of two, incumbent Board of Education member Jennifer Baldwin graduated from the University of Connecticut and received her J.D. from Quinnipiac University. She has served as a public defender since 2000 and is currently a Senior Public Defender in New Haven. She moved to Guilford 22 years ago and has been heavily involved in many school Parent Teacher Organizations. She served as Secretary for the A.W. Cox PTO, on the board of the Special Education PTO, and Secretary for the Baldwin Middle School PTO. First elected to the Board of Education through the powerful Protect Guilford Schools Campaign in 2021, Jennifer understands the importance of thoughtful governance in education. Her service on the Board of Education has included a particular focus on fiscal responsibility and ensuring expenditures align with the budget. With a responsible budget in mind, she will continue to uphold the community’s collective vision for its education system, laid out in the Portrait of a Graduate Board of Education report.

 Raised in the Mohawk River valley of upstate New York in a middle-class family, Ralph Brooks thrived within his city’s public schools and thereafter at Yale University. He graduated in 1997 as a chemical engineer and worked for a decade in pharmaceutical process optimization, research, and development. Along the way, he earned a master’s from Lehigh University and pivoted back to health research at his Connecticut alma mater. He and his wife spent three years in rural South Africa researching ways to improve health outcomes among people with TB and HIV, before returning to the U.S. to raise a family. They moved to Guilford primarily due to the reputation of the school system and, over the last 13 years have fallen fully in love with this community. They now have sons in both Lakes and Baldwin. Ralph regularly presents to Lakes classrooms for the parent-led Science Investigations programs and for topical presentations on astronomy and fossils. He has been actively involved with Guilford’s Cub Scout packs as a committee chair and den leader and is a proud member of the St. George Catholic Community. In 2024, he was appointed to the Guilford Board of Education to complete the remainder of the term of an Independent Party member who had to step down. Ralph is running on November 4th to ensure Guilford's educational system remains a source of envy among other CT towns, and that GHS graduates continue being adaptable, responsible, and empathetic thinkers, communicators, and global citizens. He is proud to be running on Row C on the Independent ticket.  

 Amy is an incumbent member of Guilford’s Board of Education. She has lived in Guilford since 2010 and raised her two sons here; she deeply appreciates the exceptional education that her family benefited from and is committed to continuing that excellence for all children in Guilford. Amy is an educator at heart and applies her professional experience to her role at the Board of Ed.

Since moving to town, she has been an active volunteer, serving as a co-chair of the Community Nursery School’s Little Folks Fair, helping at the Guilford Fund for Education, and volunteering in classrooms at A.W. Cox School. She is also committed to supporting others who have been affected by cancer. She has ridden in the Smilow Ride for the past 13 years, has served as an ambassador at the Community Foundation for Greater New Haven, and has also been a Patient-Family Advisor at Smilow. She also created Kids HUGS, a program designed to support children and families affected by cancer or other serious illnesses, which operated from 2015 to 2021. 

Amy holds a BA from Denison University and a Master's in Education from Harvard University. She is a senior faculty member and coach at HAVEN Human Asset Ventures. With over 20 years of experience in leadership training and communications coaching, she helps leaders reach their full potential.  

Amy is running as a member of Independent Guilford and is committed to supporting excellence in our Guilford Public Schools. She believes in collaborative dialogue to support and enhance our unique community. She will listen to all perspectives and work tirelessly to make the best decisions for Guilford.