Borough Burgess Candidate Q&A: Kathryn Nason Burchenal

Stonington-Mystic Patch asked each candidate to answer a questionnaire to give residents information about his or her background. See other election coverage here.

Name As It Will Appear On The Ballot: Kathryn Nason Burchenal

Party Affiliation: Democrat

Brief Biography: Kathryn Nason Burchenal is serving her second term as a burgess and is currently the Stonington Borough Police Commissioner. Burchenal grew up in Gales Ferry and during school years had summer jobs at the Mystic Aquarium and the Mystic Seaport. She moved away in 1978 to earn a doctorate in molecular and cellular biology and had a rewarding 20-year career in cancer research at the National Institutes of Health and Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.

She has served on the Stonington Borough Planning and Zoning Commission and is committed to many volunteer activities. Burchenal served on the boards of the Stonington Free Library, CUSH, Stonington COMO. She is an active member of the Stonington Garden Club and a current Trustee of the Waldron Fund.

What is the primary reason you are running for this office?
Borough residents must be involved in this government to keep it alive. We have the unique opportunity to serve in a democratic form of governance, which is a privilege and is extremely interesting. 

What will be your single most important priority if you get elected? 
If I were to be re-elected, aside from working to meet the general governance goals of the Warden and Burgesses, I would like to be re-appointed as Commissioner of Police and Communications, both of which I enjoy. This would enable me to continue to work on traffic calming measures which are so key to our safety, and to continue working with our administrative assistant to finalize the newly designed website for the borough.

How long have you lived in the borough?
I have lived in the Borough for nine years.

What’s your favorite thing about the borough?
Living in the village, one is able to able to walk to everything and to see friends and neighbors along the way. People support and watch out for each other, so there is a feeling of safety and belonging. We have stores and a farmer's market, a library, music, art, a vital literary community, churches, a fishing fleet, boats galore, and the Borough itself and the views from here are beautiful. 

Where do you work and what is your job title?
Currently, I am a Burgess and I am also committed to many volunteer activities in the Borough and in the Town.

What’s been the biggest success of the borough government over the past two years?
Infrastructure repair: The borough government systematically reviewed Borough infrastructure and formulated a five-year road repair plan that is achievable and cost effective; this work has begun. Repairs have been done for sea walls, , parks, and to correct serious drainage issues—all within the budget. 

What’s been the biggest failure?
I can think of a challenge that could have been a failure but wasn't: With the increasing cost of just about everything, from fuel to construction projects to health benefits, it has been a challenge to stay on budget, but the borough government has been able to do that by being conservative, cost conscious, and organized.

Contact Information: Kathryn Nason Burchenal, 860-535-3202.