West Hartford Republicans Announce Candidacy of Beth Kyle for Town Clerk

Beth Kyle has been endorsed as the Republican candidate for the office of Town Clerk in the 2011 municipal elections. Kyle's nomination was announced following the West Hartford Republican Party's meeting Monday night.

She joins a slate of for Town Council and the Board of Education.

Kyle stated in a news release, "This is a great opportunity for me to apply what I know about management, efficiency, and outside-the-box thinking to the Town Clerk’s office. Public service is something I’ve long treasured, and when this opportunity arose to serve West Hartford, I knew it was the right time to get involved. Like so many residents that I’ve spoken with and who have encouraged me to run, I was appalled by the Democrat’s plan for a 14.5% pay raise for the position given the budgetary constraints of our town and the difficult economy that our residents are facing. My candidacy will be about doing what’s best for the town, not what’s best for the Town Clerk’s personal finances."

West Hartford Republican Party Chairman Peter Martin said in the release, "People were up in arms about the pay increase that Leon Davidoff and Scott Slifka proposed, so much so that interest in running for Town Clerk was at its highest level in quite some time. The best rise to the top, so when a vacancy arose, Beth stood out amongst a number of qualified individuals. In fact, Beth has already compiled a job description for the position, something Essie Labrot, the current Town Clerk, couldn’t even produce when asked to justify her pay hike."

The proposal to increase the Town Clerk's salary was originally scheduled to be discussed at the , but was withdrawn from the agenda.

According to the release, Kyle is an entrepreneur and small businesswoman who has lived in West Hartford for over 10 years. She is the mother of three young children. Kyle is the founder and co-publisher of Fun4Kids, an online and print directory resource for young children and parents. She can be reached at bethkylefortownclerk@gmail.com.