Carolyn Todd for Town Council

Carolyn Todd moved to Hamilton in 2000 with her husband Bill and two daughters Katie and Chloe.  After residing in California for 25 years, Carolyn and Bill chose to retire to the serenity and beauty of central New York where Bill was born and graduated from Hamilton Central School. 

Carolyn is a California native and grew up in San Leandro, a San Francisco Bay Area suburb.  She graduated from the University of California at Davis, earning a B.A. in Rhetoric and then an M.A. degree from the University of Wisconsin where she studied Communication Arts.  Upon returning to San Francisco she worked fifteen years in the financial district as a licensed stock broker in sales for Lehman Commercial Paper, Inc.

Carolyn’s association with Hamilton started in 1974 when she began visiting Bill’s parents, Gwen and Bob Todd.  She therefore felt right at home when she took up permanent residency here while continuing her interests in volunteer work and community involvement.  Starting the first year, she volunteered at Hamilton Central School where daughter Chloe was a middle school student.  She joined the Fortnightly Club in 2001 and is now serving as President.  She was invited to join Twigs, which supports the annual Community Memorial Hospital Tea and Sale, and has been a member since 2001. She also supports the hospital auxiliary as a book cart volunteer and has assisted with past CMH fundraising.                                                                                            [back to top]

The First Baptist Church of Hamilton had been the Todd family’s church since 1938. Carolyn joined this church and she serves it in a variety of ways: she is a member of the Board of Deacons (serving as Secretary), a Sunday School Teacher and a member of the Christian Women’s Fellowship, also serving as its Secretary.   For several years Carolyn has organized the gift-wrapping for the Interfaith Holiday Project.

In 2005 Carolyn became interested in the selection of new federally mandated voting equipment for New York State.  Having voted in California using the preferred paper ballot with optical scan (PBOS) system, she and her husband became involved with New Yorkers for Verified Voting (NYVV) which advocates for PBOS as the most voter-verifiable and secure of the possible systems. During the years of monitoring the choice of the new voting system, Carolyn attended committee and Board meetings of the Madison County Board of Supervisors in Wampsville, sometimes offering public comment.  Carolyn attended NYVV conferences and she was invited to join its group of Advisors.  Because of her interest in voting issues, Carolyn has become an Election Inspector, working as needed in local polling places.                                                                               [back to top]

Carolyn and her husband were nominated to serve as Co-Chairs of the Village of Hamilton Democratic Committee when it was organized in 2005-6.  Carolyn now serves as chairwoman. She thus believes in a vigorous two-party system as a method of giving voters choices in elections at all levels.  Carolyn also is an elected member of the Madison County Democratic Committee, representing Hamilton’s Election District #2. 

Another cause that Carolyn has become active in is land preservation, serving with the Southern Madison Heritage Trust, while taking deep satisfaction in its effort to preserve agricultural land in the beautiful hills of Madison county which she has grown to love.

She has attended Town Council meetings and various local hearings out of her interest in particular issues. She believes that citizens must pay attention to government and that government should be open.

Carolyn decided to run for Town Council because she believes in good government and thinks the Town Council will benefit from a diversity of viewpoints.  Her active participation and leadership in a variety of ways in this community have given her a perspective important for local government service.  Her past work experience in the financial and real estate fields will be beneficial in monitoring municipal financial resources.  She wants to use these and other skills to improve the quality of life for her friends and neighbors.     

Carolyn’s current hobbies are swimming, yoga, contra dancing, cooking and following local high school and college sports and musical performances.                                                         [back to top]

9/1/09