Election 2025: Town Council Candidate Mike Rodgers [Q&A] 

Town resident Mike Rodgers, a Democrat, is seeking election to the Town Council, New Canaan’s legislative body. The Democrats currently hold four seats on the 12-member elected body. Six seats are up for election: four currently held by Republicans, two by Democrats. There are five Republicans and four Democrats running for Town Council.

Here’s our exchange with Rodgers.

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New Canaanite: Please give us some background on you, including your history in New Canaan and your involvement with community organizations and/or local government. 

Mike Rodgers: My wife and I moved from NYC to New Canaan in 2002. My wife worked in advertising, and I own a wholesale business that designs and manufactures home accessories for national retail and hospitality accounts. Owning a business has taught me having to pick and choose priorities and to know when to spend money and when to pull back. 

In 2006 we brought our son home from Guatemala and he went through the New Canaan public school system from kindergarten at East to graduating high school in 2024 and now is a sophomore at UConn Storrs. During those years, I coached his elementary school soccer team, was head usher at our church, chaired the fellowship committee, and taught Sunday school. In 2012, I was asked and still serve on the board of S.T.A.R., a local non-profit focused on inclusion and equity education. Most recently I was for the past three years a deacon at our church where there was a broad array of opinions on the topics on which we had to find agreement. There I learned to look for the areas where we can agree and lean into that to come up with solutions that work.

The Town Council is soon to kickstart the Charter revision process. What changes, if any, would you like to see to New Canaan’s main governing document?

I would welcome the Charter revision process, as I think there are changes that need to be made as the town has significantly changed in the last 10 years. My biggest objective would be to expand the board of selectpersons from three to five people to encourage a more diverse representation.

Where do you stand on the proposed seasonal ban on leaf blowers?

I’m looking forward to seeing the full ordinance, but I do think that weekend bans of gas leaf blowers and heavy machinery doing construction are appropriate.

What is one change or new initiative that you would like to see through as a Town Council member, if there is one?

I want to disempower outside developers by getting an agreed plan with Hartford on affordable housing so that we are compliant with the law and in control of our own future development.

To what extent, if at all, will your party’s national agenda affect your decision-making at the local level?

I am a long-time Democrat, but I believe my first responsibility is to our town. My values, like fairness and accountability, align with the national Democratic party, but when it comes to governing locally, my decisions will be about our town’s needs. I’ll always listen to residents first and make choices that serve our community.

It’s been just over one year since The Playhouse reopened following an extensive renovation that went over budget. How do you rate the success of New Canaan’s partnership with CinemaLab, the movie theater’s operator?

The Playhouse has been a welcome addition to our downtown since its reopening. Its cost overruns are also a good example of the need for members of the Town Council to be proactively engaged in earnest long-term financial planning, rather than purporting to extrapolate long-term costs from short-term budgets each year like the schools’ operating budget. We need to keep a close eye on future capital projects to ensure that taxpayer dollars are being spent on residents’ highest priorities. 

Tell us something about yourself that most people don’t know.

After graduating from college, I spent a year working on a novel.