The first of two mayoral debates with Mayor Laura Hoydick and Dr. David Chess kicked off at 7 PM, October 9th at Oronoque Village. There was standing room only, with an estimated 250 people present. Moderator Laurel Anderson, from the League of Women Voters, was prepared with questions for the candidates previously submitted by the Oronoque community. Index cards were given out at check in and passed around should residents want to ask a new question that had not been addressed during the hour and a half debate.
A coin toss determined that Dr. David Chess would receive the first question of the night, and Mayor Hoydick would be the first to give her closing remarks.
Dr. Chess proved himself early on in the debate. He had done his homework and was prepared at the podium. In September he received the endorsement of the Stratford Professional Firefighters, IAFF Local 998, citing the termination of two firefighters back in June by Mayor Hoydick as one of the reasons for their endorsement of Chess.
The Stratford Police Department Local 407 endorsed him, as well. Logan Williams, the Communications Assistant, AFSCME Council 4, told the Stratford Crier, “Our Local #407 Stratford Police Union has endorsed a candidate for mayor for the first time in nearly two decades, after years of neglect by Mayor Hoydick.”
What were the takeaways from this debate? Both candidates succeeded in showing their sense of humor and allowing their personalities to highlight some of their answers.
Both candidates served up reasons why they should be the next mayor in that they both love Stratford. Mayor Hoydick said that she and her administration would correct some of the mishaps from her tenure, like taking better care of the blighted properties around town. And yet, she misspoke about the Stratford Public School system. Dr. Chess stated that, “We’ve used the school to balance our budget, and this current administration balances the budget on the backs of our children…it’s been a massive chaos at the Board of Education.” Mayor Hoydick responded, “We are not an alliance district anymore, we support the facility, structures, and the budget. Every year we’ve had a surplus,” but this is not true.
Mayor Hoydick tried to prove Dr. Chess didn’t understand governance or the community. She did that by correcting him when talking about how many members are there at the Baldwin Center, attributed why solar panels took so long to be placed on Stratford High’s Roof due to COVID, and her support for the affordable housing development near the train station.
According to the 2025-2026 report from the state’s website, Stratford Public Schools are among the list of 36 schools listed as having some of the lowest test scores in the state, and is a town in need of additional resources to help improve absenteeism and test scores. Stratford has been on this particular list since 2017.
What we did not get from either candidate was anything new about their vision, changes they’d make to improve the town, or in Mayor Hoydick’s case, how she’d change anything or right the wrongs of her administration. Chess reminded community members that he comes with experience growing businesses and building teams, and that, in part, is why he’d be the stronger of the two to lead our town forward. Hoydick spent much of her time deflecting and sharing more about roles she’s held in government over the years, reminding community members that Dr. Chess is not a career politician.
This debate seemed to be the primer for their next debate, which is open to the public on Thursday, October 16th at Stratford High School, and like the debate at Oronoque Village, questions can be submitted beforehand. The debate begins at 5:30pm and you can learn more about it here.
I’m glad there was a debate and will be another and I’d like to hear about the vision for financial stability,not on the backs to the home owners.
We don’t need another Democratic mayor… look at the big cities that are democratic controlled. Look at Bridgeport, New Haven Hartford….. Chicago, Philadelphia and New York… and of course Boston!!! we don’t need David Chess!!!