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01/18/2017 07:00 AMWalt Spader can’t remember a time in his life when he hasn’t been civic-minded. Growing up in Shelton, his grandfather was an alderman, his mother was a teacher, and his father was a volunteer firefighter and a supernumerary police officer, sparking his interest in public safety.
“I started getting involved in politics when I was seven or eight years old and my grandfather would bring me along to events,” says Walt. “I was on the Democratic Town Committee in Shelton as soon as I was able to vote.”
No matter where Walt has lived since, he has gotten involved in his community. He spent some time in Derby, where he was also on the Democratic Town Committee (DTC), a ward chairman, and on the Zoning Board of Appeals. He began getting involved with different campaigns and was elected to the Connecticut Democratic State Central Committee.
Having worked with the Democratic party on the state level, Walt got to know people throughout the state. When and his wife Michelle moved to North Haven 12 years ago, he immediately joined the DTC, becoming the vice chairman within a year and now chairing the board.
“North Haven is a great community and there are a lot of civic minded people here,” says Walt. “Our government is run well.”
Three years ago, a seat opened on the North Haven Police Commission and Walt was elected. The Police Commission meets once a month and is the policy board for the North Haven Police Department. The commission also oversees the hiring and promotion of officers as well as working with the administration on the budget.
“On paper we have one monthly meeting, but there’s more that goes into it than that,” says Walt. “We make sure we have the right resources for training and are in regular contact with the chief and officers and administration Thankfully we haven’t had to do much in terms of discipline. The chief and administration do a good job with proper training.”
Since becoming a police commissioner, Walt became involved with the Police Commissioners Association of Connecticut (PCAC). When the former president of the PCAC moved out of state, Walt was asked to take over.
“They asked me a couple months ago and said I didn’t know if I had the time, but they kept coming back to me,” says Walt, who was named president of the PCAC in December. “It’s something I believe in—the opportunity to be involved with more people and more commissions around the state.
“To have me more involved in the capital will benefit the North Haven Police Commission and ultimately the townspeople to have access to more resources,” he says.
With the many issues facing law enforcement in today’s society—Walt notes the discussion of body cameras and the use of Narcan—he stresses the importance of discussing these topics at a state level and getting input from many different departments.
“It’s important to not just look locally, but globally, because no problems are new and we can create resources for each other,” says Walt. “It’s an important time for policing in America and we need to keep the public aware of the respect that police officers deserve for the work they do every day in keeping us safe.”
Walt is an attorney and his legal background has proven to be important to the various positions he has held over the years. In addition to being involved with the DTC and the Police Commission, Walt is also a Eucharist minister at St. Therese, a justice of the peace, and involved with his daughters’ softball teams.
Walt is passing on the importance of civic involvement to his daughters, 17-year-old Lynnsey and 11-year-old Katelyn. Lynnsey is a member of the Diversity Club at the high school, volunteers with Project Graduation, and runs the social media for both the DTC and Police Commission. Katelyn is on the school newspaper.
“I bring them to different political events and different meetings, just like my grandfather did for me to show them how you can have an impact on other people’s lives,” says Walt. “Those are proud moments.”
Walt’s wife, Michelle, is also involved with a variety of community service projects, including local food drives and toy drives, the Middle School Building Committee, and more. He remembers the influence that his grandparents and parents had on him and he hopes that he and his wife continue that tradition in their daughters.
“Life is about trying to leave things a little better than you found them and you do that through public services,” says Walt. “You don’t have to be an elected official or involved in politics to make a difference. You do what you can in your own way. [My family] taught me public service was important and I try to make sure my kids know that and I hope more people do.”