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01/03/2018 07:30 AMPeople in town may be familiar with Joseph Solimene for a number of reasons; he’s now a member of the Board of Education (BOE), an alternate on the Planning & Zoning Commission (PZC), and is an attorney whose office is in town, among other things.
About a year ago, Joseph was appointed to the PZC to fill a vacancy, and was successfully elected as an alternate in the November 2017 elections.
“It’s an interesting commission, I’ve really enjoyed it,” Joseph says.
He feels there’s a learning curve that comes with being on the PZC—commissioners have to be familiar with the zoning regulations, and there are a lot of things that come through, such as site plans, that take time to look at and digest.
However, he says the people on the commission are very knowledgeable, dedicated, and friendly, and they’ve been willing to help him with any questions he’s had along the way.
“It’s just kind of nice to know you’re walking into a situation like that, and people are willing to take even more time out of their day or their schedule to…help you so you can do the best job you can do as a member of the commission,” Joseph says.
He has four children ranging in age from pre-school to middle school (Daniella, Alex, Elaina, and Joe) who are in the town’s school district. Since he’ll have kids in the district for a while, he has a vested interest in the schools, which makes his role on the BOE that much more important to him.
He says a strong school district was a factor in moving to town.
“If there’s anything that I can do as a member of the BOE that helps the school system, which in turn then can help the town, it’s something that I would be more than happy to try to do and be involved with,” Joseph says.
The first thing he got involved in was the North Haven Education Foundation, where he serves on the Board of Directors. He says the foundation does wonderful things to support the teachers, students, and education in town, such as the spelling bee fundraiser the foundation holds every April.
“It’s nice to see that sense of community come together and have a good time, and it winds up being a fun night,” he says about the spelling bee.
Joseph says he tries to teach his kids that if they’re going to live somewhere and be a part of a community, they should do things to help that community, give back, and serve the public.
“The best way to show that to your children and to instill that message is to lead by example,” he says.
His kids will see there are nights he’s gone because he volunteers at the library for the New Haven County Bar Association’s (NHCBA) Ask a Lawyer program, or mornings he’s gone because of an education foundation meeting.
Joseph is also the co-chair for NHCBA’s public service committee. He recently brought his two oldest children to an event at the food bank in Wallingford to broaden their horizons to a world beyond the usual homework and sports.
“Hopefully at some point, they feel that they’re in a position to give back and to serve, as well,” Joseph says.
He’s been practicing law for about 14 years, and though he’s solo now with an office in town, he’s worked in firms of different sizes, including large firms with more than 800 attorneys and offices all over the country.
He says he’s happy where he is now, adding that he wanted to have a local law firm-feel where if he meets somebody with a problem, he can help.
Although he enjoyed working in the large firms when he did it, he says he was flying all over the country, and he missed a lot of things with his kids.
“You don’t get that time back, so that was the main reason I changed and went out on my own,” Joseph says.
As to how he’s able to balance everything he’s involved with, he says he lucky that his wife Elycia (who is also an attorney) is supportive and lets him be involved and do what he does. He says they’re a perfect match because they’re in similar situations, so they understand each other and can balance each other out.
A resident of town since 2009, Joseph takes a lot of pride in being a part of North Haven’s community.
“I really have been very lucky since moving to this town to have been involved in the things I’ve been involved in, and hopefully be able to give back and help the town in some small way,” he says.