The Republican candidate for State Representative in the 151st district in November is Tod Laudonia, a longtime Cos Cob resident. He will challenge Democrat Hector Arzeno who is running for a second term.
Laudonia, who said he will not be taking the funding from the Citizens’ Election Program, noted, “I don’t believe the state or any government should be involved in financing people’s campaigns for office.”

Tod Laudonia. Photo: Leslie Yager
This is Laudonia’s first run for a state office, though he was elected locally as Greenwich Tax Collector in 2009, and served four 2-year terms. In 2017 he lost to Democrat Howard Richman, who would serve just one term and then lose to Republican Heather Smeriglio, the town’s current tax collector.
Laudonia also served on the RTM for 16 years, though the years were not consecutive as he worked in California and commuted home during one term.
In 2019 he sought the Republican nomination for First Selectman, along with Mike Mason and Fred Camillo, who would gain the nomination and ultimately be elected to the job and continues to hold that office today.
In addition to working as the town tax collector, Laudonia has been a member of the Greenwich Association of Realtors since 1985, specializing in Greenwich properties.
He also owned Banksville Liquor Store from 1986 to 1999.
Laudonia attended Rollins College for his freshman year where he was recruited to play golf, but transferred to Emerson College in Boston where he majored in Mass Communication.
He moved back home to Greenwich in 1985.
Laudonia said he and his wife both attended St. Mary High School.
“We were senior class officers together,” he said.
While Laudonia grew up in Cos Cob, his wife grew up across from Greenwich Hospital on Glen court.
“We’ve been married since 1981. We have had a joint checking account since 1974,” he said with a smile.
Their daughter Kristen attended Greenwich Catholic School and then Greenwich High School.
Many will know Laudonia from his leadership role at the St. Lawrence Society in Cos Cob, which was founded by Italian immigrants from Rose, Italy in 1923.
The St. Lawrence Society, where Laudonia has served as president for 19 years, is a non-profit that raises funds for charitable causes in town and is a popular event venue. Their annual Columbus Day celebration always draws a crowd.
“The club was started to be a place for people to come and feel comfortable. It helped Italian immigrants assimilate into American society. The original group started the club to give a place for people from Italy to come and get help if they got sick, and to help them get jobs. It’s all about giving back,” he said.
Laudonia said his roots extended to the homes his family lives in. He and Jane live in the house his father built, and their daughter lives in the house her great grandfather built in 1914.
On the topic of houses, Laudonia said he was deeply concerned about the renewed push for a “Mansion Tax” proposed by Democrats in Hartford, though it failed to make it out of committee. The Mansion Tax would represent a state surcharge on top of local property taxes and, according to Laudonia, become an obstacle to home ownership.
He said Democrats had pushed for regional tax collection as well.
“It was proposed under the guise of efficiencies,” Laudonia said, using air quotes. “The idea was to try to change from a system where each town has its own tax collector – though a couple towns share a tax collector – and have the state do regional tax collection. They would divide the state into six sections and the state would collect all the money and then return it to municipalities.”
“The eventual outcome of that would be, ‘We need to cover administrative expenses,’ and add one mill,” Laudonia said. (A mill is equal to $1.00 of tax for each $1,000 of assessment.)
Small Government, Low Taxes
Laudonia said moves toward regional or county forms of government in the guise of “efficiency” add layers of bureaucracy in Connecticut and contribute to big government.
An example he gave was the regional buying groups in the state, where for example Greenwich, Stamford and Darien form a buying group to purchase items in quantity including salt for the roads or police cars.
“Everyone gets a discount because the number of sales, as opposed to Greenwich going to Greenwich Jeep Chrysler and buying 30 police cars,” he said. “Buying groups are forcing the administrative state to become bigger and bigger – we’re desperately trying to hold on to our New England style of governance, but it’s being pulled away in a lot of different aspects.”
Laudonia said local control was paramount to his campaign.
“The premise is keeping control locally, returning what’s been taken away and defending what we already have,” he said. “This extends to Planning & Zoning.”
“A while ago, we had a movement in the RTM several years ago where a group was trying to eliminate the town form of government. We were able to put that whole process down,” Laudonia recalled, adding that the town’s unique volunteer-based form of government must be protected.
“We’re pretty unique in that we have this base of volunteers who are way overqualified for what they do. We could never pay them what they were making in the private sector and it’s worked very well. The only problem stems out of is from Hartford – that’s the loss of local control.”
Affordable Housing
With the shortage of affordable housing and shortage of supply driving up rents and home costs, Laudonia said legislation out of Hartford was not the solution.
Starting with the state affordable housing statute 8-30g, he said, “The problem is the interpretation of the way it’s being implemented. The way it’s written, a developer does an 8-30g and it doesn’t do anything to add to the 10% goal of affordable housing.”
“I certainly support affordable housing,” he said. “I would defer to the local Planning & Zoning commission to make the right decisions as opposed to relying on a Hartford statute.”
Common Sense and Constituent Engagement
Laudonia sees the 151st district as roughly divided politically into thirds: 30% Republican, 30% Democratic and 40% unaffiliated.
“We as a district and as a town, need some representation in Hartford that represents all of the people,” he said. “Hector Arzeno voted 99% with the Hartford Democrats, which is not representing 70% of the people.”
“The whole concept is to represent the people who elect you, not to govern the people – not to decide what you think is good for them.”
Laudonia said that when he served as tax collector he listened to residents and that constituent engagement would be a hallmark of his service in the state legislature.
“I am going to accomplish this whole situation with common sense,” he said.
Joe Montanaro, former Greenwich Republican Vice-Chair and current RTC Executive Committee Member, also a member of the St. Lawrence Society, is managing Laudonia’s campaign, describing it as “grass roots and community based.”
“We’re all friends and neighbors,” Laudonia said.
Reproductive Rights
Asked about his stance on reproductive rights and abortion given Roe was overturned last year, Laudonia said while he was a practicing Catholic, he would separate his personal views.
“I swear to uphold the statutes of the State of Connecticut,” he added.
Law Enforcement, Public Safety
“I’m a rule of law person. I think we have laws on the books for a reason and need to enforce them,” Laudonia said. “We’ve always operated on a common sense basis. I don’t see any big problem in the Town of Greenwich. I think our police dept is doing a good job surveilling the situations and keeping it under control. I don’t want to to see their hands tied by anything.”
With bump outs and intersections on Greenwich Avenue back in the news, Laudonia commented that he would like to see Greenwich Police restored to Greenwich Avenue to direct traffic at the intersections.
Motor Vehicle Tax
Laudonia commented on the legislative change on the valuation of motor vehicles in Connecticut, saying that like the proposed mansion tax it would impact towns with low mill rates like Greenwich.
“The increase in the assessment on the car tax only effects towns with low mill rates,” he said. “Because the maximum rate is set – in places like Bridgeport or Waterbury, people’s car taxes are set at the maximum. In places like Darien or Greenwich, towns run correctly with lower mill rate below the cap, the increase in the assessment from 80% to 85% is an increase in your taxes. The legislation is targeted to places that are running their own municipalities correctly – not overspending.”
Laudonia recalled that when he was vice president of the Fairfield County Tax Collectors Association, tax collectors across the state would make comments about Greenwich’s wealth.
“They’d say, ‘Oh you’re from Greenwich, you don’t have any problems.’ And I’d said, ‘You don’t understand. We have all the same problems, we just have more $0s on the end. People still are still striving to making enough money to pay a mortgage. They all have families and all the same pressures and problems.”
Small Business Champion
“I’d like to be a champion for small business,” he said. “There are over burdening regulations that should come out of Hartford. I’ like to be there and have some say in the outcome.”
Laudonia gave an example of the executive order during Covid that imposed an eviction moratorium for residential renters.
“They’re not looking at both sides of the story. It’s a representation situation, he said. “You have to represent both sides of the story.”
More information on Mr. Laudonia is on his website.
Editor’s note: GFP is limiting profiles to first-time candidates. Previously, we interviewed State Rep candidate for the 149th district Tina Courpas and State Senate candidate for the 36th district, Nick Simmons.