Washington Republican Town Committee

  • Rod Wyant, Vice-Chair

    Rod is a lifelong resident of The Town of Washington. He attended Rumsey Hall School, Shepaug Valley High School Class of 1982 serving as Class President in his Junior Year and then attended Naugatuck Valley Community College receiving his Associates Degree in 2017.

    Rod's began serving Washington in 1983 as an Alternate on The Washington Zoning Board of Appeals for 8 years. He later served as an Alternate on The ZBA in May 2007 serving until November 2011, after which he was elected as a Regular Member of the ZBA , a position he currently holds. Rod has also served on The Board of Assessment Appeals 1999-2009 and Justice of The Peace 2009-Present.

    Rod is a Campus Safety Officer at The Frederick Gunn School, currently in his 18th year. Rod was on the RTC from 2010-2018 and rejoined in 2022 to serve the community and help elect quality candidates.

  • Cathy Carron, Treasurer

    Cathy arrived in New Preston with her husband and two daughters as a weekender over 24 years ago, but in recent years has made the town her permanent home. After a brief corporate career, she switched to become a professional hand knit wear designer - ten books and close to 500 patterns later she still can’t put down the needles. Most recently, Cathy has been made a Trustee of The Old Stone Church & Meeting House in New Preston, where a new team is working to maintain the Church structure such as installing a new bell, new landscaping, refurbishing the windows, etc., in hopes making it more accessible to the public at large. Along with other RTC members, she’s eager to build the town’s Republican Party in an effort to preserve the traditions and wonderfulness that is embodied in the three villages of Washington.

  • Todd Peterson, Secretary

    Todd is a lifelong resident of Washington. He has previously served on the Zoning Board of Appeals for over nine years. Todd has enjoyed writing for his entire life. In the past decade he has had dozens of columns published in local newspapers and online. He has written heavily about the Second Amendment, social and fiscal policy, American history and occasionally spiritual issues. He also enjoys drawing portraits and works at a local animal rescue helping save lives four paws at a time. Todd currently serves as the Secretary of the Washington Republican Town Committee.

  • Robert Seymour

    Robert is as ‘local’ as it gets. He was born in the old New Milford hospital and went to New Preston grammar school and was in the last class of what was once the Washington High School. He took over the family farm in after his father’s passing in 1976, which today is a commercial haying business. As a side line, he restores antique cars and trucks. Robert has four children : two sons who live in Idaho and two daughters that live in town. He’s seen the the town change quite a lot going from a rural farm community to rural suburban community. He’s like to see the town retain as much small town character as possible, and hopes that, “smaller government, lower taxes and personal responsibility” aren’t things of the past.

  • Leslie Anderson

    Leslie Anderson grew up in the Woodville section of Washington. She graduated from Washington High School and went on to work as a Registered X-Ray Technician for the State of Connecticut for 38 years. She married and had two sons, one living here in Washington and one lives in Maine. After retirement, Leslie became more involved in the town, volunteering for various boards. She has been a member of the Housing Commission since 2010 and served as Treasurer of the Washington Republican Town Committee for 15 years.

  • Ray Reich

    Ray Reich has been a resident of Washington for 41 of his 83 years. He and his wife, Sue, raised three children in Washington, attending the Region 12 Schools. Ray taught physics and astronomy for 45 years, his early years were spent teaching in Pittsburgh and Cleveland, and his last 26 years of teaching were done at The Frederick Gunn School. Ray has long been involved in the town, serving 12 years on the Zoning Commission and even longer on the Parks and Rec Commission. He currently serves on the Steep Rock Association Board, Washington Republican Town Committee and the Washington Scholarship Fund. Ray enjoys volunteering in Washington at the Gunn Memorial Library, on the Washington Oustanding Citizenship Committee and with Shepaug Baseball.

  • Keith Templeton

    Keith Templeton received a BA from Dickinson College in Carlisle PA, and a JD from the University of Virginia. Following his formal education he served as a Judge Advocate and Military Judge in Special and General Courts-martial with the first Marine Aircraft Wing in Vietnam and Force Troops Pacific in 29 Palms, California. Having taken an interest in Labor Law in School, he pursued a career in Labor Relations representing employers as diverse as US Steel, Emery Air Freight,Consolidated Freightways, and United Parcel Service. In 1980, He relocated to Washington from Bethel. CT with his wife Barbara. He has served on the Board of Finance and the Board of Assessment Appeals. I particularly enjoy seeing the realization of the late Elisha Dyers' long held Dream of a re-purposed Atlantic filling station (Judy Black Memorial Park, Washington Depot). Keith paints with watercolors in his leisuretime.

  • Barbara Boucher

    Barbara feels fortunate to have lived with her family and worked in Washington for over 50 years. She has worked with the Town Hall for 30 years, while partnering with her husband in the family’s general contracting business. Currently, she serves as Secretary to the Washington Cemetery Association.

  • Ann Burton

    After retiring from New York University in 1994, Ann moved to Washington. Retirement from the academic world enabled her to begin a new chapter of life in this town. She served on the Gunn Library Board, and made the introduction to the New York Public Library “Literary Lions” director that led to the annual Gunn Library literary fund raising dinners. She became a member of the Connecticut Community Foundation Board [then the Waterbury Foundation] and through their grants program was able to be one of the founders of the ASAP Program [After School Arts Program]. Then in 2008, when money was tight and there was a need for food for the less fortunate, she helped to initiate the Judea Garden by getting individuals, social organization and schools to provide land and participate in growing crops to be given to those in need. The Garden has been a great success thanks to work of Denise Arturi and to the support of Steep Rock. All of these endeavors have in common neighbors helping each other in Washington to develop their artistic skills, to support their library and to grow food for others in need. We help each other; we do not look to the government to do that essential work. We have small town solutions - not big city/big government solutions to sustain and strengthen our town.

  • Joan Lodsin, Chair Emeritus

    Joan has been a member of the Washington Republican Town Committee for many years. During this time she has had the pleasure of being involved in advocating for and electing solid Republicans with strong Republican values. The WRTC continues this mission of promoting fiscal conservatism, small, non-intrusive government.

    Joan feels very fortunate to have lived in Washington for over 40 years. She believes it is a wonderful place to raise a family. Her children were educated in the Shepaug Region 12 Schools. She spent most of her career working in the judicial system, and most recently worked at the Washington Food Market where she enjoyed seeing and chatting with so many of the wonderful people of Washington. 

    Joan stepped down as Chair in the Spring of 2023. We are indebted to her for her hard work keeping the RTC going and thank her for all that she has done throughout the years..