About Riley
Riley O’Connell is a 5th generation Wallingfordian, the oldest of three brothers. His father is a local business owner and his mother is a public school teacher. Riley grew up attending Pond Hill Elementary and Dag Hammarskjold Middle School before diverging from the long held family tradition of attending Lyman Hall High School by matriculating to Choate Rosemary Hall instead, where he would go on to graduate with cum laude distinction. He later earned his bachelors degree at Bowdoin College, where he double majored in Government and Environmental Studies.
Riley spent three years working in the criminal investigations unit of the Antitrust Division of the Department of Justice in Washington D.C. In his time there, he participated in multiple investigations that resulted in Division record fines for particularly egregious crimes, worked directly under the Office of the Attorney General, was a critical member of the COVID-19 fraud task force, and received a recognition award from U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Southern District of Texas for his “Outstanding Contributions in the Pursuit of Justice.” He particularly enjoyed the opportunity to work closely with so many different people and departments including the FBI, Department of Defense, judges, attorneys, paralegals, support staff, and so many more.
Despite his career taking him around the country, Riley never lost touch with the friends and family that made his hometown so special. It was in Wallingford that he first developed his lifelong passion for public service through his volunteer work with the public library, Church of the Resurrection, special needs organizations, and so on. These experiences later drove him to expand his public service, including service trips to Oaxaca, Mexico, volunteering with the Special Olympics, interning for Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro, enlisting in the U.S. Army Reserves, and ultimately pursuing his nearly successful run for Mayor in 2021. He now sees the 2023 election as a once in a generation opportunity, one that he truly believes would allow Wallingford to get back on its feet with common sense leadership.
Many of you may already know Riley O’Connell as more than just a candidate for mayor. He grew up being brought to Community Pool by his mother most days each summer, later working as a lifeguard to earn money for college, and now expending every effort to save this invaluable town asset from fading away forever. You’ll often find him kicking around a soccer ball at Vietnam Memorial Park or going on a jog through Tyler Mill with his dog, Brunswick.
Many of you may have met him on the campaign trail already, or at one of the thousands of doors he has been thrilled to knock. Moral of the story, if you have not had the chance to get to know him yet, you will soon!
Yes, Riley is increasingly concerned with the state of our town and the direction it is moving in — hence this campaign for mayor — but do not misinterpret this to mean he does not realize how amazing this town is. Riley O’Connell believes in Wallingford as much as anyone. He loves this town more than he could ever put into words, and he would have never put his career on pause to run if that were not the case.
These have been a difficult few years for all of us, but it is the very resilience and ambition of our residents that make this community what it is. Here’s looking forward to better days, and a better Wallingford, just over the horizon!
