I am Bilal Tajildeen and I’m one of three Alders who represent Waterbury’s 5th district. A lot motivated my decision to seek elected office but none more so than my love for our city and its residents. 

When I was born, my family lived on Willow Street, but we spent most of our time at our store, Tajildeen's Corner, on the corner of East Main and Cherry. If you stopped by that store at any point between the 50s and the 90s, you saw my family! It started out mostly as a candy store but when my parents immigrated from Lebanon in the 80s, they expanded it to be more like a grocery store/deli. 

I graduated from Sacred Heart and then spent two years at UConn Waterbury before moving to Storrs to finish my bachelor's in English. After taking a few years off from being a student, I went to Central CT State University to get my master's in English. Now I work as an associate dean in the state community college system and I adjunct from time to time. 

I strive to be both a passionate and a critical elected official. I care a lot about racial equity, the LGBTQ community, older adults, and building genuine relationships with others. I don't want to be transactional, to only do something because I get something out of it. I ran because I believe in service leadership. 

If you're interested in learning more, let's grab a cup of coffee!

ABOUT ME