By Leann Schenke

MILFORD — If serving in local government is where you can make the most difference, then Nirmala Samaroo is in the right place.

During City Council’s Nov. 8 meeting, Ms. Samaroo was sworn into office to represent Milford’s 3rd Ward.

With no one else filing to run for the seat left open by former Councilman Doug Morrow, she was the winner by default of a special election. Mr. Morrow recently announced that he was moving to Wilmington.

Councilwoman Samaroo said Wednesday she hopes to use her background in accounting to help out the city.

“Being a citizen of Milford, I can do much more,” she said. “I thought I would love to take part and help people.”

A native of Groton, Connecticut, Councilwoman Samaroo moved to Georgetown in 2011.

She has an associate degree in accounting from Delaware Technical Community College and is employed at Tax Management Services Inc. in Milford as a payroll clerk. The councilwoman said some of her responsibilities are bookkeeping and doing taxes for both individuals and businesses.

Councilwoman Samaroo has lived in Milford since 2018, when she and her husband purchased a house in the city. She said her family wanted a place to live that was centrally located to their jobs.

“We were just driving by, actually,” she said. “When we were driving on the highway, we saw that everything was super close. You have all the shopping centers nearby.”

Councilwoman Samaroo has two sons, ages 8 and 9.

Though this is her first time seeking office, she said she has always been motivated to help others.

“Before I moved here, when I was at (Delaware Tech), I liked participating in a lot of volunteer events that they had,” she said. “You get to meet new people, and you get to learn something new.”

Councilwoman Samaroo said the best part of serving on council, so far, has been getting to know her community better.

“Mixing with the people, going to the events that they have here is really nice,” she said. “Getting to know your community a little bit more.”

She will serve an abbreviated term, as she is filling out the rest of Mr. Morrow’s. When her seat is up for election in 2023, Councilwoman Samaroo said she will likely seek another term.

Meantime, she said she is enjoying learning more about council and how it functions.
“My long-term goals, if I’m going to be there for a longer time, I want to help in any way I possibly can,” she said. “It’s been interesting and a great experience.”