Candidate Submitted Bio

I have been a member of the Board of Selectmen for four years and served as second selectman for two of those years. I also have close to 10 years of experience serving on Zoning Board of Appeals and Planning and Zoning Commissions and I currently serve on the Water Pollution Control Authority.

My family has lived in Wilton since 1973. I am a Wilton High School graduate and have obtained a BA from Villanova University as well as an MBA from the University of New Haven. 

I currently am employed by Yale New Haven Health System in its Corporate Supply Chain Department as manager of logistics. I have experience in emergency management and Six Sigma programs.

Video Interview

Candidate Submitted Op-Ed

My multiple years of experience on Wilton boards and commissions position me to be an asset to the Board of Education. I have the most experience on town boards and commissions than any other candidate. I have served as second selectman for two years and learned much about the workings of town government. During this time I developed a keen interest in the Board of Education and a desire to learn more emerged. I would like to make a difference for students, staff and our community.

As a long term resident and graduate of the Wilton School District, I have a true love for our town and its precious asset, our schools. I will strive to maintain accessibility to the Board and will proactively engage the community in supporting our students, and educators.

I have experience in town infrastructure and building decisions such as the Miller-Driscoll School renovation and the pending Police Headquarters project. There were difficult decisions that had to be made during both. This invaluable experience will assist in the challenging issues coming before the Board.

Key priorities for the Board will include budget, policy updates, infrastructure repairs and collaboration. Collaboration will be extremely important as we work with the BOF and BOS to navigate budget season. I have been a member of tri-board committees that work together to obtain the best possible outcome for the town. I will continue to do the same on the Board of Education while keeping students, staff and community at the forefront.

One of the biggest challenges facing our town will be the identified infrastructure repairs that must occur over the next 10 years. The Board will need to prioritize and develop funding to complete. My background will allow me to be a trusted advisor in these matters.

I will advocate for high achievement across all grade levels. Every student attending the Wilton schools should have the opportunity and resources to succeed. The school environment should be one of learning, respect and creative thinking. Schools work best when parents and the Board work together.

Greater collaboration with the Board of Finance must be a priority. A more thoughtful approach is needed, focusing on transparency and open discussion. This will result in a more productive budget process while improving outcomes for students.

I bring a unique skill set from past town experience and my career focusing on supply chain logistics. I manage complex budgets and many employees providing key services. While I was a member of the Board of Selectmen savings were obtained by improving internal efficiencies. I have extensive experience in identifying non-labor savings and process improvements. I will apply this knowledge to the Board.

Vacancy review should occur for each position. Each opening should be discussed and looked at for greater efficiency. Contract negotiations and purchasing practices are key areas of opportunity and should be reviewed on an annual basis.

Pressure from increasing costs will require respectful thoughtful leaders to work as a team in a non-partisan manner to deal with the pending budget. I will be one of those leaders as I am collaborative, hardworking and of high integrity.

I am seeking your support for my election to the Board of Education in order to continue this important work. I believe that Wilton’s best years are ahead and would be honored to be part of the Board of Education. My experience will allow me to hit the ground running on key initiatives. It is my intention to serve students and staff. Thank you for your consideration.

Video Clips

After serving on Planning and Zoning and Board of Selectmen, what motivated you now to run for the Board of Education?

Tell voters about how you’ve been involved with Wilton schools?

Talk about conflict of interest, your disclosure and the conversation around that right now, including the other candidates running for BOE on the Republican ticket.

Hypothetically, you are serving on a board where potentially two other Board of Education members have to recuse themselves from a budget vote or something major. That means just four other people are deciding critical issues facing the schools and town. Is that fair to voters? Is it fair to the district? What do you think about that situation?

You mentioned the opportunity to be of benefit to the board. What board need will you fill? Where will you be able to find savings and why? What expertise will you bring?

Having had experience as a BOS member, how does that help with budgets and dealing with the BOF? And dealing critically with the superintendent and the budget he presents?

What areas where the board hasn’t taken a close enough look for savings and needs to really sharpen up pencils? With much of the costs personnel related, can yo look to increasing class sizes and lowered staff count/FTE?

Look back at last year’s budget process, from the budget numbers to the Town Meeting, and everything in between. The $1.4 million reduction the board of finance asked the board of Ed to make last year and the impact that’s had this year…

Should there be any change to the procedure of the Town Meeting, maybe not having it on a week night? To get more involvement from residents?

What do you think are some of the biggest issues facing the Wilton schools? What do you think about instructional coaching?

Do you have a specific area of interest or things you’d like to focus on or things you’d like to see changed or taken away?

How much stock should parents in the public put into test scores?

One thing that always happens as part of the budget discussion is test scores are used to compare Wilton to other towns. This debate about spending more than the other towns per pupil but our test scores are lower… Do you think we should be comparing to other towns?

Until the last couple of the years, the board of education hasn’t been political, but especially this past year, it’s become very polarized. What do you think about that? And what are you going to do if you’re elected about it?

What do you think about the open Choice Program? Our district’s approach to Diversity Equity and inclusion?

Parent involvement is also another topic that people talk about; more parent involvement in classes and choices and curriculum and reading materials. What are your thoughts about parent involvement in the schools? What about removing books from libraries or removing books from a classroom?

What do you think of the district’s approach to mental health? The number of counselors in the district?

How are you happy with the current superintendent and the top admininstrators?

What subcommittee would you like to be on? (transparency)

What’s your message to voters about why they should vote for you?