Letters of Endorsement

NewCanaanite.com recently received the following letter(s) of endorsement. We will publish endorsement letters from New Canaan residents through Oct. 24. Please send them to editor@newcanaanite.com.

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Having served on the NCPS Board of Education for nine years (2011-2020), I rarely saw partisan politics play a role. I began seeing a change before I left, and now, unfortunately, I see politics front and center. 

For example, I don’t believe when the current Board voted to reinstate Columbus Day as a holiday- after ten years of standing practice- that they centered on student learning.

Many are surprised to learn that our Board of Ed doesn’t reflect our town. While only 37% of New Canaan voters are registered Republican, our Board of Ed remains 67% Republican.

Our students deserve better. Our town needs educational leaders laser-focused on delivering student-centered needs and excellence. We are fortunate to boast a world-class administration and an award-winning teaching staff, and the Board of Ed should focus on advocating for our students and maintaining excellence.

It is with this perspective that I urge you to engage in the upcoming election. Learn about and vote for candidates that will continue the excellence in our schools, while fostering a culture of respect and belonging.

I will vote for Brendan Hayes, Lauren Connelly Nussbaum, and Josh Kaye. Each of these candidates has the professional background, skills, and perspective to move our district forward. Brendan is a passionate, long serving steady presence on the BOE with a sharp analytical mind focused on solving complex issues. It was an honor serving alongside him. Lauren touts an impressive legal and nonprofit background and is known around town as a highly involved volunteer. She just completed her second term as South PTC Board of Ed liaison, so she is deeply familiar with the responsibilities. Finally, Josh Kaye is an accomplished lawyer and member of the New Canaan Ethics Board, tremendous assets for the Board of Ed.

I don’t believe that school governance should be entangled with politics. If you agree, get out and vote for the candidates who will lead us forward.

Sheri West

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I write in support of Lara Kelly for New Canaan’s Board of Education.

Lara supports the issues that are important to me. 

Academics are a priority. She stands up for our talented teachers and administration, and plans to empower them with the best curriculum and resources available. 

Student safety is a priority. Our children learn best when they feel safe in their classrooms. Lara will work with educators and law enforcement officials to improve communication during emergencies and install best-in-class security equipment in our schools.

Parents’ involvement in their children’s education is a priority. Lara wants to engage all families, especially those in need of support services. Civility and transparency are paramount. She is an active volunteer in the schools, and her children are in New Canaan’s elementary, middle, and high schools.

With Lara on the Board of Education, we can rebound from Covid-related learning loss and restore New Canaan’s excellence in education.

Kristina Larson

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I am pleased to offer my enthusiastic endorsement of Amy Murphy Carroll as the ideal candidate for First Selectman of New Canaan.  Amy’s impressive background as a fiscal conservative, with 30 years on Wall Street, and the last 10 years on our Board of Finance uniquely qualify her for this important role.

Amy has had a lifelong career in business, and not just any business but the rough and tumble world of Wall Street.  And, after 10 years on our Board of Finance, Amy knows our town budget intimately.  Having spent time with Amy, there is no doubt in my mind that Amy is a fiscal conservative.  She knows the questions to ask and will not shy away from asking them.  Amy knows how to, and will, save us money! 

Recent experience has shown us how uniquely important the First Selectman role is.  From questions around real estate deals to surprise capital expenditures. So, while both Amy and her opponent will serve on the Board of Selectmen, the question is which candidate is more likely to deliver on their campaign promises and protect the interests of all of us here in New Canaan as well as our tax dollars. Amy, who has developed a lifetime of financial expertise with a Wharton MBA, 30+ years on Wall Street, and the last 10 on the New Canaan Board of Finance, who knows every town budget for the last 10 years in detail, or her opponent? Who is more likely to be the more independent of the two candidates to allow all voices in our town to be heard and do the right thing for all of New Canaan? Amy, who was not asked by either party to run, or her opponent? Echoing Amy’s call for One New Canaan, please pause and consider who is genuinely best for this role, irrespective of your national party allegiances, and join me in voting for Amy on November 7.

Respectfully,

Alan Badanes

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Amy Murphy Carroll, through her work on the New Canaan Board of Finance and her professional career in municipal finance, would bring a deep knowledge of the town’s budget to the position of First Selectman. But in talking with her, what comes across is that she has an abiding interest in leading the town, not from the perspective of a political partisan, but as someone who respects the taxpayer and wants to implement programs and decide issues after open discussion and fairly considering the breadth of viewpoints.

Since moving to New Canaan in 1996, Carroll has applied her expertise on behalf of the town across various nonprofit and community programs. Most important, she has served on the town’s Board of Finance for nearly a decade, giving her an up close and detailed knowledge of the town’s finances. Having served on the Finance Board, she respects taxpayers’ money, and with that expertise, pledges to “ensure unwavering fiscal discipline.” As a budget liaison for the Board of Education, Public Works and Parks and Recreation, Amy was the co-author of a detailed inventory of the town’s building needs. As the town is engaged in renovating the Police Department and the Playhouse, that expertise in town building projects will be invaluable as First Selectman.

In a time when perspectives have hardened across party lines, Amy sees her role as one where people with differing views can be drawn together to forge solutions that benefit the entire town. Knowing New Canaan, her approach calls for “eliminating the divisive political noise and a return to government that is “open, civil and transparent.” In being open, she believes the town should chart its own course for affordable housing to meet the needs of the workforce that helps the town run as efficiently as it does.

We’re proud to endorse Amy Murphy Carroll for First Selectman. She’s committed to moving New Canaan forward, bolstered by a unified community that understands the issues, has been engaged and involved along the way as partners. That approach, along with her deep understanding of municipal issues and finances, underscores why New Canaan would be best served with her as our First Selectman.

Cynthia Dul and John Matz