Patch Candidate Profile: Nicholas Hoffman​, Bethel Board Of Finance

BETHEL, CT — The 2023 municipal election is heating up in Bethel and there are plenty of races with candidates eager to serve in elected office.

Bethel Patch asked candidates to answer questions about their campaigns and will be publishing candidate profiles as Election Day draws near.

Nonprofit Executive Nicholas (Nick) Hoffman, 46, is running for election to the Bethel Board of Finance as a Democrat-endorsed candidate.

Education.

MS, Nonprofit Administration

Do you have a family? If so, please tell us about them.

Wife and two school aged daughters

Have you ever held a public office, whether appointive or elective?

Two terms on the Bethel Board of Education, twice on the Bethel Charter Revision Commission

Why are you seeking this office?

Bethel deserves leaders who will serve the entire community. Leaders who will prioritize the collective needs of the town above their own personal and political priorities. My professional and elected experience have prepared me to serve our community with integrity and reason.

Please complete this statement: The single most pressing issue facing my constituents is ____, and this is what I intend to do about it.

Economic uncertainty and stability. Bethel has evolved following decades of willful neglect. Sound leadership has secured a AAA bond rating and made long overdue capital improvements in spite of routine opposition. To protect these gains I'll bring professionalism, reason and logic to the Board of Finance.

What are the major differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

I can only speak for myself. My career and personal activities share one key element, service to others. I believe deeply that communities are at their best when we are working together and supporting one another. I possess the discipline to make decisions based on the facts of the issue at hand. Through balancing the impact these decisions will have on the collective whole not a select few.

If you are challenging an incumbent, in what way has the current officeholder failed the community?

If I felt the current, make-up of the Board of Finance was serving all of Bethel I wouldn't be running for office. My primary concern is that the choices and behavior of the current leadership will lead to a downgrade of our bond rating unnecessarily raising our taxes.

What other issues do you intend to address during your campaign?

The Board of Finance needs to be open and transparent in our dealing with all members of the Town of Bethel. We have to be honest with the challenges we face as a community and the options we have to address them. Working collaboratively not combatively with department heads, elected officials, voters and taxpayers is essential.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

I've served two terms on the Board of Education; over that time, we made historic investments in our schools through sound fiscal management and listening to all community members. Additionally, I've been chair and vice chair of the Charter Revision Commission this experience has provided me with an in-depth knowledge of our town operates. Professionally, I've been a nonprofit executive for over twenty years. I've secured tens of millions of dollars in funding, designed and implemented innovative programs, and navigated significant crises. Most importantly these experiences have solidified a deep understanding of the fiduciary responsibility required to serve my town on the Board of Finance.

What is the best advice anyone ever gave you?

To be humane, to possess the ability to feel another’s suffering and empathize but also to find ways to alleviate it.

Is there anything else you would like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

I feel leadership is a skill that requires sound decision making, compassion and service. I believe it's the obligation of a leader to lift others up and place them in a position to succeed. I've been able to practice these skills both professionally and personally and I would like to continue to do so on the Board of Finance.