Branford Election 2021: Shahida P. Soomro Running For RTM

BRANFORD, CT — The state Municipal Election is Tuesday, Nov. 2.

Patch contacted candidates to answer questions about their campaigns.

Democrat incumbent Shahida P Soomro, 47, is running for RTM in Branford.

Occupation: Healthcare

Family: Husband: Farhan Soomro. Two Boys: Manik (20) and Saami (15)

Family in government: No

The single biggest issue in town is ______, and I plan to do this about it:

I will fight for improved education for all our students. Our teachers deserve great respect, and understanding the challenges teachers face is a priority. I will continue to demand that we provide the salaries, support, and resources to enable continued hiring and retention of highly qualified faculty and enable them to best serve our children. Diversity is a great town strength. I will challenge our teachers and education leaders to develop and strengthen more inclusive learning environments and school curricula.

Critical differences between me and my opponents:

First, I am one of the elected incumbents representing the 4th District on the RTM.
Second, as a parent of two children who have always been public school students in Branford, I know our school system well. I’m pleased with the academic and extracurricular experiences Branford schools offer, but I also know there are areas we can further improve. Third, I listen to my district constituents and have already shown that I represent their concerns and work on their behalf. I deeply appreciate the demonstrated support of my constituents. Fourth, I worked with others to ensure that the former Branford Hills School would become a public park, providing a great place for kids to play. And finally, from personal experience, I understand the positive contributions our diverse population brings to Branford. I am proud to be part of leading our town to broader inclusivity and citizen participation.

Accomplishments:

I was elected to the RTM in 2019. As an RTM member, I voted to protect our environment through the elimination of single-use plastic bags. I supported raises for our teachers and their staff, and I voted for the renovation of the Blackstone Library. I’m a big supporter of our library. When my children were young, I took them to the library every day to enjoy their programs and borrow books. We must cherish this wonderful town resource. As a representative of the 4th District, I opposed building a dense development on the former St. Elizabeth Church site.

Other issues:

Other issues I will be focused on include ending costly project overruns on town projects that needlessly waste taxpayer money, like the Animal Shelter which has gone 60% over budget, and the Community House which was nearly $4,000,000 over the initial budget. Additionally, we need to control the town budget, which has ballooned 18% under the current administration. As a result, taxes have increased 12% over that same period. This financial mismanagement is unsustainable for our town and especially for our seniors who live on a fixed income.

What else would you like voters to know about you?

I have a B.S. in Computer Science and a Post Baccalaureate in Health Information Management from the University of Chicago. Currently, I am working in Community Healthcare. I am dedicated, hard-working, and accessible.