Cheshire Candidate Profile: Ham For Board Of Education

CHESHIRE, CT — The 2019 municipal election is heating up in Cheshire and there are plenty of races with candidates eager to serve in elected office.

Cheshire Patch asked candidates to answer questions about their campaigns and will be publishing candidate profiles as election day draws near.

Faith Ham, 61, is running for a seat on the Board of Education as a Republican.

Are you running for office in Cheshire? Contact Vinnie Salzo at vincent.salzo@patch.com for information on being featured in a candidate's profile and submitting campaign announcements to Cheshire Patch.

Family:

Husband, Robert, 64; daughter, KC, 28, teacher, Atlanta Classical Academy; son, Jack 26, counselor, Trader's Point Christian Academy; soccer coach, Indiana Fire Academy

Education:

B.A., English, Allegheny College, Meadville, PA; M.A., Journalism, University of Missouri-Columbia

Occupation:

Retired middle school English teacher, Stratford Middle School, San Jose, CA, 11 years; former reporter/writer/editor, Spartanburg (SC) Herald Journal, Philadelphia (PA) Business Journal, Group Health Association of America (8 years)

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office:

This is my first campaign for public office

The single most pressing issue facing our town/district is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.

There is a palpable concern among Cheshire citizens that the school board is not working in their best interests, that the board too easily cedes authority to the administration. Unless we earn the public's trust, large scale projects like school modernization will languish. I pledge to seek and encourage public input on issues confronting the board through regular public forums and personal accessibility and listening to the citizens' voices before -- not after -- we conduct business. I will be accountable, responsible, and transparent.

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

I grew up in nearby Middlefield and lived seven years in Asia and 13 in California. I am a local with an outsider's perspective. In my capacity as a department head at my former school, I've demonstrated I can lead and work collaboratively with my team. I'm also committed to representing all constituencies, from the youngest student to the oldest taxpayer, in our meetings.

List other issues that define your campaign platform:

School modernization affords us an unprecedented opportunity to evaluate not only our physical plant, but the program we're offering our students and, by extension, our community. Do we have courses in place that meet the needs of the college-bound student AND the vocationally inclined? Are we seeking input from area businesses to incorporate their expertise into our curriculum. College prep and vocational instruction are not a zero-sum game. We can and should do both.

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

I have been a teacher and department head at a highly competitive middle school in Silicon Valley.

I have served on committees for my family's business.

I'm a volunteer mentor in a program for at-risk youth in New Haven.

I have helped to launch a new church in Wallingford.

The best advice ever shared with me was ...

Perhaps not advice, but rather a quote from Nobel physicist Richard Feynman: "I'd rather have questions that can't be answered than answers that can't be questioned."

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

I'm committed to seeing my town and state prosper and thrive. That means we must be actively engaged with our community. I pledge to listen to all of Cheshire's constituents and act with their best interests at heart.