Ellington Candidate Profile: John Nord, Board Of Finance

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

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

Name: John Nord

How old will you be as of Election Day? did not answer

Does your campaign have a website? If so, include the URL here.

https://elldtc.org

What city or town do you live in? Ellington

What office are you seeking? Board of Finance

Party affiliation: Democrat

Education: BBA Labor Relations University of Hawaii. MS Labor Relations University of Massachusetts

What is your occupation?

Retired Principal Labor Relations Specialist, State of Connecticut (23+years). Public Sector Labor Relations Consultant Albany, NY (7+years).

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

Wife Liz (retired). My son Michael and family live in California, Matthew lives in Connecticut, and Erik and his family live in Ellington

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

Wife is a retired Ellington teacher and current member of Ellington Board of Education.

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

Ellington Recreation Commission (Chairman for a period) early 1990s

Now we'd like to ask a few questions about your reasons for running and your general views on politics and government. First, why are you seeking this office?

I want to give back to the town by utilizing the skills I developed as a public sector labor relations advocate and consultant for management. These skills would easily transfer to the Board of Finance enabling me to identify problems, analyze them and perfect a resolution, which is the key to any oversight position.

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

Lack of true transparency. I would be more forthcoming and open regarding issues involving the town.

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

I’m transparent and would welcome discussion with all residents.

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

Town and school security. Fiscal efficiencies. Work closer with elected State Representatives to obtain more State grants, especially for seniors , farms and youth programs.

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

With over thirty years of negotiating public sector labor contracts at every governmental in several states. Being a management advocate in hundreds of contact arbitrations, and acting as a neutral in well over 10,000 labor contract grievances gives me a unique background of experience to seek resolution to difficult issues.

What is the best advice anyone ever gave you?

Let’s agree to disagree and move on to a resolution!

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

I’ve lived in Ellington for 43 years with my wife Liz, where we raised three sons. During this time I coached boy’s baseball (T-ball through Legion), boy’s basketball and women’s softball.