Enfield Candidate Profile: Scott Ryder, Board of Education

ENFIELD, CT — Enfield's election season is heating up, and there are plenty of contested races with candidates eager to represent their town in November's municipal election. Enfield Patch asked candidates in the town council and Board of Education races to answer questions about their campaigns, and will be publishing candidate profiles each weekday as election day draws near.

Scott Ryder is running for re-election to the Enfield Board of Education as a member of the Democratic party.

Name: Scott Ryder

Age (as of Sept. 1, 2019): 45

Position sought: Board of Education

Party affiliation: Democratic

Family: Mrs. Bridget Ryder, spouse of 13+ years. Lauren, daughter 11 (Grade 6, JFK). Elliott, son 8 (Grade 3, Eli Whitney) and Henry, puppy (1 year old). We moved to Enfield in 2012 from Princeton, NJ (and before kids, we lived in NYC). When my wife got a job offer in Bloomfield, we started house hunting and fell in love with our current neighborhood, Misty Meadow, in the Hazardville section of town. We loved the proximity of the stores and shops on Hazard and Elm. We loved the idea of being closer to our extended family in upstate NY. So instead of landing closer to Bloomfield, we landed closer to I-90, which takes us to our families in NY. We chose the town of Enfield. Who, at the time, had just shown us that everyone could work together (and seemed to get along to an outsider) by passing the EHS referendum. We were excited to have our children eventually go to a new facility like that (and soon, the new middle school!). Overall, we have been very pleased with our decision. And I have tried to pay it forward as an active resident, and volunteer, ever since.

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government: No, our families do not live locally, unfortunately. And no, they don't work in government.

Education: Columbia HS East Greenbush, NY. College at HVCC in Troy, NY

Occupation: Full-time volunteer in/for Enfield's Public Schools (& PTOs!). * Also self-employed; Marketing. And a Meetings & Events Producer, traveling quarterly for events.

Previous or current elected or appointed office: Enfield's Board of Education (2017-2019)

The single most pressing issue facing Enfield is: our building-infrastructure (especially our aging buildings and roofs). One of the many committees I volunteered to join was the Joint Facilities Committee, comprised of volunteers from the Town Council, the Board of Education, as well as town employees and some residents - with a background in such occupations. Nothing moves fast, but the bottom line is just that...we can't spend what we don't have so we have to be resourceful with looking for available grant funding from the state - or other opportunities. But you can start the next phase (or project) before being reimbursed from the last phase (or project) because it all comes from the same budget at the end of the day.

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post: "Critical differences" sounds counter-productive. I feel that I work hard and that I get along well with most of my counterparts on the BOE and town council. We're all neighbors and have similar goals, even if our paths differ. One thing I would "highlight" about myself, which may be seen as a "difference" based on my availability, is that I'm "inside" (and around) our schools more than most. I work from home most days, so most days I'll be inside one of our schools - for legitimate reasons; reading to a class, helping with book fair at one (or three) schools, mentoring, accepting an invitation to an assembly, attending a PTO meeting (at multiple schools) or helping with a PTO event, or helping out with a fundraiser. I've gotten to know the "main office" staff in all of the buildings, they see me fairly often. I know our principals. I know many of our teachers because I'm present. Most importantly, students see me and (many) know me, especially at Hazardville Memorial, Eli Whitney, JFK and Parkman because I'm on their PTO or I mentor in their building - and have for years. Well before I ever thought about the Board of Education. But yes, I'm around. Every week there's an opportunity to volunteer somewhere. I'm one of those individuals who answers the call whenever I can.

List other issues that define your campaign platform: Communication. Increasing. Making more accessible. Sharing information between schools with families. Sharing calendars for families with students at multiple buildings. Communication is key - and I know its gotten a lot better in recent years - but there's still room to increase it. Utilize social media more, parents are on it. Design and promote our school and PTO websites - and make everything more accessible. Everything is "out there" but where do you start?

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job: To the previous question, increasing communications is at the very top of my list. So, instead of just complaining about it, I worked with the PTO leads in EPS and designed and manage http://enfieldpto.com with their input. The PTO leads send me their dates for events, assemblies, picnics, all the "goings-on" in each of their buildings, then I post, share and promote their work on the website and through social media channels like Facebook and Twitter. We have over 1,000 visitors every 30-days (but 5,000+ students, let's get those numbers up!) and 2,000+ visitors between late August and September, as the new school year began. I hear from parents, all the time, how much they appreciate having all the school event calendars in one place, the hot lunch menus, the new bus routes, all the clubs information (JFK and EHS), all sports (home) games, the PTO (and...bands, sports, Safe Grad) fundraiser links, etc.

The best advice ever shared with me was: Surround yourself with good people, the "DO-ers," those who take ownership and pride in their piece of the project. And also, give them the credit when the results are positive. Even if you're the "face" of the project, you're not the hands, the feet, the body...that's the team. The kids "won" (had fun, did well, etc.) because of the team's efforts, combined. Not just because of one individual's contribution.

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions: When you can't be at school for something, or a school function, or a Board of Education meeting, or a Town Committee meeting, I'm probably there. So if you have a concern or a question, reach out - and together we can find your answer. I serve on several committees in town, both school and non-school related. Through my BOE "hat" I'm on the BOE Policy Subcommittee, the town's Joint Facilities Committee, the town's Joint Security Committee...inside the schools I proudly serve on two PTOs - and until June of this year, I led the HMS PTO for 6 years - but my children aged (not me!) so we've moved on to Eli Whitney and JFK PTOs. I'm also a PTO Coordinator for the district so when a new parent raises her hand to say, I'll join (or lead) my school's PTO but I have no idea what/how to, they can call me and we get together and talk through it. I also work with several non-profits in town like 2Moms on a Mission CT, I help market and promote the Enfield Town Wide Tag Sale annually, I am a Parent Leadership Academy Alumnus (made most of my first friends in Enfield through PLA), along with a few other committees, clubs and groups.