Jeffrey Peterson Running For Fairfield Board Of Education

FAIRFIELD, CT — It's election season in Fairfield, and Patch is here to help you get to know the candidates running for local office in 2021 before voters head to the polls Nov. 2.

Questionnaire responses appear as submitted by candidates.

Republican Jeffrey Peterson, 51, is running for Board of Education in Fairfield.

Occupation: Financial Journalist

Family: Married, father of three

Experience: Current member and Fairfield Board of Education

Family in government: No

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

Thinking specifically of the educational system and I think the largest challenge we face is financial — our ability to continue to operate a high-quality district amid a host of cost pressures. Throughout my tenure on the board I have focused on making sure we operate smarter and more efficiently so that we can continue to focus the bulk of our efforts into our core educational mission.

Critical differences between me and my opponents:

The Board of Education has always attracted members from a wide variety of backgrounds who bring a wealth of points of view to the table. As long as we all operate from the core principle that we should do the best that we can for our town's children — and I think every member of the current board fits this bill — I think we should focus on listening to one another and trying to build consensus.

Accomplishments:

Four years ago, I think I would have answered this question very differently. There is a very, very steep learning curve Board members must scale in order to be really effective at this job, and I think the most important skills are good study habits, excellent listening skills, and and patience. I have tried to employ these profitably in my past four years on the Board.

Other issues:

For nearly two years now, Covid has dominated the discussions about our educational system. But during that time, major issues have continued to require our attention. As we go forward into 2022 and beyond, I'm hopeful that the Board will be able to address some of the more pressing challenges, and including questions of facilities usage and long-term planning.