Patch Candidate Profile: Kathy Braun, Town Plan & Zoning Commission

FAIRFIELD, CT — Election Day is approaching fast, and a number of key positions in Fairfield will be on the ballot, including Board of Selectman, Board of Education, Board of Finance, RTM and others.

To help readers make an informed decision on Nov. 7, Fairfield Patch has reached out to local candidates to share their views on various topics of importance in town.

Patch will post these candidate profiles over the next few weeks, so check back often to see the latest.

Name

Kathy Braun

What city or town do you live in?

Fairfield

What office are you seeking?

Town Plan & Zoning 4-year term

Please give us your party affiliation.

Republican

Education.

JD & MBA

What is your occupation?

Lawyer- 25 + years

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

I have a large extended family many of whom have remained in town or who have returned to town, and my Dad still lives in the house I grew up in

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

No

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

RTM- 6 years FairTV Commission-3 years, TPZ- 3+ years

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?

Land use decisions are permanent and impactful to our town's environmental and economic health and quality of life, and I want to help ensure the best for our town by making well-founded decisions both on projects, and on long-term planning.

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

Development that works for our town, both in terms of providing a diversity of housing, commercial activity, and open space and natural and historic resource preservation

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

I have 20+ years of experience working with grass roots neighborhood groups as a lawyer mostly on a pro bono basis to make sure neighborhood and environmental concerns are seriously considered in land use decisions, in local and State DEEP public hearings, and on appeals to State and Appellate Courts.

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

If I get reelected I will continue my work supporting our Town in carefully reviewing and considering individual zoning permit applications, coastal site plan reviews, zoning regulation changes, and our Town's next long-term Plan of Conservation and Development, in the best interest of our town, making sure we plan for an optimal balance of residential and commercial development as well as environmental and historic resource protection and planning for the impacts of climate change.

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

I am proud of my years of pro bono advocacy, both educating and assisting neighborhood groups around the state but mostly in Fairfield to understand how to navigate both the procedural issues which can be complicated, and the substantive issues, on how best to protect our community interests going forward, with an emphasis on open space preservation and environmental protection, which are issues that can easily slip to the back burner but will affect us permanently going forward

What is the best advice anyone ever gave you?

We all have a voice: we just need to use it!