About the Candidate: Bernie Erickson

Name: Bernie Erickson

Party: Republican

Position Seeking: Board of Education

Family information: I live on Webster Street in Unionville with my wife Lynne.

Occupation, if applicable: 

I am recently retired, but have used my free time to remain active in the community and hope to use my energy to serve my family, friends and neighbors on the Board of Education.  I have been involved in community service in Farmington for over thirty years.  I have served three terms on the Town Council and spent twenty years as a volunteer firefighter with four of those years as the Chief.  I have chaired the Unionville Day Committee and served on the 911 Fire Study Committee.  I have served on the Housing Commission and the Special Olympics Committee.

Political Experience:             

I have extensive experience as an elected official and have served on the Town Council.

Why are you running for office?           

I am running for the Board of Education as I believe it is the place where the most reform can be achieved from both a policy and budget perspective.  As a former Town Council member I am keenly aware of the size of the Board of Education budget and the need to manage the Board’s budget wisely.  Most importantly, I have seen more and more money spent by the board of education that has not gone to our children, but instead to ever increasing salaries, benefits for teachers and administrators.  I want our education dollars spent on the children and hope to focus on the ultimate result of our education spending—well educated students.

If elected, what would be your primary areas of focus?

My focus will be on educating our children and resisting the status quo when it comes to never ending increases in spending without accountability in the nature of improving test scores and getting our kids ready for further education or the working world.

What issues or opportunities is the town facing today?

We have the opportunity to realign the Board of Education with new ideas and people who will bring a new perspective to the problems faced by the Board of Education.

How would you propose to address them?

I intend to make my voice heard and challenge my fellow members to do what is right, not what is convenient and popular.  I intend to task our administrators with addressing institutional change to move the education of our children forward at the highest level.

Anything else you would like to share?

Many candidates have used the Board of Education as a stepping stone to higher office.  I intend to use it as a means of serving my community to the best of my ability.  There are too many people who criticize the workings of our government and not enough willing to spend the time and effort to make it better.  Help me make it better and vote for me on Tuesday November 8, 2011.