Glastonbuy Candidate Profile 2019: Evan Seretan, Board Of Ed

GLASTONBURY, CT — Glastonbury'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. Patch asked candidates to answer questions about their campaigns, and has been publishing candidate profiles as election day draws near.

Evan Seretan is running for Board of Education as a Republican.

Occupation

Attorney, 7 years

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office

Commissioner on Glastonbury Housing Authority Board

The single most pressing issue facing our town/district is _______, and
this is what I intend to do about it.

Above all else, the safety of our children is my primary concern. Students and teachers face much different challenges than in the past. While Glastonbury has made tremendous strides in safety initiatives and programs, we need to remain agile and continue to educate our students, teachers and parents on ways to keep our children safe and continue to be proactive in adopting measures to further these goals. I think that education and emergency preparedness training is essential to help students understand these dangers and better ensure an appropriate response in the event of an emergency. I also believe that continuing to review security protocols is essential to ensure we are implementing the most effective measures.

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

My experience as a practicing attorney, specifically in labor and employment, will allow me to assess many of the contractual, employment and labor matters that come before the board from an attorney's perspective to ensure that we are not only making prudent decisions, but that we are analyzing all aspects of the obligations we are agreeing to adhere to.

List other issues that define your campaign platform

Glastonbury's schools are under constant attack from our state government. In recent years, we have seen reductions to the amount of money that Glastonbury receives from the state's educational cost sharing (ECS) funding, which will continue to challenge the Board of Education to be more strategic with our funding. More recently, there has been a concerted effort to regionalize our schools. We need strong leaders on the Board of Education that will stand up and be vocal in opposition to these reckless policies that threaten the quality of education students receive at Glastonbury schools.

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

Other than my professional and educational background, which have provided me with the skills and experience necessary to immediately add value to the Board of Education, and provide my unique perspective on many of the issues facing our school system, I am also a Board member on the Hartford State and sit on the investment committee, and I was a former member on the Connecticut Green Building Council board of directors.

The best advice ever shared with me was ...

Don't ever stop learning and growing as a person

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your
positions?

I am a proud father to my 3 year old daughter, and my wife and I are expecting our second child prior to Election Day. We moved to Glastonbury in 2015, in large part, for the great school system. I am running for the Board of Education to ensure that the next generation of students in our town continue to be appropriately represented to better ensure continuity of educational services for all of our children.