Greenwich Candidate Profile: Ed Lopez For RTM

GREENWICH, CT — Election day in Greenwich is getting closer and there are plenty of candidates running for various positions in town. To help residents make an informed decision on Nov. 5, Greenwich Patch asked candidates to answer questions about their campaigns and will be publishing candidate profiles as the big day draws near.

Incumbent Ed Lopez, 45, is running for re-election to Greenwich's Representative Town Meeting (District 3). A resident of Greenwich, he has worked in government and entertainment relations consultation for 11 years. He also serves in the Connecticut National Guard, following eight years of prior service with the US Army Reserve.

His wife, Marie Lopez-Reyes, works as a clinical systems analyst at Stamford Hospital and is the owner of Marie Lopez Photography.

Are you running for office in Greenwich? Contact RJ Scofield at rj.scofield@patch.com for information on being featured in a candidate's profile and submitting campaign announcements to Greenwich Patch.

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

Striking a balance between development and congestion: this balance has a direct impact on our town economy, taxes, modernization, our environment, and quality of life.

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

I have made transparency and constituent outreach a priority: I believe our town government should be more focused on constituents and on how we can serve residents than on its internal mechanics.

My mission is to make sure our town government serves our residents rather than the other way around. Any increase in regulations and taxes disenfranchises residents: it's important to empower our citizens so they can thrive in a community that has traditionally bested the state in fiscal management and opportunity.

Our most important battle is to preserve the elements that have made Greenwich the most successful community in the state despite Hartford's efforts to saddle us with taxes and excessive regulations.

List other issues that define your campaign platform:

Individual and civil liberties, privacy, entrepreneurial opportunity, market-driven conservation, transparency, fairness, and civility: supporting actions in town government that sustain these principles and ideals is paramount to me.

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

I have served in leadership capacities both locally and nationally - through political, non-profit, military, and ecclesiastical work. My priority has always been to serve until I have made a substantive improvement in any given role and to then prepare others to take over and carry the effort to the next level.

The best advice ever shared with me was...

There are two key things that have come to me in one form of advice or another over the years.

The first is one I've learned through my family, faith, and through leaders I have looked up to and can be summarized in scripture: "Even a fool, when he holdeth his peace, is counted wise: and he that shutteth his lips is esteemed a man of understanding."

The second is a principle I've learned to keep in mind through my academic and ecclesiastical work - I'm a realist and believe that all consequences boil down to individual actions and the impulses that often drive these, something Thomas Carlyle summarized best when he stated: "History is the essence of innumerable biographies."

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

I come from a family that has invested itself in public service through the military, political and advocacy work, elective office, healthcare, and the arts - but my parents were educators so I have profound respect and sympathy for what our schools and teachers can accomplish and the impact they have on our long-term goals as a community. Greenwich has always been known for its high education standards and results and it's important for us to protect that asset.