Guilford Election 2021: Noel Petra Running For Board of Education

GUILFORD, CT —The state Municipal Election is Tuesday, Nov. 2.

Patch contacted candidates to answer questions about their campaigns.

Independent Noel Petra, 50, is running for Board of Education in Guilford.

Occupation: Real Estate And Construction Executive

Family: Liza Petra - Spouse Elle Petra - Daughter - Guilford High School Graduate, currently in college Max Petra - Son - Senior at Guilford High School

Experience: none

Family in government: I am employed as the Deputy Commissioner of Real Estate and Construction, Department of Administrative Services, State of Connecticut

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

Protecting and supporting our nationally ranked, top 5% school system from disruption and damage by an extremist conservative group of Trump followers. I intend to win the Board of Education Election on November 2nd and serve our town as a moderate BOE member, protecting our children from extreme political ideologies, preparing our children to compete and succeed in a diverse world after high school, and ensuring that Independents and moderate Republicans continue to have a voice in our Board of Education. I have tremendous respect for and wish to preserve the deep nonpartisan history of the Board of Education.

Critical differences between me and my opponents:

I am a moderate politically, and a professional with a depth of experience in business and the economy. I believe people have the right to live any beneficial life they choose with respect and dignity. I believe we need to acknowledge diversity, and have the empathy to understand how that diversity affects each of us and the community at large.

Accomplishments:

As an executive leader in both the private and Public sectors, I have tremendous experience in strategic planning, organizational policy and culture, and managing hundreds of direct employees and hundreds of millions of dollars of budget/work on a yearly basis. My experience with the State of Connecticut has given me deep insight into governmental policy and procedure and working with industry and the public. As a father of two high-honor students, who've both come all the way through the Guilford Schools System, I have witnessed excellence in our teachers, administration, support staff, and students. I can attest to how extremely well our school system prepares our children for college and the real world.

Other issues:

- Our school system is currently ranked in the top 5% of all school systems in the country. Our campaign wishes to build on that success by guaranteeing that all learners have outstanding instruction, adequate resources to improve learning, access to the highest quality instructional materials, as well as the most effective professional development and training for teachers. - It is our responsibility to ensure that our students are prepared to compete and succeed in a diverse world. They must be prepared to understand and embrace a diversity of people, cultures and ideologies in order to compete in the world they will eventually. - We must protect our children from the divisive politics that are damaging our country and give them a safe and nurturing environment in which to learn and grow. We will continue to prioritize protecting the mental and physical health of staff and students. - Our property values are directly tied to the quality of our school system. Along with Madison, Guilford enjoys the highest property values on the Shoreline as a result of our excellent school systems. Guilford is already facing wide criticism from the greater region for the divisive politics being forced on us by the conservative Trump extremists now running for the Board of Education. - We need to keep politics out of our schools and continue the successful bi-partisan teamwork the Board of Education has maintained for more than a generation.

What else would you like voters to know about you?

As a pro-economy business person and I understand how critically important our schools and school budgets are to our town’s fiscal standing. Strong schools mean higher property values and a corresponding tax base. Under and overspending on our budget will negatively affect our entire town. Fiscal responsibility is part of my daily life. I've been trained and am an expert in balancing spending/saving to ensure the best, most efficient use of our tax dollars.