Manchester Election 2021 Profile: Dennis Schain

MANCHESTER, CT — Democrat Dennis Schain, 69, is running for Manchester Board of Directors.

Occupation: Retired From A Career In Journalism, Corporate Public And Community Relations, and Government Communications.

Family: I have been married to my wife Karen for more than 40 years. We have two adult children who live in the area. They each have two children, so we are blessed with four wonderful grandchildren, ages 1 through 4.

Experience: Elected to the Manchester Board of Directors for a two-year term in 2019.

Family in government: No

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

The single most pressing issue facing Manchester is how we rebound from the Covid pandemic to continue building a community that offers everyone a welcoming, vibrant and prosperous place to live. This means focusing on economic growth and job creation, providing a first-class public education to all our students, offering a broad range of quality municipal services, and maintaining an attractive park system. It also means focusing on the human side of the equation - making it clear that in Manchester, everyone can live with dignity and respect, and be treated fairly, and no matter what the color of their skin or ethnic background.

Critical differences between me and my opponents:

My Democratic colleagues and I truly care about people and meeting their needs and helping them move forward with their lives. In addition we have the knowledge and skills to get things done that help people. I don't think other candidates in this race offer this critical combination of compassion and effectiveness.

Accomplishments:

As a result of my career experience and I have the unique perspective of someone who has held senior positions in both the private and public section. I understand both the challenges facing the business community - and the potential for strong and effective government to build stronger communities and help our residents move forward.

Other issues:

I bring to the table a strong interest in protecting our environment, natural resources, and public health - as well as a commitment to addressing climate change. The is the result of the time I spent as the communications director for CT's Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. As a result, I championed formation of our town's Sustainability Commission; spearheaded a project to put solar panels on 10 municipal and school buildings, and helped secure town funding to protect a large tract of open space off Hillstown and Bush Hill roads.

What else would you like voters to know about you?

As part of the Democratic majority on the Board of Education the past two years, I worked with my colleagues and the town administration to craft town budgets that supported the breadth and depth of services our town offers - without any increase in the property tax rate. We understand the financial pressures facing our residents in these challenging times, and and responded with two no-tax increase budgets.