Milford Candidate Profile: Dan Spicer For Board of Education

MILFORD, CT — Milford's election season is heating up and there are plenty of contested races with candidates eager to get their name on the ballot for the city's municipal election. One of those contested races is the race for the Board of Education.

Milford Patch asked candidates in the contested races to answer questions about their campaigns and will be publishing candidate profiles as election day draws near.

Dan Spicer, 32, is running for election to the Board of Education and is running as a Republican in the fourth-district.

Are you running for office in Milford? Contact Brian McCready at brian.mccready@patch.com for information on being featured in a candidate's profile and submitting campaign announcements to Milford Patch.

Family: *

Wife: Sarah, Daughter: Amelia (18 months old)

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government? *

No

Education: *

Dual Associate Degrees in Electrical Engineering Technology and Laser/Fiberoptic Technology (Three Rivers Community College)

B.S. Physics (Southern Connecticut State University)

MBA, International Marketing (University of New Haven)

Occupation: *

Sales Engineer (6 years)

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office: *

Town of Preston Assessment Appeals Board Alternate (2014)

Campaign Website: *

www.milfordctgop.com

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

Ensuring that our children are prepared for college and/or are work ready when they graduate from the Milford school system. Bolstering our investments in Science, Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education is strong first step in ensuring that our kids are going to be prepared for the 21st century economy.

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

To my knowledge, I am the only 4th district Board of Education candidate that currently has or will have in the near future, a child in Milford school system. I want to ensure that my daughter will be entering into a school system that provides maximum value and opportunity for her and her peers.

I am putting a strong emphasis on STEM related education. We need to prepare our kids for the future American economy, one that will be quite different then the economy as we know it today. Encouraging and fostering local/regional business partnerships with our schools in the fields of programming and robotics is an easy places to start.

List other issues that define your campaign platform:

* Maintain and improve the quality of our schools through smart investments
* Work with all stakeholders including Superintendent Cutaia, educators, staff, students and parents to ensure Milford is a sought after school district.

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

At an early age, I was diagnosed with a learning disability. From that point, I've gone on to not only graduate high school, but then went on to earn two Associate degrees, a Bachelors in Physics and now most recently a Masters Degree in Business. I am the first in my family (both sides) to ever attend college.

If I can survive classes such as Thermodynamics and Astro Physics and I can juggle having a family, while pursuing my Masters degree while also working full time, I am confident I can deliver positive outcomes for the children of the 4th district, one of which being my own daughter.

The best advice ever shared with me was ...

While it's not quite advice, I'd say that watching how hard my Dad worked while growing up was inspirational. If I were to synthesize his work ethic into a quote it would be, "If you work hard, you have already prevailed".

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

I am currently a member of the International Ultraviolet Association's (IUVA) Hospital Acquired Infection Reduction Task Force

I am also a member of the International Ultraviolet Association's (IUVA) Young Professionals Society and serve as the Communication and Engagement Coordinator.