Candidate Profile: Nick Kapoor

Name: Nick Kapoor

Occupation: Asst. Marketing/Business Analyst at I-Engineering, Inc., part time MBA Student at Sacred Heart University

Political party: Democrat

Running for: Town Council

Why are you running?

I am running because, after an internship at the State Capitol this past session, I saw that people in government can really make a change. I want to contribute and give back to the community that I have grown up in all my life.  I want to do what is best to make Monroe the best Monroe it can be right now.

What are the three biggest issues facing Monroe?

I believe the three biggest issues facing Monroe are: Taxes, Economic Development and Politics.

The households of Monroe carry a large share of the tax responsibility. These taxes need to be kept AS LOW AS POSSIBLE.  In dire economic times we cannot increase taxes past what is ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY, if we need to increase them at all. I promise to take a very hard look at the budget when it gets to Town Council. I will do my homework on what we have done in the past, I will ask questions and will propose any ideas that I think will help the town keep taxes down without disrupting programs and services.

To take the burden off of households we need to expand our commercial tax base. I believe this can be accomplished with an Economic Development Coordinator. Although only 17 towns in Connecticut have one, I believe it would be more beneficial to our town to have an EDC instead of not having one.

There should be no doubt in anyone’s mind that the duties of the First Selectman — whoever that is — are immense. Economic development is such a big responsibility that does not need to be added to the FS's plate. We need a Sales Rep for Monroe; we need a person to sell our town to businesses to why Monroe is the place to come. Over the past administration progress has been made, but we need to do better. I believe if we pick the correct person to be our EDC, he or she can greatly enhance the progress that has been made.

**See below for third point combined with that question**

What can the Town Council do to keep the town in the right direction?

The third problem is politics. It is not only healthy, but necessary, to disagree.  Having nine people all in agreement 100% of the time does not accomplish anything. Issues are dissected and analyzed more when there are (at least) two opposing sides so that the issues get debated and the best resolution or compromise can be reached.

However, the personal attacks and bickering I have seen go on in town recently takes away from the integrity of Monroe's town government and distracts from what we need to accomplish to make Monroe the best town it can be. I believe Town Council can be a body that can be a leader showing how both sides can work together and how we can accomplish things for the good of the town. 

What skills and attributes make you a good fit for Town Council?

I am passionate about making Monroe the best Monroe it can be. My personality is such that when given a task, I will not stop until it is completed to the absolute best of my ability. I will do my homework on the issues at hand. My dedication and love of not only the procedural side of government, but the public service side will make me an effective and responsible Councilman for Monroe.