Monroe Candidate Profile: Jason Maur For Town Council

MONROE, CT — The 2019 municipal election is heating up in Monroe and there are plenty of races with candidates eager to serve in elected office. First Selectman Ken Kellogg will face no challenger, but the races for town council and other offices are contested.

Monroe Patch asked candidates to answer questions about their campaigns and will be publishing candidate profiles as election day draws near.

Jason Maur is running for town council as a Democrat. He was first elected to his position in 2017 and before that was appointed to the Monroe Commission on Aging. He is an attorney by trade.

Are you running for office in Monroe? Contact Rich Scinto at rich.scinto@patch.com for information on being featured in a candidate's profile and submitting campaign announcements to Monroe Patch.

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

Fiscal Responsibility. Not only have we seen many tax increases over the years, we continue to see money allocated in a wasteful manner. We ignore the report on our road quality that at our
current rate of spending the quality of our roads will plateau next year.

We refuse to make meaningful changes to Zoning Regulations to allow for expanded business growth in our town. We sweep a $1.5 million dollar shortfall in our education budget under the rug and create an artificial no increase in taxes by spending out of our reserve and emergency funds.

We need to create a full-time Economic Development position to bring businesses into town and actually decrease our property tax reliability. Further, we need to spend more money now on roads to prevent larger bills and an exponential tax increase in the near future. We need to look at the budget lines that are consistently over budgeted and allocate that money differently to provide more and better services to the people of Monroe.

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

I am a lifelong resident of Monroe.

List other issues that define your campaign platform:

1) Economic Development along with meaningful zoning regulation changes.

2)Better road maintenance and management.

3) Continuing Monroe's excellence in education.

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

Having grown up here in Monroe, CT, I was provided with many opportunities: opportunities I want to be available to all people who are able to live here at any point in their lives. Along with the loving support of my family and my Monroe education and upbringing, I was able to achieve the rank of Eagle Scout; attend the top research university in the country, Johns Hopkins
University, where I double majored in Political Science and Psychology, with a minor in Theater Arts; gain employment with Senator Dodd, for whom I served on his team for the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee; attend Quinnipiac University School of Law, where my studies included Education Law, Contract Law, Alternative Dispute Resolution, and Negotiations, among other topics; achieve my lifelong goal of becoming an Attorney, sworn into the CT State Bar November 1, 2010, now employed as Corporate Counsel to a solar energy company here in Connecticut; and, most importantly, return to serve my hometown as a concerned citizen who wants to give back to the community that gave so much to me.

In addition to serving on Town Council for the past two years, my service to Monroe starts long before then. I had been a Commissioner on the Monroe Commission on Aging for six years where I served as the Vice-Chair. Further, back when I was a student, I was selected as the Student Representative to the Monroe Board of Education.

The best advice ever shared with me was ...

During my time working for Senator Dodd he pulled me aside one day to discuss his time as a Senator. He told me that when he started the job, that of course there were fights and arguments on the floor of the Senate, but afterwards, they would all go out, regardless of Party, and work towards a compromise to move things forward for the betterment of the Country and benefit of their constituents. This has always stuck with me. Especially in small town politics, we need to all work together, regardless of political affiliation, to do what is best for all of our constituents.

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

I have made it a priority to consistently do my best to keep the public informed and share any and all information. I welcome anybody to reach out to discuss any issues they have in town or questions they want raised. I am here to represent you. I have been a part of Monroe's past and have learned from it. I am part of Monroe's present and proudly serve it. I have a vision for Monroe's future, so let's be a part of it together. Please vote Jason Maur for Town Council.