Naugatuck Election 2021 Profile: Jolee Dinho-Guerreiro

NAUGATUCK, CT — Election Day is approaching fast, and a number of key positions in Naugatuck will be on the ballot.

To help readers make an informed decision on Nov. 2, Patch has reached out to local candidates to share their views on various topics of importance in town.

Independent Jolee Dinho-Guerreiro, 38, is running for Naugatuck Board of Education in Naugatuck.

Occupation: Secretary At Western Connecticut State University In Danbury

Family:
Husband: Bruno Guerreiro
Son: Antonio Guerreiro, 12
Daughter: Gabriella Guerreiro, 8
Son: Joseph Guerreiro, 5

You can always find us at the soccer field!

Experience: Vice President (acting President) for Naugatuck Youth Soccer

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 our town is the voices of the parents, children and school staff need to be heard by the Board of Education.

I intend to be that sounding board for them all. I am open to hearing all opinions and I feel as a member of the Board of Education we need to put ourselves in students, and parents and staff's shoes and think long and hard on the impact our decisions would have on everyone. As a parent of 3 children in the Naugatuck School system I have a vested interest in all decisions that are made. My priority will always be the children and I hope to improve the communication between parents and teachers/ administrators.

Critical differences between me and my opponents:

I am an Independent candidate. I do not believe in any one side and I want to be able to bridge the gap between the two parties since I have the ability to work with them both.

Accomplishments:

I have been on the board of directors for Naugatuck Youth Soccer for the past 7 years. Within this time I have taken on many different positions and am now the Vice President (Acting President). Listening to parents and coaches as well as our players is something I do on a daily basis. I understand how hard of a job it is to be on a board making decisions that impact our children.
I am also a Parent Leader graduate from the Parent Leadership Training Institute here in Naugatuck. This amazing program helped me to learn how to become a leader within our community and pushed me to want to do more.

Other issues:

• I feel that our children are resilient. For the most part they have adapted well to all that has been thrown at them throughout the pandemic. I feel that as a school district we need to listen to the issues and work together on how to fix them. Making learning fun and interesting for the students is a huge priority. Although many of our students are ok with online learning some are not. We need to acknowledge that and remember that not all children are the same and we need to be flexible enough to help them all.

What else would you like voters to know about you?

I am a parent just like most of you. My main focus is making sure that our children have the best educational experience that Naugatuck can give them!