Patch Candidate Profile: Sean McEvoy, Ridgefield Board of Education

RIDGEFIELD, CT — The 2023 municipal election is heating up in Ridgefield and there are plenty of races with candidates eager to serve in elected office.

Ridgefield Patch asked candidates to answer questions about their campaigns and will be publishing candidate profiles as Election Day draws near.

Republican Sean McEvoy, 56, has worked 30-plus years leading large information technology and networking projects, and is seeking re-election to the Ridgefield Board of Education. He and his wife have been married 31 years, and have two daughters, ages 20 and 26.

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

No

Have you ever held a public office, whether appointive or elective?

Current Board of Education member (incumbent)

Why are you seeking this office?

I've spent the past 4 years helping to improve our school district, working with the current Board of Ed, RPS leadership, and other local officials to streamline and improve the budget process (I chair the Budget and Finance committee) and improve relations between the Board of Ed and the town's Board of Finance.

Please complete this statement: The single most pressing issue facing my constituents is ____, and this is what I intend to do about it.

Recovering from Learning Loss brought on by Covid

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

As the only elected incumbent, I have a 4-year headstart in understanding the district landscape, needs, and direction. After a few years and multiple Superintendents, our first job as a Board in 2019 was to hire our current Superintendent. This has brought significant stability to the district and has allowed us to rebuild the foundation of the programming required to move all students forward.

What other issues do you intend to address during your campaign?

There's still much work to do for the district to build out the remaining curriculum that hasn't been touched in many years. Continuing to measure the learning loss recovery until all students have the supports in place to succeed. We also have some aging schools that the town and district will have to reconcile in the coming years.

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

As chair of the Budget and Finance Committee, we identified and closed some significant dormant accounts, streamlined the financial reporting process and timelines, and helped the district find some significant saves in transportation with some new small vans.

What is the best advice anyone ever gave you?

Never stop learning. “The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.” -Dr. Seuss