Ridgefield Election: Meg Oyunbazar For Board Of Education

RIDGEFIELD, CT — The state Municipal Election is Tuesday, Nov. 2.

Patch contacted candidates to answer questions about their campaigns.

Unaffiliated candidate Meg Oyunbazar is running for the Board of Education in Ridgefield.

Occupation: Corporate Governance And Ethical Compliance Professional

Family: I live with my husband and son in my family.

Family in government: No

The single biggest issue in town is ______, and I plan to do this about it:

The most important thing about the school district of our town is to return to a sense of normalcy and providing a better educational environment and for all aspects of student development. Our children and families have struggled through disruption and pandemic-related restrictions in our schools and we need to move on as a town in general.

Critical differences between me and my opponents:

I am an immigrant born and raised in Mongolia, a formerly communist country under the Soviet Union's influence. Growing up in a Soviet country, I bring a perspective that many other citizens may not have. I also am running as unaffiliated but on the Republican ticket.

Accomplishments:

I am an accomplished program manager in legal compliance at a multinational company, and have lived and worked internationally for much of my career. So the skills and technical expertise are in place to serve an organization such as the BOE, with a wide variety of responsibilities overseeing the academic, legal, and financial well-being of a school district.

Other issues:

A strong effort to ensure a focus on academics and nonpolitical curriculum; I will work toward more than budgetary responsibility for the school district, we want to see a ‘common-sense’ budget; Transparency and community inclusion: too often people rally with interest and then interest wanes and time marches onward. For the school board, we need to ensure that parents and taxpayers stay engaged and have a legitimate mechanism and forum to undertake that engagement.

What else would you like voters to know about you?

In my view, this country is a true leader in what it has achieved in its short history. There are those that may never have had that perspective, or perhaps lost it. My family has experienced curriculums and lessons that denigrated and ignored this country's inspiring history and its record of incredible social accomplishments. During my campaign, I met many parents who were as shocked as our family was at the tone of the curriculum. As an immigrant, I bring a perspective that many other citizens may not have and will work to make the curriculum more balanced. We must protect the sanctity of education or this country may lose its greatness.