Matt McGee Running For Shelton Board Of Aldermen

SHELTON, CT — Election Day is approaching fast, and a number of key positions in Shelton 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.

Patch will post these candidate profiles over the next several days, so check back often to see the latest.

Democrat Matt McGee, 20, is running for Shelton Board of Aldermen in Shelton.

Occupation: Full Time Student

Family: I am a commuter student in my second year at Southern Connecticut State University and live at home with my parents. My dad is retired and my mom is a nurse. I am grateful for the stable foundation they have provided me with and for all their love and support.

Experience: None

Family in government: No

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

Keeping Shelton affordable for all while improving the services we provide to our residents. A few years ago Shelton had a balance of over $12 million in our general fund. However over the last few years we have spent down that $12 million to virtually zero. Moody's even noticed this and lowered our bond rating as a result, making borrowing more expensive. Shelton was saved from raising taxes this year due to an abundance of COVID-19 federal relief funds and from savings due to not running our school busses during the COVID-19 Pandemic. However, the COVID relief funds will run out, and our school busses are back up and running. We must elect public servants to our Board of Aldermen who are committed to finding answers as to why our general fund was spent down and solutions as to how we can prevent this from happening again. If we don't our taxes will increase, and the services we offer will continue to suffer.

Critical differences between me and my opponents:

I have extensive experience volunteering in our community as a community organizer. I am a proud Co-founder of Shelton Students For Change, a group which successfully advocated for two non-voting Student Representatives to be added to the Board of Education. I am also a proud Co-founder of Envision Shelton, the Bi-partisan political group which defeated an unpopular Town Charter Revision last year. Finally, I serve on the Shelton Clean-up Project leadership team, where I help organize trash and litter clean-ups around town. Furthermore, I am a lifelong Shelton resident and the youngest out of all the candidates seeking this position. In fact, one of my opponents has served on the Board of Aldermen for over 30 years -- longer than I have been alive. This is particularly unique and sets me apart from the other candidates as it was not too long ago that I myself was a student in Shelton Schools, and so I know some of the issues facing our schools first hand and can speak effectively to them on our Board of Aldermen.

Accomplishments:

I have successful experience working with people from all political parties to benefit our town. Both community advocacy groups I have been a co-founder of were/are Bi-partisan. During my time serving as President of Shelton Students for Change I worked with a Board of Education that was made up of 5 Republicans and 4 Democrats to change BOE policy to allow for two non-voting Student Reps to serve on our Board of Education. During my time as Treasurer (and now Field Director) of Envision Shelton I continue to work with well-known Republicans, Democrats, and Independents alike to advocate for good, Bi-partisan Government. This began with successfully defeating a bad Charter Revision last year and continues with running with a Bi-partisan team of candidates for our Board of Aldermen this year. I can and will work with anyone to benefit our town, and this is why I am endorsed by former Republican BOE Chair Mark Holden, former Republican BOE member Anne Gaydos, former Republican Alderman Jim Capra, and current Republican Alderman David Gidwani, and along with being endorsed by the Shelton Democratic Party as a whole.

Other issues:

Smart development is not over-development. For too long residents from all over Shelton have been fighting development proposals that benefit developers far more than they benefit our town. We need public servants at all levels of Shelton Government who are committed to representing residents and their concerns, along with advocating for developments that are balanced and ensuring that Developers follow our own rules and regulations when developing property in town. Supporting our first responders, ensuring that they have the support they need to do their jobs to the best of their abilities, while also ensuring that promotions are based on merit and not politics. Ethical government and keeping all those who serve our city open and honest. We need a well-functioning, non-partisan, and Board of Ethics with real disciplinary power.

What else would you like voters to know about you?

I am running to help people and do my part to make Shelton even better than it already is. If you have an idea, opinion, or issue that you would like me to know about, and never hesitate to reach out. 203-402-9503 or mcgee4alderman@gmail.com