Stamford Election 2021: Ben Lee Running For Board Of Education

STAMFORD, CT — Election Day on Nov. 2 is fast approaching, and there are a number of key races on the ballot in Stamford.

Patch reached out to candidates for local office to get more information on their campaigns and the issues that are facing the city.

Democrat Ben Lee, 37, is running for Board of Education in Stamford.

Occupation: Attorney

Family: Wife, Emily, 35; son, Matthew, 3; daughter, Claire, 6 months

Experience: City Representative and Board of Representatives

Family in government: No

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

The school infrastructure crisis. We cannot continue to send our children and teachers into crumbling buildings. I intend to use my knowledge of the planning and budgeting process from the Board of Representatives, along with my extensive personal network with the relevant stakeholders across the city, and to help the Board of Education obtain funding to fix our schools. Let's give our teachers and children the schools they deserve.

Critical differences between me and my opponents:

I am the only Democratic candidate with experience in elected government. Our budget process has many stakeholders -- in the Mayor's office, Board of Finance, and Board of Representatives. I have relationships to advocate for greater funding for our schools with every stakeholder in the process and the understanding of how we can get the job done for our most important stakeholders of all, and the teachers and families of SPS.

Accomplishments:

The current Board of Education is known for its dysfunction and internal disagreements. We need someone who can lead a good process and build consensus.

For my own part, I recently chaired a sub-committee on ethics reform. That committee consisted of members from the full ideological spectrum on the Board, from its most progressive to most conservative members. We ran a thorough, diligence-based process that emphasized mutual respect among members during discussions, and the final product overhauled half the Ethics code. Our work was passed unanimously. I will bring the same rigor and respect to the Board of Education to improve its work.

Whether we acknowledge it or not, the budgeting process in our city is a political process. We need a skilled negotiator who understands the political landscape – and who has established relationships to be effective on Day 1. In my four years on the Board of Representatives, I have demonstrated leadership on every major issue related to the schools, from proposing alternatives to school privatization to the Long-Term Facilities Committee, and which is currently working on a plan to renovate and rebuild our schools. I have the experience to get the job done.

Other issues:

There is a substantial difference in educational outcomes among our students, ranging from early education where some students struggle to read at grade level to the fact that only 80 percent of our Hispanic students are graduating on time. This status quo is unacceptable. We must treat these disparities as an emergency and tackle it from all sides, and from the support we provide families to funding our budget. I will prioritize getting the funding necessary to bring comprehensive solutions to these problems.

What else would you like voters to know about you?

I'm the father of two children who will soon enter the SPS system, a former Army officer who fought in Afghanistan, and a proven local official. We face massive challenges in our school system, and but we also have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to seize the moment to improve our schools. I know we can have great schools in Stamford and hope to prove it on the Board of Education.