Robert Baird Running For Stratford Zoning Board Of Appeals

STRATFORD, CT — The 2021 municipal election is heating up in Stratford with plenty of races on the ballot.

Voters will head to the polls Tuesday, Nov. 2 and cast their ballots for the position of mayor, along with seats on the Town Council, Board of Education, Planning and Zoning and more.

Stratford Patch asked candidates to answer questions about their campaigns and will be publishing candidate profiles as election day draws near.

Robert Baird, 74, is running for election to the Stratford Zoning Board of Appeals as a Republican.

Occupation: Retired Teacher/Director of Athletics at Stratford High School (1989-91 and 1998-2017)

Family: My wife Diana Joy and I grew up on the same street in Lordship and we were high school sweethearts. We recently celebrated our 50th wedding anniversary. We are the proud parents of six wonderful children and 13 grandchildren in a bi-racial, adoptive family. Four children and eight grandchildren presently reside in Lordship. Our children are Lucy, Rob, Bridget, Peter, Patrick, and Samantha and are well-known and respected in the community.

Experience: Appointed to Parks and Recreation Commission in early 1980's for 2 years

Family in government: My brother-in-law John Florek and nephew Alexander Florek are both assistant Town Attorneys.

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

I have never run for or held any political office. I am not a politician. But you do not have to be one to recognize a problem or to become part of the solution. Stratford, like many cities and towns today, faces a myriad of problems that need both state and federal financial assistance. Some of the issues include: reducing taxes while increasing our grand list; maintaining the current level of services offered to our residents; providing quality and equal educational opportunities for all our children; offering affordable housing and guarding against those predator developers who would use it as a pretense to line their pockets; and preserving and enhancing our natural resources that make Stratford such a unique place to live. How many communities do you know that are fortunate enough to boast of both a forest and shoreline property? No one issue is more important than the other. They are inter-related and need to be solved collectively. Doing so will make this town an even greater place to attract businesses and industry, create jobs, and entice an influx of young people who will find it their dream place to raise a family and get involved in the community.

I feel qualified to serve on the ZBA and help our town from my 67 years of life experience here, from watching the town grow to helping challenge the forces from within and outside Stratford that would like nothing more than to hinder our efforts. My late mother-in-law Phyllis Kriksciun was a co-founder of the Lordship P.Y.E. (Protect Your Environment) back in the early 1970’s. I staunchly supported the movement to protect the Great Salt Marsh and Prevent Airport Expansion, and still do, in my capacity as a citizen.

Critical differences between me and my opponent:

I have not had the pleasure of meeting my Democratic opponent Ellen Fraint. I do know she is a Doctor of Oncology, a position that is near and dear to me as I am a leukemia survivor (five years now cancer free) and I appreciate people whose job it is to save lives.

Accomplishments:

The longer someone resides in a town, the more familiar they become with what works and what doesn’t, as well as what is the best way to proceed on different issues. I believe I qualify in that regard. I have been involved in numerous Stratford volunteer organizations for over 5 decades: Cub Scouts, Indian Guides & Princesses, Little League baseball, Sterling House Community Center athletics, St. James Basketball (13 years), Lordship Father’s Club, Stratford High School Red Devil Club, as well as activities at both Lordship Community Church and Our Lady of Peace, where I am presently a parishioner.

For the past 35 years I’ve served as the General Manager of Brakettes Softball. Our organization has worked hard to keep this legendary program alive. The Stratford Brakettes have brought notoriety to the Town and have been a great source of pride for our fans and town residents since 1947.

While teaching civics for 10 years at SHS I made it a point every year to teach a unit on Stratford history and government. I thought it was vital my students should know more about our history than we were founded in 1639. When I was a student at Lordship School and Johnson Junior High School it was part of the curriculum.