Stratford Candidate Profile: James Simon For Registrar Of Voters

STRATFORD, CT — The 2020 primary election for Democrat registrar of voters is heating up in Stratford, with incumbent Rick Marcone taking on endorsed Democratic Town Committee candidate James Simon on Tuesday.

Simon is a scholar in residence at Southern Connecticut State University. He holds a doctorate in public administration and a master's degree in journalism. Simon has served as a member of the Stratford Democratic Town Committee and the Stratford Town Greenway Committee, and as a consultant for the Stratford Library Association

Candidate responses appear as they were received and have not been edited by Patch staff.

The single most pressing issue facing the registrar's office is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.

The single most pressing issue facing the registrar's office … is high cost and low competence. For 12 years, it has been slow, glutted, and broken — even though it spends four times more per voter than some nearby, comparable towns.

Meanwhile, the registrar’s office has been complicit with using tactics such as gerrymandering to create disadvantages that concentrates minority voters, breaking up Oronoque Village into two districts, and drawing ridiculous district lines that are unfair to voters in those districts
As the Democratic registrar of voters, I will ensure fairness and representation for every voter in every Stratford neighborhood, especially those currently underserved. I will use ALL the tools available to my office to publicize inequities and rally Stratford residents to support fair redistricting in 2022.

• The registrar will have a major role in voter redistricting after the 2020 Census. I will use all the tools at my disposal to undo the gerrymandering instituted by current and past officials.
• I will work to restore competence in the registrar’s office — and restore the public trust that was lost — after the Stratford registrar’s office misplaced 76 ballots in a close election, causing endless court battles that made national news.
• The registrar’s office spends four times more per voter than similar-sized towns. I am the only candidate who wants to cut the payroll and patronage for the registrar’s office, saving taxpayer dollars, while protecting the important work of the office such as educating voters and giving them every chance to get engaged.

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidate seeking this post? List other issues that define your campaign platform:

1. There is a Democratic registrar and Republican registrar, so they can serve as a check on one another. That balance has been lost. I will bring experience, competence, professionalism, customer service, and a fresh eye to the registrar’s office.
2. Why does Stratford spend four times more per voter than Trumbull? I am the only candidate who pledges to work to dramatically reduce the $300,000 a year we spend on the registrar’s office. Most towns our size use part-time people; for the last few years, however, we have four full-time registrars, each getting $70,000 a year plus benefits! I will seek to expand the important work of the office in protecting voting rights while rolling back the jobs to part-time status, the same as comparable towns.
3. I have practical, applied experience that is directly related to the position. As a former dean at two universities, I developed the administrative, leadership, communication and budgetary skills to work effectively with town government.

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

• A big part of the job of the registrar is to educate the public on both the voter registration process and where to vote once you are registered. All of my career paths — political reporter, state government official, 25-plus years as a college professor — deal with educating readers and taxpayers and students. I am passionate about this role as educator. I am eager to expand the role of registrar, using social and digital media, in constantly educating voters about their rights and opportunities.
• The registrar’s office can be seen as part of the broader field of public administration. I have a Ph.D. degree in public administration, and I helped create Fairfield University’s successful Master of Public Administration program while serving as dean. I taught the very first public administration class ever offered in the program, and students have gone on to successful careers in various government agencies.
• I bring an entrepreneurial approach to all I can do. I was an innovator as a journalist, state government official, and academic administrator. I will bring competence, professionalism, and a fresh eye to the registrar’s office and look for ways to do more with, including far less funding on patronage jobs.

The best advice ever shared with me was ...

… work hard and leave your job in better shape than when you found it.

Lifetime positions get stale. I am not looking to be a permanent fixture. I want to bring a fresh approach, right some obvious wrongs, do my job, cut spending, and leave the office better for my efforts.

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

• With my wife Karen, I learned a lot about myself when our son Christopher was diagnosed with autism at age 2. We immediately moved back to Stratford in 1997 and had to cope with his new diagnosis of diabetes and epilepsy. We are proud that Chris received a mainstreamed education in Stratford public schools (including SHS, our alma mater). We have worked for and supported many of the organizations — including Autism Speaks, Juvenile Diabetes Foundation, Autism Spectrum Resource Center, Families United Newtown — that are working to make life better for him and others. I have balanced my career and work life with being the active dad my son deserves, and he is flourishing now in adulthood.
• I have enjoyed my ability in Stratford to volunteer without having to necessarily be appointed to an official job. When the town wanted to bulldoze dozens of trees on Whippoorwill Lane, my wife and I led the effort to rally neighbors at Boothe and thwart the plan. When Stratford and Bunnell teachers asked me to help show graduating the seniors the value of writing, I was happy to take part — for four consecutive years. I used my academic training to help the Stratford Library on multiple occasions. I am eager to work with public school teachers, at all grade levels, about how we can get students to appreciate the power of voting. The goal: Stratford students can become active, voting citizens as soon as they turn 18.
• There is a tremendous lethargy in the registrar’s office that I want to cut through. When is the last time you received any sort of voting update from the registrar’s office? In an age of email, instant messaging, Facebook groups and other social media outlets, why isn’t the registrar’s office communicating with you and keeping you up to date on the many issues regarding voting and elections?
• I grew up in Lordship, attended Stratford High (and met my future wife there), pursued college and my career, and then moved my family back to Stratford in 1997. I enjoy my being a scholar in residence at SCSU, but I want to give back even more to Stratford. I want to bring my experience and fresh eye to the registrar of voters office, stop the mismanagement, and restore a sense of fairness and balance between the two parties.