Stratford Election 2021: Gregory Cann Running For Town Council

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.

Democrat Gregory Cann, 60, is running for re-election to the Stratford Town Council in the 5th District.

Occupation: Health Care Economist, Informatics

Family: Wife, four adult children, five grandchildren. Until the passing of my father-in-law, four generations of my family reside in Straford

Experience: Current D5 town council

Family in government: No

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

Execution. Stratford is officially a welfare municipality per State of CT “Distressed” guidelines. This status does provide the town with a $4.7m stipend, but we need to exercise “local control” and execute our own solutions. Town owned properties have languished unused, leaving $100 million in commercial investment unrealized. Failure to effectively engage with investors and developers is a symptom that Stratford is not exercising best practices. Hiring a PR Media Specialist to manufacture excuses will not lead our town to prosperity. Hiring a Grant Writer with opportunity to attract government and private funding will.

Critical differences between me and my opponents:

Experience. Econometrics, process improvement and project management are my business skills, honed over a 40 year career. In the private sector, and merit is rewarded. So is reliability.

Accomplishments:

Recently, I provided the financial analysis for a $800 million (annual) supplier contract that included performance metrics, assuring stability for my client’s customers. I have the professional acumen to do it right, on time, with ongoing oversight & controls, so all participants feel they’ve experienced a win-win outcome.

Other issues:

Integrity is hard earned. Honestly is a belief system, not a slogan. Public before personal. Transparency deserves more than lip service. Own Accountability. Solutions before excuses. Our local government must be conducted with the highest degree of honesty, integrity and accountability - we are neighbors, and we are a community.

What else would you like voters to know about you?

I am not perfect, but I am a fast learner. I’d rather make a small mistake than not try at all - every decision can be further optimized. I work well with motivated professionals, and I feel rewarded when able to mentor and improve others and organizations to reach their potential.