Trumbull Candidate Profile: Christine El Eris For Town Council

TRUMBULL, CT — The 2019 municipal election is heating up in Trumbull and there are plenty of races with candidates eager to serve in elected office.

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

Christine El Eris is running for Town Council as a Democrat. She works in product development and management for consumer financial services and fraud

Are you running for office in Trumbull? Contact Rich Scinto at rich.scinto@patch.com for information on being featured in a candidate's profile and submitting campaign announcements to Trumbull Patch.

The single most pressing issue facing our town/district is _______, and
this is what I intend to do about it.

It is tempting to cite one single issue as being most pressing or
important but I view all the challenges facing Trumbull through one defining
lens”that of working to honor our vibrant tradition as a New England
community which continues to evolve to meet today's and tomorrow's needs.

Education, town services and infrastructure investments are important and
they must be balanced against the need to keep taxes stable. No one item is
more important than the other in my mind.

What is of the utmost importance is having folks in Town Council who will
collaborate to strike that balance.

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates
seeking this post?

Having spent twenty years in product development I know how to listen,
learn, solve problems, set strategies, and perhaps most importantly collaborate
and build consensus with others who might have a different approach or
opinion about how to solve a problem. I have found that more often than not,
when teams of people with different opinions work together the outcome is
better than when only one side has defined and executed the solution.

If you are a challenger, in what way has the current board or officeholder
failed the community (or district or constituency)?

My work experience also has taught me that taking a studied, measured
approach improves outcomes too. When products are launched without adequate
market research having been completed first they usually perform poorly. This
means that I understand that important and long-neglected community needs
such as aquatics, library and senior community facilities deserve solid
research to determine the best approaches. Rushing into decisions or taking a
top down approach where a First Selectman effectively pre-determines
the outcome is far from ideal. I appreciate the foundational work the various
committees have made thus far on these important initiatives and look forward
to the opportunity for town-wide community feedback as well.

List other issues that define your campaign platform:

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

The best advice ever shared with me was ...

My immigrant father taught me to be appreciative of all that I have and to
respect and learn from others, most especially people who are different than
yourself. He told me that every person has something of value to offer.

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

Empathy, active listening, curiosity, intellectual honesty and a
collaborative mindset have been keys to my success in launching new products
at both small and large companies. I will employ these approaches to my work
on Town Council if the good folks in District 3 should choose to vote for me.