Trumbull Election: Kevin Shively For Town Council District 7

TRUMBULL, CT — Election Day is approaching fast, and a number of key positions in Trumbull will be on the ballot.

To help readers make an informed decision on Nov. 2, Patch has reached out to local candidates to share their views on various topics of importance in town.

Patch will post these candidate profiles over the next couple of weeks, so check back often to see the latest.

Occupation: Software Executive

Family: Married to Tanya Shively for 25 years. Son Julian (21) at McGill University in Montreal Daughter Alison (19) at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh

Experience: Town Council District 2

Family in government: No

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

Balancing the need to keep our town an affordable place to live without sacrificing public safety, important services, and or the strength of our schools. Continuing to attract new families and new businesses to our town will continue to grow our grand list and spread the burden of town costs across more sources of revenue in order to ensure seniors can afford to stay and young families can afford to join our community.

Critical differences between me and my opponents:

I believe transparency and compromise are what create good government. I don't believe in taking ideological or partisan positions and but rather look at every issue pragmatically to try to determine what will benefit our community most. I have a history of not voting party line and will continue to embrace any good idea regardless of who or where it comes from.

Accomplishments:

For the past two budget seasons, I have been chair of the town council finance committee. During that time, we have kept tax increases at an average of under 1% each year and have been able to grow the general fund at the same time. We've done this without making any cuts to public safety, critical services, and or our schools.

Other issues:

I continue to work towards a town government that is collaborative rather than combative. I will continue to make every effort to work with all members of our town government regardless of party affiliation or previous conflicts.

What else would you like voters to know about you?

My work keeps me in direct contact with customers and the public. I have had to work with a wide range of people in different economic situations and from many different backgrounds. That has taught me to listen first before I speak on an issue. This enables me to understand the needs of those I am serving and to better address those needs directly and effectively.