West Haven Candidate Profile: Angela Driver For Board Of Ed

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

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

Angela Driver, 51, is running for a seat on the Board of Education as a Republican.

Are you running for office in West Haven? Contact Vinnie Salzo at vincent.salzo@patch.com for information on being featured in a candidate's profile and submitting campaign announcements to West Haven Patch.

Family:

David, spouse, 33 years at Sikorsky Aircraft and a Boy Scout Troop 899 leader in West Haven. Georgie, attended WHPS, received B.S. from SCSU, and is currently in her last year of graduate school in MA. McKenna is currently a senior at WHHS. Kellen is currently in 8th grade at Bailey Middle School.

Education:

Graduated SUNY Alfred in 1988, Court & Realtime Reporting.

Occupation:

Successful owner/operator of court reporting and scoping business since 1996.

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office:

None

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

It's always money/taxes! That applies to schools as well. We cannot afford our tax bills. What I intend to do is spend however long it takes going through the school budget and eliminating anything wasteful, where can we sacrifice, can we do it better, what funding are we missing, etc. Sometimes I think we've lost sight of the fact that school means academics, and perhaps we are spending too much money on non-academic things. Also reaching out to the public for their ideas and concerns can help guide this issue. We need to recognize that our citizens are in financial crisis and do our part to alleviate their burden without sacrificing the welfare and education of our children. I believe that issue is most important and priority one.

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

I am a parent. I am involved in the school system on a regular basis. I have children who I want the best for and an enormous respect of the teachers and staff that makes that happen. Parent representation is a vital piece to the Board of Ed. as a parent brings in their wealth of knowledge of current events in the school system. Having one child in grad school and a senior in high school brings me current on the world through a child's eyes relative to their future. I'm up on the trends, the Bureau of Labor & Vital Statistics, the enormous costs of education and whatnot. As a parent and a taxpayer, I feel I can represent confidently the issues most people in our community have with our school system because I'm in that same boat right along with them.

List other issues that define your campaign platform:

I have a list a mile long that is on my Web site, but in a nutshell, besides the budget which will always be an issue, some things we need to tackle right away is 1) the lack of support teachers have in their classrooms to remove disruptive students. This is affecting not only the teacher but also the students themselves who are there to learn. Teachers need more support. 2) Why do we not have a JROTC program? I've been asking that for over two years now. 3) Bring in dual enrollment so our children have an opportunity to graduate with an AS degree 4) bring in vaccinations to each school so every child has the convenience of being vaccinated 6) what grants are we missing that we could take advantage of 5) we must be more aggressive with parents in all aspects; getting them involved; holding them accountable for their children's behavior, knocking on their doors if we must; 7) making detention productive... explore Educational Detention/Suspension Program. Bring in police officers, judges, lawyers, social workers, probation officers, etc., to educate students of consequences of behavior; i.e. juvenile crime, bike theft, vandalism, assault, breaking and entering, trespassing, etc. Counseling on goals, where they see themselves in the future, etc.; AND SO MANY MORE!

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

I'll just simply say that whatever I have ever put my mind to, I have accomplished. If elected, I would expect to be successful because that's my style; it's what I do. I'm not able to do less than 100%. Being a mother of three while running a full-time business and financially managing three households speaks volumes about how much I can handle.

The best advice ever shared with me was ...

Oh gosh, my father. What a character he was. He left me too young, he was 47 when he passed. One of the best pieces of advice I ever got from him was, "You don't know how to quit." He was right. I don't. But what that has helped me do throughout my life is recognize that since I can't do it all and I won't quit, I need to be selective about what I want to tackle, and I am. The Board of Ed is a place where I feel I can make a difference and am willing to put my ducks in that basket to do so.

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

I'm just a mom. I'm not a hero. I'm not unique. I struggle through life, ups and downs, successes and failures. I try. I always try. It doesn't matter what side of the political spectrum you are on; this is about the children, the community, and the educators. I promise to try.

Campaign website:

https://georgiedriver27.wixsit...