Ira Kaplan Running For Easton Board Of Finance

EASTON, CT — The state Municipal Election is Tuesday, Nov. 2.

Patch contacted candidates to answer questions about their campaigns.

Democrat Ira Kaplan, 59, is running for the Easton Board of Finance in Easton.

Occupation: Actuary, Senior Vice President, And Pricing Manager At General Reinsurance

Family:Wife Susan recently retired after ten years as principal of Helen Keller Middle School; adult children Jason (Connecticut) and Amy (Massachusetts)

Experience: Region 9 Pension Committee and BOF Alternate

Family in government: Daughter Amy is Director of Policy and Regulatory Affairs at Massachusetts Department of Public Health

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

I don't know which issue is most pressing, but I'm not going to do anything about it as a BOF member unless it is a BOF issue. I don't think the BOF should be trying to usurp the authority of other town bodies. For the BOF, and I think the biggest short-term issue is to improve our internal processes so we can better examine and manage our towns longer term finances.

Critical differences between me and my opponents:

I cannot say much about the Republican candidate. I do not believe I ever met him or saw him at any Town Meeting of any kind. Another Democrat seeking this six-year post is Jackie Olschan Kaufman. She is a lawyer who regularly deals with municipal commissions and as such will have certain types of expertise that I do not.

Accomplishments:

I have been a math and numbers person since I was young: In high school I was captain of the NYC Math Team, I majored in computer science at Princeton and graduated magna cum laude, and I became an actuarial “Fellow” by passing all the actuarial exams in under 6 years (which is fast). I have been a leader on numerous successful work projects that dealt with different departments while negotiating their varied interests. I have explained complicated concepts well to different audiences, teaching actuarial classes and presenting at seminars, and once gave a speech from the stage at Carnegie Hall.

Other issues:

I would like to see process changes in the BOF, where we look at multi-year projections, establish policies that create discipline in managing our surplus, make voter Advisory Questions routine, and establish assignments so subgroups can focus on different town departments. I want best estimates, not overly conservative estimates that distort our budget, cause swings in our surplus, and impede our ability to plan.

What else would you like voters to know about you?

I accept the will of the people. I think BOF positions have often not reflected that will, and have instead pressured education and other areas to make unnecessary cuts by portraying the budget situation as more dire than it really is. Some members, without warning, proposed cutting the budget for Parks & Recreation to zero. I don’t think our town will be more attractive, or home values will maintain value, and by advertising Easton as the place where we underfund education and defund town recreational services for kids and adults (and dogs). These contributors to life in Easton should not be treated as enemies.