Patch Candidate Profile: Celeste Fine, Redding Board of Education

REDDING, CT — The 2023 municipal election is heating up in Redding and there are plenty of races with candidates eager to serve in elected office.

Patch asked candidates to answer questions about their campaigns and will be publishing candidate profiles as Election Day draws near.

Literary agent Celeste Fine, 43, is running for a seat on the Redding Board of Education as a Democrat. She has an AB in government from Harvard University (magna cum laude). She is married to Marcus Folch, an associate professor of classics at Columbia University, and the couple have 7-year-old twin boys and a 6-year-old daughter at Redding Elementary School.

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

No.

Have you ever held a public office, whether appointive or elective?

No

Why are you seeking this office?

It is important that our schools nurture engaged, thoughtful, healthy, and confident children.

Please complete this statement: The single most pressing issue facing my constituents is ____, and this is what I intend to do about it.

Invest in STEAM

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

My mother was a high school teacher in California, where I attended public school. My husband and I attended Ivy League universities, and my husband is an Ivy League professor. My children attended private school in Manhattan. I will draw from these different educational experiences when I partner with the community and stakeholders.

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

As the owner of a literary agency in Manhattan, I successfully oversaw a cultural and organizational merger during the pandemic while growing revenue.

What is the best advice anyone ever gave you?

Buy-in matters.

Is there anything else you would like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

I take this responsibility to the community and the children seriously.