Weston Candidate Profile: Melissa Walker For Board of Education

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

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

Melissa Walker, an attorney and counsel for financial news medium CTFN, is running for re-election to the Board of Education as a Republican. She was the past Board of Education representative and PTO Executive Board member at Hurlbutt and WIS, past member of Board of Governors of Weston Field Club, and past adult literacy volunteer at Norwalk Public Library.

Walker, a 12-plus year Weston resident with children in WMS and WIS, is also currently a religious education teacher at St. Francis of Assisi. She holds a BA in journalism and political science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and received her JD from The George Washington University Law School, where she was a member of the Law Review.

Walker's plans for Weston's future are centered around its schools:

"These are challenging times economically in Weston and in Connecticut. Real estate revaluations, increased property taxes, and fiscal constraints in Hartford are straining our town’s ability to fund our town’s largest and most critical asset, our schools.

"It is imperative that we protect the value of Weston dollars by sensibly and thoughtfully managing the school budget and investing in the future of our children. Multi-year planning across boards and commissions is an essential budgeting tool, as well as improved, clear communication among the Board of Education, the other town committees and commissions, and the public generally.

"As an experienced attorney and community volunteer, I am committed to critically overseeing the school district and its budget and working with the town boards, committees and commissions to achieve the best result for Weston."