Shelley Cryan - Democratic Candidate for RTM District 9
On Tuesday November 3rd, Fairfielders will have the opportunity to vote for candidates up for election on the Board of Education and the Representative Town Meeting. These are important elections for both entities. The Board of Education is tasked with hiring a new superintendent of the school district, and the RTM will be faced with another tight budget. Your vote is meaningful. In light of this, we will be interviewing the candidates, and posting individual Q&A to help voters understand who the candidates are and what they stand for. To ensure you do not miss an article, subscribe to HeyFairfield’s daily newsletter in the box at the top of the righthand column. Today’s Q&A is for Democrat RTM candidate Shelley Cryan – Ed
Shelley Cryan is a first-time candidate for the Fairfield Representative Town Meeting (RTM) running on the Democratic ticket. She received a BA from Cornell University and an MBA from University of Chicago. Ms. Cryan is a small-business owner and has volunteered for the PTA, Riverlab, Odyssey of the Mind, Ludlowe Corps, Junior Great Books, youth soccer and softball coach. She is a 13-year resident of Southport where she lives with her husband and three children.
What made you decide to run for the RTM?
I love living in Fairfield. I do recognize that Fairfield’s strengths are due in large part to all the people that have volunteered in the past. I volunteer for various civic and school groups for over a decade, and now I would like to turn my attention to serving in the town government.
The RTM seemed like a good fit, a good place to use my skills and my background to help out at the Town level.
What is the most immediate issue facing the RTM today?
Town budget
What experience do you bring to the table to resolve that issue?
Being able to help navigate what is going to be a tough budget season. I have an MBA. So I can analyze financials, The RTM is the last stop in the budget process, it’s good to have somebody who can analyze financials. Early in my career I worked for a Fortune 500 firm as a financial planning manager and I had bottom line responsibility for a multi-million dollar budget.
After that issue, what other priorities need to be addressed, and how will you impact that?
As a Town we need to continue to deliver vital Town services to everyone from students to seniors while respecting that taxpayers are stretched to their limits. The other priority would be the environment, I would like to help the town go green. I also believe we’ve got to spend wisely, and spend carefully. I think we’ve got to keep costs under control, but I think it’s an important issue for everyone. House hunters want to see a strong school system, that keeps home values up. I also support programs that help keep seniors stay in their homes such as tax-relief programs and I think it’s the Town’s responsibility to support programs that help out seniors
What Long-Term issue is Fairfield facing that the RTM needs to take ownership of?
To continue to go green, to help the environment and save money. Look into alternative energy, to save money and do the right thing for the environment.
What other Town bodies and commissions do you think need to be involved with the RTM?
RTM is often the last stop and I think it is important for the members to do their homework while in committee. Figure out what that they need, what is that they want. Keep the lines of communication open. So you can make a well-informed decision, so it’s not new to you when something comes up for a vote.
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