Scott's Campaign Notebook, No. 2!

First of all, I want to extend a great deal of thanks to Midge Fitch, members of the 9th District Democratic Town Committee and all the 9th District residents that came out to my meet-and-greet this past Sunday.

Many of you brought food. Many of you brought family and friends. All of you brought questions, comments and concerns about the future of our town and I was truly thankful for the opportunity to talk to everyone who came out. For anyone who came (or was not able to make it) but still has more questions, please do not hesitate to e-mail or call me. I’ll be glad to talk.

On Tuesday, I attended the Connecticut Education Association’s municipal candidate forum and heard from teachers and administrators about their ideas for giving our children the world-class education they need to compete in the global marketplace. I have a special place in my heart for the men and women in that room because a great public school education is the reason why I am here today, the reason why I am in a position to run for Hamden Legislative Council. Fantastic teachers flat-out refused to allow me to fail, and I’m hoping to work with the Board of Education to make sure that every child in Hamden has a chance to get that same life-changing experience.

Many people have asked what a member of the Legislative Council can do to improve education. After all, while the Council approves the line item for the Board of Education, it cannot mandate uses for that money. 

But by developing a collaborative relationship with the Board of Education, I, if elected, can work to make sure that our teachers have all the resources they need to give their students a world-class education. And ultimately, making sure that that we scrutinize every dollar we spend means that we will have reserve funds to keep our education system strong during tough economic times.

You can see more about how I’d like to work with the Board of Education on these issues by visiting http://www.scottharrisjr.com/education-reform.

Next week, I’ll be announcing a new initiative that I hope will be the first step toward ending childhood hunger in our town and making sure every single Hamden child has health insurance by 2017. By launching public-private partnerships, taking advantage of federal and state grants and increasing awareness and outreach, we can accomplish this goal with little-to-no cost to the Hamden taxpayer.

When every child is walking into a Hamden classroom well-fed and healthy, we will finally conquer one of the major impediments that holds down student achievement. I hope you’ll look for it.

Scott Harris, Jr. is the Democratic candidate for Hamden Legislative Council District 9. You can read more about him by visiting his campaign website http://www.scottharrisjr.com.