Submitted by Kathleen Stowe, member Board of Education, candidate for State Rep, 149th district
I hope everyone started the summer healthy and happy with your family and friends. These are certainly interesting times, and in my household with two parents working from home and after months of distance learning, we appreciate the slow and steady reopening of our region.
I have been particularly busy with the Board of Education, as Vice Chair of the Board and as Chair of the Policy Governance and Budget Committees, where we have successfully modified policies and budgets in response to COVID-19.
We now turn our focus to the challenges of reopening, and I look forward to working with my colleagues in a positive and collaborative manner to get the best outcome for our students and their families.
I would like to bring that same attitude and energy to advocate for our community in Hartford, which is why I am running to represent the 149th State Assembly district. This is the seat that has been held for 20 years by Livvy Floren, who I have the pleasure of knowing and I wish well in retirement.
Now more than ever, we need a strong advocate and experienced leadership to guide our district and state through the current crisis and into the next phase of growth.
My career experience, energy, and dedication to our community will make me valuable as a state representative. I have spent two decades in finance, first as an investment banker at Salomon/Citigroup, and then in private equity where I invested in and grew multiple businesses while serving on corporate boards. Currently, I am helping my father grow Jordan & Jordan, a financial technology business. My deep understanding of finance will help me manage our state budget, and my track record of growing companies in various economic cycles means that I know what it takes to attract and retain businesses in our state.
My husband and I are raising our three children in the North Greenwich/North Stamford area. We love our neighborhood for its sense of community, open and protected space, wonderful schools, and relatively low taxes. We are fortunate to be at the nexus of four loving grandparents – my husband’s family has been in Connecticut since the 1600s and I grew up nearby in Westchester.
My own community engagement started as a class parent at Round Hill Nursery School. When my children moved to Parkway Elementary School, I was the class parent and class parent organizer for many years.
My love of sports led me into coaching t-ball, and eventually I graduated to coaching baseball and softball. Additionally, for the past five years, I have served on the Board of the Northeast Greenwich Association, where we focus on quality of life issues for our community.
In 2017, I decided to run for the Board of Education. I have always been a strong believer in the value of public education.
My three children had been enjoying the public schools and I sought to continue to improve the experience for all our students and families, believing my financial and management experience would be valuable to keep a tight rein on our budget.
I now have multiple leadership roles on the Board of Education and we have accomplished much in the last three years, but what I have learned most is working with colleagues to build consensus regardless of political ideologies. That is a vital skill to have in Hartford.
We are living in a new world, and it will require thoughtful and collaborative decisions to be made in Connecticut. We need to get our state and our economy re-opened in a healthy and responsible manner. This moment of crisis requires skilled management but also presents an opportunity to reinvigorate growth in our communities and our state. We already have an influx of new families in our neighborhoods. I want to encourage them to stay, to invest and to build their lives here and more
people and businesses to follow. With my track record of managing businesses, my experience in government and my first-hand understanding of local families, I will bring the right skills and perspective to the job. We need to nurture our communities by growing our economy, protecting our open spaces and enhancing our local schools, while maintaining our fiscal discipline. I hope to talk with many of you over the next few months about the issues for your families, our region and the state. Stay well.
Additional information on Kathleenstowe.com