With Election Day quickly approaching, we wanted to help fellow busy parents get to know some of the candidates and issues up for consideration, quickly. We’ll be featuring two interviews, one with Dan Quigley, Chairman of the Greenwich Republican Town Committee and Joe Angland, Chairman of the Greenwich Democratic Town Committee. We’ve sent them the same questions and hope their replies save you time as you prepare to vote. Below, please see Dan Quigley’s interview.
For Part 2 with Joe Angland, click here.
What are the most important races, in your opinion, for Greenwich Moms to be aware of this year?
In terms of which race is the most important, I think that they are all collectively very important for our community. Because it covers all of Greenwich (and parts of Stamford and New Canaan), the State Senate race (36th District) has the broadest effect on our community. There are also only thirty six State Senators as opposed to 151 State Representatives, so a Senate seat is more scarce. And while there is only one candidate per party for the State Senate, there are three State Rep seats in Greenwich (the 149th District also covers part of Stamford). We are at a pivotal moment in Connecticut. Democrats have run our state legislatures for 32 out of 34 years. They have also had the governorship for a decade, which means they have enjoyed total legislative control of our state. But if you ask most people if they think Connecticut is moving in the right direction, the answer you get is a resounding “No”.
The results have produced an economy that has lagged behind the rest of the country in just about every metric. Job growth, income/wage growth and GDP have been among the worst in the U.S. While Democrats have raised income taxes three times just in the past decade. The combination of higher taxes and low growth has led to the exodus in CT. This includes over 200,000 people and many big businesses the past ten years. While the recent influx of residents due to the pandemic has produced some positive short term results, we have to consider what it took to get people to move here. A pandemic. That is not a sustainable solution to the economic challenges we face. We need to change course.
Our Republican candidates are; Ryan Fazio – State Senate (36th District), Kimberly Fiorello – State Rep (149th D), Joe Kelly – State Rep (150th D) and Harry Arora -Incumbent State Rep (151st D). Our candidates reflect the diversity of our community. They are mothers, fathers, neighbors, immigrants, self-made and hardworking. They are us.
Ryan Fazio • State Senate • 36th District
Our Republican candidate for State Senate is Ryan Fazio. Ryan is a graduate of Northwestern University and works in the Renewable Energy space. He is a Greenwich native and attended Greenwich public schools. He is young, bright and energetic and has a keen determination to set forth policies that will stimulate our economy and help grow our middle class. His expertise in renewable energy has made him a passionate advocate of more environmentally friendly energy solutions. Ryan also wants to cap tuition’s at State Universities so that lower and middle income students can earn a diploma without accumulating burdensome debt.
Kimberly Fiorello • State Rep • 149th District
Kimberly immigrated to the U.S. from South Korea as a child. She attended West Point and graduated from Harvard. Her career has taken her from Wall St to Hong Kong where she served as a correspondent for the Wall St Journal. She is a married mother of four young children and has served on the Greenwich RTM for several years. Kimberly also started a non-profit leadership and mentor group called The Charter Oak Leadership Program. Kimberly was featured once before in Greenwich Moms for her amazing invention, Zipped Bags!
Joe Kelly • State Rep • 150th District
Joe Kelly was born in Queens, NY and has lived in Greenwich for twenty years. He had a successful career on Wall Street which took him to London and Tokyo. He then moved to Greenwich and immediately took a keen interest in getting involved with the community. Joe has been a championship rugby coach at GHS, a volunteer fireman, and currently serves on the Board of Ed. Joe wears his passion for Greenwich on his sleeve, and his boundless energy and team building skills will serve him well in Hartford. He is a married father of four children.
Harry Arora • Incumbent State Rep • 151st District
Harry Arora was born in India and came to America to find success in business. He has an undergraduate degree in engineering, an MBA from the University of Texas and an MPA from Harvard Kennedy School. As State Rep, Harry has been a vocal advocate of making government more efficient and effective for the people. He has worked tirelessly during the pandemic to help constituents with state programs and is a vocal advocate for efficiency in our state agencies. Prior to public office, Harry spent 20 years as an investment manager. He is married and a father of three children.
What is the best—and fastest—way for busy parents to learn more about local and statewide races?
We’re all so busy in our daily lives that finding time to do anything besides keep up with our schedules is hard. I would encourage parents to read our local press (online or hard copy). The Greenwich Time, Greenwich Sentinel and Greenwich Free Press are great resources for gathering information during election season. I think visiting candidates’ website’s is also a great way to gain insight into what each candidate advocates. Here are the links to our candidates’ sites:
– https://www.kimberlyfor149.com
If parents would like to support your party or a particular race, or volunteer at the polls, what is the way to go about that?
Support and/or volunteering from within our community is always such an important part of the campaign season. I would urge people who are interested in helping to send an email to the RTC at: [email protected]. They can describe what they would like to do. Whether it’s putting lawn sign out for candidates, helping candidates knock on doors, making phone calls or just helping at HQ. That is the best way to go about expressing a desire to help the cause. If people do not have the time to volunteer but wish to donate, they can do so easily via the RTC website:
Is there anything else you’d like to share/like Greenwich Moms followers to know?
Lastly, I would urge parents to take the time to think about our local races. This is a Presidential election year, and that can sometimes make it harder for voters to focus on what’s happening on a local level. I think it’s important to remember that our local elections give shape to our communities and have a real impact on our daily lives. I know that the Presidential race is stirring strong passions in people. Your local races are different. The issues hit home and are state oriented. They have real day-to-day impact on our lives. These races are about us and our community. They are pivotal to how we can move forward together as a town and a state. I hope you all get to know our Republican candidates as they seek to change Hartford and save Connecticut.\
All the best,
Dan Quigley
Chairman
Greenwich Republican Town Committee
Dan & Antoinette Quigley live in downtown Greenwich with their six year old son, Maximillian. Dan had a twenty year career on Wall St before he became a full-time Dad in 2016. Antoinette works in finance in NYC. Max is in first grade in the Greenwich Public School System. Dan grew up in Greenwich and attended the Greenwich Public School system before graduating from Syracuse University in 1994.
