Editor’s note: The Easton Courier asked candidates to submit a profile and a statement discussing three top issues facing Easton and how the candidate will help address them. Jeff Parker, Republican incumbent on Easton’s Board of Education, submitted the following response.
Profile and Statement
Jeff Parker is running for his third term on the Easton Board of Education. A knowledgeable veteran of the Board and Easton’s school system, who served as Board chair for seven years, Parker is well positioned to prioritize top issues facing Easton’s schools, including:
- Working to recover the learning loss brought on by Covid-19.
- Supporting parents’ desire to stay involved in their children’s education.
- Ensure a safe and positive experience for all children in our schools.
Parker is also a member of The Center for Experiential Pedagogy and Practice Advisory Committee at Syracuse University School of Education. In this role, Parker will be part of a team that reviews teaching practices, simulated interactions between students and teachers, and challenges facing educators and students today.
Beyond Easton’s schools, Parker believes the most important issues facing Easton include:
- Maintaining the rural nature of our town.
- Transparency/honesty in the operations of all boards and commissions.
- Keeping high-density housing out of Easton due to our unique position of being a water shed town.
“Easton is truly unique,” Parker said. “All of the towns around us are ‘cookie cutter’ in their layout and approach to commercial zoning.”
Parker wants town Leaders to make the needs of Easton a priority. The EMS building has been a source of significant concern for years. In 2021, it was a campaign issue and while it has finally been determined to repair the current building, it took many years of going around in circles to end up in the same place. A second example is the handling of South Park. The current administration created a committee of concerned citizens to research and advise the First Selectman on what should be done with the property. Their response was to leave the property as is … in essence to maintain the status quo. The First Selectman decided to ignore his own chosen committee’s recommendations and began negotiating with the Aspetuck Land Trust.
“Leadership at Town Hall seems more interested in what Hartford wants than what the residents of Easton want. We control our way of government and have the power to do what we believe is in our best interest.”
Parker was born in Dallas, and grew up in Sherman Oaks, California before moving to Stamford, where he graduated from Stamford High School. Parker attended Syracuse University, graduating in 1972. Parker has a keen interest in all things sports related and was a member of the Fairfield County Basketball Association Basketball Officials group for more than 20 years. Parker officiated both high school boys and girls (sub varsity and varsity) games and enjoyed every game and opportunity to guide youth in the sport.
In 2019, Jeff married Diane Tornatore, and to this day, both volunteer their time for various Easton organizations.
