Dave Pauluk
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Dave Pauluk is a Democratic at-large representative on the West Hartford Board of Education in Connecticut. He won her first term unopposed in the general election on November 3, 2015.[1] It was his first run for elected office.[2]
Biography
Pauluk is a business project specialist for Cigna. His wife teaches in the West Hartford district at Duffy Elementary School, and their children attend district schools. Pauluk has served as PTO president, co-president and treasurer, in addition to being a representative to the West Hartford Scholarship Fund. He has volunteered with the Bristow and Webster Hill Tools for Schools programs. Pauluk also spent five years teaching English in Japan.[2]
Elections
2015
Opposition
Four of the seven seats on the West Hartford Board of Education were up for election on November 3, 2015. Three of the at-large seats were up for general election in 2015. The fourth seat was up for special election, following the resignation of incumbent Jillian Gilchrest (D). In February 2015, she left the board to become a senior policy analyst at the Connecticut Permanent Commission on the Status of Women. Cheryl Greenberg (D) was appointed to fill the vacancy until the election was held.[3]
Incumbent Mark Zydanowicz (R) was nominated as the sole Republican candidate for the board in 2015.[4] The Democrats, meanwhile, nominated newcomers Carol Anderson-Blanks and Dave Pauluk for the regular four-year terms and nominated the recently appointed Greenberg for the two-year term.[5][1] The four candidates won the election without opposition.
Results
| West Hartford Public Schools, At-Large (4-year terms), General Election, 2015 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic |  Carol Anderson-Blanks |
38.2% | 7,201 | |
| Democratic | Dave Pauluk |
37.1% | 6,995 | |
| Republican | Mark Zydanowicz Incumbent |
24.8% | 4,673 | |
| Total Votes | 18,869 | |||
| Source: Connecticut Secretary of State, "Prescribed Form for Return of Votes Cast At A Municipal Election," accessed November 5, 2015 | ||||
Funding
The West Hartford Town Clerk's office does not publish and freely disclose school board candidate campaign finance reports. If you have any information regarding the campaign finance disclosures in this race, please contact the school board elections team at editor@ballotpedia.org.
Endorsements
Pauluk received no official endorsements in this election.
Campaign themes
2015
Pauluk provided the following answers to questions from We-Ha.com. The website's questions are in bold text, and Pauluk's answers are in plain text.
| “ | Why are you running for office? With Bruce Putterman and Terry Schmitt stepping down from the Board of Ed after 12 years of service, we need strong voices to continue the positive momentum West Hartford Public Schools have developed. As someone who has been involved with our schools in many capacities, I know I can use my knowledge and experience to ensure we keep our schools on the right track.
What issue(s) are your primary area of focus? I’m especially interested in the physical condition of our school buildings. As the Charter Oak building project moves to completion, we need to consider the next steps for our other school buildings. Should we spread improvement money among the different schools, or focus on the next school that’s most in need of repair? I look forward to learning the needs of all our schools and helping ensure we move in a direction that’s both equitable and a responsible use of our taxpayers’ money. 'What do you feel is the biggest issue facing West Hartford today? The biggest issue our town and school district faces is change. The town’s demographics are changing. The property tax base is changing. The way our children learn is changing. We can’t ignore these changes we’re seeing. We need to embrace and address them as our town and schools continue to evolve. As a member of the Board of Education, I’ll work to ensure we make the best choices to make the most of these changes to keep our schools at the top. What do you feel differentiates you from other candidates also running for this position? As the father of two children in West Hartford Public Schools, the spouse of a teacher, an Army veteran, and a business person who spent the first five years of my career teaching overseas, I’ll bring a unique perspective to the Board of Education. My background and experience have taught me to not only ask tough questions when necessary, but to also listen to the answers. I’ll work to serve with no preconceived notions. My only agenda is to work in the best interests of our children, our schools, and our town.[6] |
” |
| —Dave Pauluk, We-Ha.com's candidate questionnaire, (2015)[2] | ||
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms 'Dave Pauluk' 'West Hartford Public Schools'. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
- West Hartford Public Schools, Connecticut
- West Hartford Public Schools elections (2015)
- Incumbency no guarantee of success in Nov. 3 school board elections (November 6, 2015)
- What happened in Nov.'s top board elections? (November 4, 2015)
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Margaret Koenig, "Email correspondance with West Hartford Town/Council Clerk Essie S. Labrot," August 19, 2015
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 We-Ha, "Meet the Candidate: Dave Pauluk," October 11, 2015
- ↑ We-Ha, "Dr. Cheryl Greenberg Appointed to West Hartford Board of Education," May 5, 2015
- ↑ We-Ha, "West Hartford Republican Town Committee Nominates Candidates," July 24, 2015
- ↑ We-Ha, "West Hartford Democrats Endorse Candidates for Fall Election," July 29, 2015
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
