Patch Candidate Profile: Ken Briodagh, Amity Board of Education

ORANGE, CT — As the 2023 municipal elections get closer in Orange, there are plenty of races with candidates who are eager to serve in elected office.

Orange Patch asked candidates to answer questions about their campaigns and will publish candidate profiles as Election Day draws near.

Ken Briodagh, 43, is running for a seat on the Amity Board of Education in Orange to represent the 5th Region as a Democratic candidate.

Briodagh holds a B.A. in English from the University of Main. His occupation is being a writer which he’s done for 25 years.

Briodagh is married, and his co-parents and he have two children at Amity Middle School in Orange.

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

No

Have you ever held a public office, whether appointive or elective?

No

Why are you seeking this office?

I am running for Amity Board of Education because I see the generation of kids now in middle and high school as having more potential to change the world for the better than any before it (including my own), and that means they need our help to make sure they get the most well-rounded and complete education we can offer, as Amity always has done.

I believe there is a small but vocal faction of backward, conservative, anti-progressive people in Amity attempting to supersede quality education with scoring ideological political points. And whether that's due to ignorance or malice, it is critical that we oppose those ideas and people.

Education should focus on evidence-based science and history curricula, on the arts, and on leading-edge technology. As a member of the Amity BOE, I will drive policy that will support those aims.

Please complete this statement: The single most pressing issue facing my constituents is ___, and this is what I intend to do about it.

Making sure Amity is education students at the highest level through interdisciplinary academics, STEAM, DEI, and an engaged community. I intend to push for programs that support those goals wherever I can, beginning by helping to support arts initiatives.

What are the major differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

The slate of candidates put up by the Orange RTC to join the Amity BoE are dyed-in-the-wool trumpists who oppose public education, seek to cut services and programs that benefit our students and want to engage in explicit discrimination against marginalized populations. I want the opposite.

What other issues do you intend to address during your campaign?

I've outlined my platform above, but to reiterate, I am in favor of using the best information available to craft an educational system that will best prepare the next generation to become the compassionate, lifelong learners that the world needs.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

I have been a journalist and writer for 25 years (in addition to many other jobs and professions), and in that time I've lead teams, worked collaboratively to accomplish goals and complete huge projects. Finally, I know how to compromise where necessary and when not to.

What is the best advice anyone ever gave you?

Listen, learn, look. All of that before talking. And sometimes, don't talk.

Is there anything else you would like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

I believe that public education is one of the most important institutions in our society. Perhaps the most important. It's the one area where we should never cut corners and where we get the most return on our investments. Nothing correlates closer to academic success than money (specifically property tax rates -- the higher the tax revenues, the better the schools). There are MANY factors that contribute to that correlation, but it remains true that giving schools (and by extension, teachers) the resources they need to do their jobs without struggle or complaint gives any district a head start. Let's make sure we're in the lead.

Does your campaign have a website?

www.orangectdems.org/team/ken-briodagh.