Jeffrey S. Mester: Candidate Statement and Biography
Candidate Statement
This is my third time running for the School Board and I can
safely say that the oddity of running for a volunteer position never seems to
go away. We are asking you, the
community, to select us as the best, most appropriate volunteer. So, first, I
would like to recognize my fellow candidates, Warren and Rick, for their
willingness to volunteer. I admire their
decision to offer to commit their time to the community.
One of the reasons I originally ran for the Board six years
ago was because of my strong belief in my responsibility as a community member
to serve our community in a way that best suits my qualifications with the
community's needs. That remains true
today.
New York State says the qualifications for school board
membership are an ability to read and write, be
a qualified voter, and be a resident of the district for at least one
year prior to the election. Not a very
high bar indeed.
Any candidate that receives enough votes can be a member of
the Board of Education, but to be an effective member of the Board requires
much much more. It is not simply about
being smart and having the time. It is
not about representing one segment of the community.
As one of my fellow
candidates will learn, there is a lot more to the job than the hot button
issues. It is easy to identify problems;
it is much harder to offer solutions and make decisions. I am the only candidate who can stand on a
proven, successful track record of doing just that.
Being a school board member is about, first and foremost, having a passion for education. It is also about understanding education law
and regulations, about understanding the budget, and about listening. Listening to the community, listening to the
students, listening to the administrators, listening to the staff, and listening to your own gut.
Going forward, I will continue to work for ALL members of
the community to reach responsible budgets.
I will further seek to reduce the burden on taxpayers by strengthening
the public-private partnerships such as with the Chappaqua School Foundation
and the Sports Boosters. I will continue
to support openness and transparency. I
will continue to support and seek public involvement and input.
The Board cannot and should not face the challenges ahead
alone. We need community involvement and
support. I will seek to bring the various interest groups including residents
with children in the schools as well as residents without, and district
personnel together to collectively and creatively find sustainable solutions for
our district.
For the past six years, I have worked tirelessly on behalf
of the members of this community to be an effective member of the school
board. It requires a person with an extensive and detailed knowledge
of the district, a complete understanding of the budget and the structural
budget issues the district faces, a person who can make practical and reasoned
decisions, a person who is flexible and can build consensus, a person who can
balance competing community interests, and a person who has vision and
conviction. There is no experience like direct experience and a
proven track record. I stand on mine.
Simply put, common sense with an uncommon commitment.
Brief Biography
I am 51 years old. I have three terrific children one
of whom graduated from HGHS last year and two currently in high school.
All three started in the district in Kindergarten at Roaring Brook Elementary
School, attended Seven Bridges Middle School, and then went on to Horace
Greeley High School. My professional background is in the trading of
equities and equity derivatives. Most recently, I have been in the
compliance side of the business. I have an undergraduate BA in Economics
from the University of Virginia and an MBA with a concentration in Finance from
the Kelllogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University.
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