John Nelson enters race for First Selectman of Fairfield.
By Tim Lynch | June 28, 2007
For Immediate Release
Contact Alexis Harrison (203) 556-2546
Former Marine Officer To File as Republican First Selectman Candidate
John Nelson brings the dedication to public service, leadership skills to guide Fairfield in the next four years
Fairfield, Conn–John Nelson, Marine Veteran, former United Airlines Pilot and current Financial Consultant for a national finance firm, announced the formation of his candidate committee to run for First Selectman against Democrat Selectman Ken Flatto.
Nelson is the new face of Fairfield politics — someone whose priority is to keep Fairfield special by maintaining and nurturing its roots in service to family, neighborhoods and small business.
“I look forward to spending a great deal of time with residents of Fairfield during this critical campaign and advancing the conversation of where our town is headed in the next four years,” said Nelson. “I am very encouraged by the groundswell of support I’ve received so far and I’m grateful that so many individuals want to be part of the campaign.”
“I promise this will be an dynamic campaign that will engage local voters to develop solution-oriented discussions,” added Nelson. “My career as an officer in the Marine Corps and as flight officer has taught me the value of commitment, leadership and how to take on critical fights. It also taught me to find pragmatic and innovative solutions to many challenges.”
Former First Selectwoman Jackie Durrell will serve as the Honorary Chairwoman of the campaign. Former Town Clerk Marguerite Toth will serve as treasurer.
“The Fairfield Republicans are going to hit the ground running to retake Town Hall in November with John Nelson at the top,” said Durrell. “John is a dream candidate with immense intelligence, sincerity and enthusiasm who will bring a thoughtful debate on the future direction of our community.”
Nelson, a Darien native, graduated from University of Colorado at Boulder with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science in 1985. Upon graduation, he attended Naval Flight Training in Pensacola, Florida. As a Marine Officer and Naval Aviator, Nelson traveled the world at the pointy end of the spear of American foreign policy, leading Marines in combat operations and culminating in a personal appointment to the Pentagon by then- Secretary of the Navy, Gordon England.
Nelson achieved another major goal by becoming a United Airlines Flight Officer and holds the designation of B-767/757 International Relief Captain.
Nelson’s name is listed on the Honor Roll Board of Fairfield’s War Veterans on Town Hall Green. He is a member of the Gaelic American Club, Saint Thomas Aquinas Church, Mill Plain Improvement Society and the American Legion Fairfield Post # 74.
Nelson, who has a long family tradition in Fairfield, is married to Nina, an author with HarperCollins. The Nelsons are the proud parents of a five-year-old daughter, Soleil, who is entering Kindergarten at Riverfield Elementary School and three-year-old son Rafftery who attends Trinity Nursery School in Southport.
Topics: Uncategorized | 1 Comment »
SHU gets $283,142 grant for Upward Bound program!
By Tim Lynch | May 15, 2007
The American Cronicle today has an announcement from Christopher Shays about the grant award to SHU.
“Congressman Christopher Shays (CT-4) today announced the Department of Education has awarded Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, CT a $283,142 Upward Bound grant.
“I am grateful to the Department of Education for selecting Sacred Heart to receive this funding,” said Shays. “The university has an established record of success with this program, and has made higher education a reality for so many students who would not otherwise have the skills necessary for success beyond secondary school.”
“I am extremely thankful for the opportunity to once again provide an invaluable educational experience to Bridgeport area youth,” added Carylanne Rice-Ehalt, Director of the Upward Bound program at Sacred Heart. “Sacred Heart University has been staunchly committed to the goals of the Upward Bound program since its inception in 1989. During the past 18 years, we have secured more than $4 million in federal funding to help high school students enter and succeed in programs of post-secondary education. We have alumni that are working in the medical, legal and educational fields and still remain in contact with the program so that they can contribute back to their community.”
Source: http://www.americanchronicle.com
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Whole Foods coming to Fairfield
By Tim Lynch | March 3, 2007
Whole Foods is going to open a store in Fairfield! Whole Foods is based in Austin, TX and has 194 locations (and counting). I can’t wait for it to open — their prepared foods, their selection of products are bound to be great. The chosen location is about as far from a Stop & Shop as you can get these days. (I don’t have any hard numbers or facts but it feels like I am never more than 3 miles from a Stop & Shop.) The Fairfield Citizen-News reported that Whole Foods is going to take sixty thousand square feet of space in the old Handy & Harman location on Kings Highway, next to Home Depot. Hopefully the new store will be as big and as nice as the Wild Oats store in Westport (now owned by Whole Foods). The down side is that the current plan is to open in 2009 and not sooner. The success of Whole Foods, Wild Oats and Trader Joes just goes to prove that the consumer is ready for a better choice amongst grocers. If, like me, you are excited we are getting a great store like Whole Foods, know we’re not alone. There are 244 people that have signed up for a “Fairfield Whole Foods Meetup.” Here is the link to the meetup site if you are interested in joining a group of people ready to talk about the store.
One commenter on the site mentioned the Whole Foods location will serve as an alternative to the Stratfield IGA. I was a frequent customer of the IGA. There are two Stop & Shops and a Shaws only a few minutes down the road, yet they weren’t competition to the IGA (IMO). The IGA was closer to home and had many items that my wife would send me out for in between our large shops at Stop & Shop or Shaws. I do not think that I ever had a grocery bill that exceeded $100 at IGA, but I rarely have a Stop & Shop receipt for less than $100. Will I shop at Whole Foods? Yes! Will I shop at Walgreens? Sure. What does that make me? Someone that needs stuff.
Topics: Downtown, All over Town | 12 Comments »
The Stratfield Village Association
By Tim Lynch | February 24, 2007
The Stratfield Village Association is a group of concerned citizens that have banded together to prevent Walgreens from opening a new store in the former IGA location. One of their recent activities has been to picket the Walgreens on Villa Avenue 1.5 miles from the proposed new stores location, that is the image above. The group has an online petition that they plan to deliver to the towns TPZ (Town Planning and Zoning) on March 1, 2007. At the time that I am writing this there are 591 signatures, make that 592 (Yes, I signed). I am in favor of keeping the intersection of Route 59 and Fairfield Woods Road I mean Stratfield Village a quaint shopping area with mom and pop style businesses, BUT if you look at the other sides of the intersection you have Mobil, an international company with thousands of locations and Peoples Bank that has several locations throughout Connecticut. The issue has gotten some big name support, namely that of rocker John Mayer. On January 15th the association released a statement announcing John Mayer’s support. Click here for the press release. Stay tuned for more information.
Topics: Stratfield | 2 Comments »
Hello world!
By Tim Lynch | February 22, 2007
Thanks for the starting comment Jon! We will be off and running tonight with the first posts.
Topics: Uncategorized | 2 Comments »