Patch Candidate Profile: Scott Sigel For Ridgefield Board of Education

RIDGEFIELD, CT — Election Day on Nov. 4 is fast approaching, and there are a number of key races on the ballot.

Patch reached out to candidates for office to get more information on their campaigns and the issues that are facing their towns.

Candidate's Name:
Scott Sigel

What office are you seeking?
Board of Education

What town do you live in?
Ridgefield

Campaign Website

Party Affiliation:
Democrat

Occupation:
CEO of the Helium Foundation, a non-profit focused on low-cost wireless access. I’ve been at the company since its inception 5 years ago. I’ve been in venture and technology for 20 years.

Family:
I’ve been happily married for nearly 10 years. We have a 5 year old daughter and 3 year old son.

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?
No

Previous public office, appointive or elective:
No

Why are you seeking this office?
I’m running for a few reasons. First and foremost is to support and improve the public schools where my kids and their friends will receive their education for the next 10+ years. Second, as a leader in the technology space I see the rate of change surrounding artificial intelligence, the evolving nature of work, and the shift in priority career skills. I want to leverage my professional perspective and skills as an executive and corporate Board member to help Ridgefield schools evolve to meet the times.

The single most pressing issue facing my constituents is ____, and this is what I intend to do about it:
Safety. This runs across (1) physical safety with respect to school security (2) social and emotional safety with respect to phone policies, and (3) I’d go so far as to say career safety for high schoolers. We need to be more proactive about alternative pathways: the nature of work is rapidly evolving and we need to be adaptable in our approach to career preparation and ramp up internship/apprenticeship opportunities to think beyond the classroom.

What are the major differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?
One major difference is my perspective as a CEO sitting on a Board where critical thinking about budgets and outcomes is a requirement for the company’s survival and growth. My experience complements the current Board with a deeper perspective on Board discipline and fiscal responsibility from a corporate lens. I’ve also spent many years volunteering, teaching, and fundraising for other under-resourced education programs so I have an acute appreciation for resource prioritization.

What other issues do you intend to address during your campaign?
While safety is the most urgent matter, I want to spend time on the issues that affect the broadest set of students. We need to make progress on student wellness via school start times, improve our second-language programs, broaden our curricular scope, and I’ll say again that alternative pathways deserve more attention.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?
My current role demands consensus-building with a measurable output of work. Over the past few years I’ve worked with thousands of people around the world supporting a new type of business model. My job requires listening to a broad range of perspectives, a detailed understanding of many nuanced issues, and a mandate to deliver value. In my leadership role, I’ve been interviewed for news programs and podcasts, so I’m held accountable in a public setting for delivering results. I have a history of reviewing issues objectively and prioritizing appropriately. I draw a lot of parallels from my professional work to the responsibilities of serving on Ridgefield’s Board of Education.

What is the best advice anyone ever gave you?
I was told by a mentor, “Don’t look for applause, look for understanding” as a means to be a more successful leader. This mindset has served me well in growing other organizations because beyond empathy, it’s about prioritizing what matters most when one truly listens and understands – then it’s just delivering, and I’ve spent a career consistently seeing initiatives through to success.

Is there anything else you would like voters to know about yourself and your positions?
While my highest priority is practical educational policy, I see the Board as an opportunity to model healthy public discourse. Ridgefield deserves elected officials that bring people together for thoughtful debate and conversation in contrast to the regrettable national atmosphere. Ridgefield deserves officials that listen and find collaborative paths forward, where we can learn as a community. We all want the best for our students with practical investments to get us there. As a CEO from a background in high-growth startups, I will bring an objective, practical, and efficient voice to the table.