Patch Candidate Profile: Christine El Eris For Trumbull Town Council

TRUMBULL, 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:

Christine El Eris

What office are you seeking?

Town Council, District 3

What town do you live in?

Trumbull, CT

Campaign Website

Party Affiliation:

Democratic

Occupation:

Director, Fraud Risk Management (15 years working in debit/credit card payments)

Family:

I’ve been married to Fred Petrossi for 27 years. We moved to Trumbull 25 years ago. Many people know him from working at an in-town bank branch for over a decade, from his volunteerism with Trumbull Rotary, or from his leadership on the Trumbull Chamber of Commerce.

Fred and I became parents of twin children 13 years ago; they are 7th graders at Madison Middle School. Our daughter Stella enjoys playing soccer and basketball in recreation leagues, and she is a regular participant in musical theater programs. Presently, she is part of the youth ensemble for the Trumbull Community Theater production of “A White Christmas”. Our son Caleb plays soccer with Trumbull United. He has dyslexia and other special educational needs, and we are pleased at how the educators at Madison Middle School are working to address his emotional and academic needs.

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

No.

Previous public office, appointive or elective:

I have been an appointed Alternate Member of the Board of Finance since 2020.

Why are you seeking this office?

I hope to continue to give back to this community where I set down roots 25 years ago. I began volunteering in town with the Trumbull Historical Society over a decade ago. I have served as Co-Chair of the Diversity Committee for the Tashua Elementary PTA. Today, I am Co-VP of the Madison Middle School PTA and a volunteer member of the Community Facilities Building Committee.

In my career, I have worked in various product, strategy, and operations roles at Mastercard, Fiserv, and PNC Bank. Today I work in Fraud Risk Management at Webster Bank. I have built my career on making sound financial decisions and solving problems with creativity and focus. I can draw upon these experiences and skills to help me be an effective member of the Town Council.

The single most pressing issue facing my constituents is ____, and this is what I intend to do about it:

Many aspects of day-to-day life are more costly now than they were a few years ago. National political decisions and economic factors that have caused this are beyond our control. What we can control locally is how we carefully budget for Town and Board of Education expenses, how we support our Economic and Community Development department to attract new companies or businesses to town to become taxpayers and provide services which residents may wish to use, and how we support the most vulnerable residents via our strong Social Services programs. I am committed to doing all of these things if elected to the Town Council.

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

I try not to compare myself to others. I know that I am not a “typical politician”. Political parties don’t matter as much to me as friends, neighbors, and colleagues do. I have a breadth of work and volunteer experience, which has prepared me to be able to carry out the responsibilities of serving on the Town Council with honesty, respect, and integrity.

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

If elected to the Town Council, I hope to be able to address street safety. I’ve been watching some of what the town of Fairfield has been doing with infrastructure improvements and public education with their Safer Streets campaign. I think Trumbull could do something similar to help keep pedestrians and cyclists safer on the roads. Adding more sidewalks for pedestrians is one possibility. The State of Connecticut offers many grants to help municipalities build new sidewalks, such as Trumbull recently did along Main Street near Long Hill Green. One challenge to building new sidewalks is the snow removal responsibility. There may be a need to make an update to the Town Ordinances to address snow removal to help make it easier to consider building new sidewalks.

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

I’ve been serving as an Alternate on the Board of Finance since 2020. I am proud of how everyone on that Board has worked together for the common good. We are always civil and collaborative. There are occasional disagreements, but no one has been argumentative towards one another.

In that work, I pay close attention to detail, and I understand the work each Town department does and their funding needs. I am always mindful of how to make strategic spending decisions to benefit every Town resident, from school-aged children through to the senior citizens, and everyone in between.

Sometimes, not every good idea or wish list item should be completed. As an example, one item came before the Board of Finance for possible Capital investment, which I questioned. A pedestrian bridge over wetlands in Great Oak Park is in disrepair. The Capital Plan included $1 million of expenses to design a new bridge that would comply with various environmental regulations. This was a design expense only; it would cost a great deal more to build a new bridge eventually. Great Oak Park is a lovely piece of undeveloped land that was acquired by the Town using Federal funding about 60 years ago. The park does not get a lot of visitors in comparison to other larger, more popular parks. As much as I love our parks system, I didn’t think this expense was worthwhile because so few people would benefit from the investment. Everyone on the Board, democrat and republican alike, listened to my points and unanimously voted NO on adding that $1 million to the Town’s Capital Plan.

What is the best advice anyone ever gave you?

My late grandmother Stella (who my daughter is named after) always reinforced the Golden Rule to do unto others as you would want done to you. I try my best to conduct myself by this standard in all areas of my life – among my family and friends, in the workplace, in my volunteering, in discussions or debates on social media, and in my work as an appointed member of a Town board and committee. Respect and civility are essential, and I find it deeply sad and disappointing that these principles seem to be lost in national and local politics and locally on social media.

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

I am committed to responsible budgeting that provides essential services, protects taxpayers, and keeps Trumbull affordable for families and seniors.

I am committed to continuing to listen and learn from one another to help ensure that Trumbull is welcoming to all residents.

I am committed to working collaboratively with everyone on the Town Council, regardless of political party affiliation.