Patch Candidate Profile: Matt Dunn 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:

Matt Dunn

What office are you seeking?

Town Council

What town do you live in?

Trumbull

Campaign Website

Party Affiliation:

Democrat

Occupation:

Software Engineer 3 Years

Family:

My father Greg Dunn is 70 and source for a lot of my interest in politics.

My mother passed away earlier this year at the age of 69 due to complications from cancer. She instilled in me a strong sense of morals and justice.

My siblings Bryan (31) Brendan (29) and Katie (29) are the source of many headaches growing up but we matured and get along now.

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

My father Greg Dunn is retired but earlier in his career worked in city planning for Norwalk, Stamford and Bridgeport.

Previous public office, appointive or elective:

No, this will be my first time running.

Why are you seeking this office?

I've had a strong sense of civic duty instilled in me from the Trumbull Public Schools. I believe politics and government are so important because it determines how our society functions and can improve so many lives.

I am running because I love our schools. I want to see our students succeed and our schools to continue ranking at the top of the state. As a computer scientist I am a strong advocate for freedom of information as well as tech and media literacy. I want to help inform people and fight misinformation and disinformation. I also care about walkability and road safety for cyclists, pedestrians and drivers. Last but certainly not least, affordability is another major issue for me personally because seniors like my father looking to downsize have nowhere to go and young adults like myself find homeownership to be a pipedream and struggle to make ends meet under these high rent prices.

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

The single most pressing issue facing my constituents is affordability, and this is what I intend to do about it. I will look at every option available to ensure affordable senior housing is a reality. Just some of the ideas I have considered include long term land leasing, deed restriction, housing cooperatives and more. I believe in the Strong Towns model and we need to address the "missing middle" problem in housing to help provide young people more affordable starter homes.

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

I come from an engineering background, so I specialize in solving problems and improving efficiency. This also means I make decisions based on logic, evidence, and data. As a younger candidate, I also bring a different perspective from most politicians with more recent insights to our schools and I am painfully aware of the struggles young adults face.

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

Improving infrastructure, especially safer roads for pedestrians, cyclists and drivers. As well as improving our schools in particular in the areas of my expertise in tech literacy, cybersecurity and computer programming.

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

I have given a presentation covering bleeding edge technology to the CEO of a fortune 500 company and did so in a way that non experts could follow along without issue. This shows I am responsible and perform under pressure and can communicate complex topics in ways anyone can understand.

What is the best advice anyone ever gave you?

My late mother was a bookkeeper and had a catchphrase: "follow the money." It had many meanings over the years. It could mean finding a high paying stable career because she wanted us to be successful and not be financially burdened but more often it was in reference to pinpointing why corruption or increasing costs keeps cropping up. It made me think critically of the systems we live in and understand that in order for us to get to the bottom of many issues it requires looking at the flow of money.

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

I have developed my positions over years of researching nerdy topics ranging from transit to housing. I am convinced my positions are backed by evidence and data and that is why I will fight with conviction for what I think is best for our community. But I retain an open mind and will listen to criticisms and concerns and I will do my best to explain my positions and gladly make adjustments when provided with evidence to suggest a better alternative.