To the Editor:

I've seen a number of recent letters endorsing candidates for elected office. One that was very complimentary about me was written by Steven Rosenblatt and I again thank him for that.

When I vote for someone for elected office I need a reason why. I was recently told by a couple of people with far more political experience than I have that my campaign should be based on qualifications. So I would like to briefly summarize why I am running for Board of Finance and why I believe voters should support me.

First, I am running for office because I want to help the town my family has lived in for 32 years. I want to help ensure that Newtown employs financial management that will sustain it for the enjoyment of everyone for many years to come. The position offers no fame and glory and is not paid.

Academically, I have undergraduate degrees in marketing and accounting and an MBA in finance. I have taught accounting and finance at Providence College and the University of Bridgeport and I currently teach economics at Post University.

In the corporate world I held a number of senior positions in accounting, finance and control including titles such as controller and regional reporting manager (ICL), head of accounting, chief compliance officer, product manager and business manager (Citibank/Citigroup), the global risk manager (Deutsche Bank), region head of compliance (TD Securities), and senior global compliance manager (GE Capital Real Estate). My focus has always been the success of the institution, carried out with utmost integrity.

Major undertakings in our town are projects. I have excellent project management experience. I was Six Sigma trained at Citibank where I helped develop an electronics payments company in London and managed the migration of their global foreign exchange trading platform. I developed a reputation for resolving regulatory issues. When Deutsche Bank was under Written Agreement with Federal Regulators I was part of the team that resolved all issues and avoided a potential $90 million fine. When major projects are undertaken in Newtown they must be planned, managed, and executed to meet established targets, on time, within budget.

My wife and I have a busy schedule. In addition to teaching we babysit three days each week. I've been helping coach my grandsons' baseball teams. And we do almost all of the work on our home ourselves. But early this year I joined the Fairfield Hills Authority. I now co-chair a subcommittee charged with promoting dialogue among and coordinating the work of all of the town departments that do work at the campus.

All of the above is important because you, the voters, like stockholders of a corporation, are essentially the "owners" of the town. You live here, raise your families here, and retire here. You have a vested interest in this great town we all live in.

That is why I humbly ask for your support for Board of Finance on November 7.

Roger Cyr

8 Longview Heights Road, Newtown         October 24, 2017