LEDYARD BOARD OF EDUCATION CANDIDATES
ANTHONY FAVRY
Chairman Anthony Favry has been a Ledyard resident for more than 14 years. He has been married to his wife, Kristin since 2004 and they have two children in the Ledyard school system. Anthony leads the national group life and disability practice at MetLife where he's been employed for over sixteen years.
Anthony's hope for the BOE is to have members that support a healthy, respectful group dynamic versus conformity. During his tenure on the BOE, Anthony has advocated for community inclusion and full transparency to foster respect within the community as well as encourage the community's trust in the school system. He approaches key strategies and decisions that impact the school system long-term rather than single-issue resolutions.
Anthony has worked hard with the members of the BOE and Superintendent to build trust and a symbiotic relationship with the Town Council and Mayor, as well as the other town committees. He believes that healthy public schools and accountability of teachers and administrators will not only attract people to the town, but it will also build pride and respect within the community.
MIKE BRAWNER
Mike Brawner is running for re-election to the Ledyard BOE where he currently serves as Chairman of the Finance and Negotiations Committees. Mike has served on the BOE since 2015. Mike and his wife Maureen have been residents of Ledyard for over 19 years, and have three children; Emily, Megan, and Kevin, who are all proud graduates of Ledyard Public Schools. Mike is employed by General Dynamics Electric Boat and has been heavily involved in community service and youth team coaching for years, including Ledyard Youth League Baseball, Parks and Recreation Basketball and Softball, and serves as the President of the Ledyard Athletic Booster Club.
Mike believes in a fiscally responsible budget that does not spend more than the town can afford while ensuring program cuts and overcrowded classrooms do not penalize the students. Mike pushes for proactive, budget-conscious, long-term school technology, and infrastructure planning to minimize continuous tax increases. He also recognizes that open, 2-way communications between the Board of Education, the Town Council, and the community are essential for a successful Ledyard Public School System.
BRANDON GRABER
Brandon Graber grew up in North Stonington and graduated from Wheeler High School. He later attended the University of Lowell, where he earned his BS in Physics. After a short time working around the Northeast, he returned to Southeastern Connecticut, where he has lived in Ledyard since 2007 with his wife Lorraine. Their four children attended the Ledyard School System and graduated from Ledyard High School as Ledyard Scholars.
Brandon brings his strategic planning and emergency preparedness expertise from being a Superintendent of Technical Services in the Health Physics Department at Dominion Energy. Brandon believes in the three pillars of education: the students, the educators, and the community. Each of these requires a strong foundation supported by fiscally responsible policies that bring each pillar to its highest achievement. Brandon's decisions balance the need of all three pillars to provide services to prepare our students to be productive members of society. Each student has a special place in Ledyard and deserves the community's support to provide a safe and effective environment to learn and develop physically, intellectually, and socially.
STEVE MUNGER
Steve Munger has been a member of the Board of Education for 5 years. He arrived in Connecticut from Japan in 1993 as a Navy Master Chief Petty officer and his family moved to Gales Ferry in 1996 after he retired with over 24 years of service. He lived in New Jersey until joining the Navy at the age of 17 after graduating high school. His love for sports had allowed him to wrestle through his mid-40s and he has coached wrestling in Ledyard since 2014. His commitment to our youth led him to involvement in local politics and to continue that commitment as a member of the Board of Education. He managed a supermarket for 12 years and currently supports our military by working for Balfour Beatty Housing. He has been married for 46 years to his wife Eileen, has a son Michael who serves as a Ledyard soccer coach and referee, and two grandsons involved in Ledyard sports.
Steve believes in small and effective government and is committed to ensuring the children of Ledyard receive the best education possible.
LAUREL WIERS
Laurel Wiers has been a resident of Ledyard most of her life, leaving for only the seven years it took to pursue her Master’s degree. She and her husband Eric were married in 1996 and have three children in Ledyard public schools. She is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist who has been practicing for over 20 years. She started Lighthouse Counseling in Groton more than ten decades ago, which has since grown into a group practice serving New London County. She is also the author of Betrayed, Not Broken (Morgan James, 2015) and a national trainer for Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART), teaching other clinicians how to treat PTSD with this specific model of therapy. Laurel spent three years serving as an adjunct instructor at the college level. She taught classes at East Carolina University in the Child Development and Family Relations Department and taught a semester at Mitchell College.
Like it was for so many others, the year 2020 led Laurel down a road where she began to pay closer attention to the local and federal government. As a result, she explored opportunities to become involved with and serve her town. Laurel believes in small government and open communication among community members. She believes students are best served when parents, teachers, administrators, community members, and the students themselves are involved in the dialogue around educational decisions. She believes ongoing feedback from the community should influence policy and goals so that the schools are a reflection of what the community wants versus individual agendas.