Republican seeks to use business background to benefit all of Greenwich
GREENWICH — Lauren Rabin started out in her adult life thinking she would be a teacher. She also has a predilection for math and science.
Rabin’s drive to acquire knowledge, and pass it on to others, factored in her career in technology, and it led her to a term on the Greenwich Board of Education. It’s also been a motivating factor in her candidacy to run for the Greenwich Board of Selectmen, as a Republican candidate.
“I wanted to be a teacher, so I’ve spent a lot of my time around education,” she says. “I also have a technical mind – I was always better at math than English in high school, and college.”
Rabin started out in the corporate world after graduating from Keane State College in New Hampshire, training a sales force on telecommunications equipment. That later led to developing the messaging and marketing strategy for tech companies, most recently at Gartner, where she was a vice president.
The marketing and tech executive says she has always had a publicspirited interest in volunteering and service, so it was natural for her to sign on with the Representative Town Meeting in 2011, when her youngest son graduated from high school. She later took a position on the Board of Human Services, reviewing spending requests and success rates for nonprofit and socialservices organizations that delivered services to the town.
She was elected to a seat on the Board of Education in 2015, a position she currently holds. It has been quite an educational experience, she says: “What I learned is it’s a very complex system, you need to collaborate and be a great listener, not to necessarily come in with your agenda.”
Rabin said she has also developed expertise around union issues and budgeting from her subcommittee work on the school board. In addition, she says, she has developed a particular interest in mentalissues around young people – “the stress they’re under, vaping, the opiod epidemic.”
Now she said the time has come to take on a more visible role, as a town selectman, with her running mate Fred Camillo seeking the top elected office of first selectman. The top seat is open since First Selectman Peter Tesei is not seeking reelection, nor is Selectman John Toner, both Republicans.
“Because of all my experience, it was always something that I aspired to. The time is right, and all of my stepping stones have led to this,” Rabin said.
The candidate says she has a number of goals in mind for the Board of Selectmen. Due to her background on the school board, she would like to be the liaison at Town Hall on educational issues, working on spending and personnel issues.
Her business background would be an advantage, she says. “I want to help … draw new industry into town, as the financal industry is contracting. What other types of industries can we attract? I have ideas around hightech, having come from a hightech background, and all the startups. Wouldn’t Greenwich be a great address?”
Having worked on various boards in town government, Rabin would like to ensure they’re all on the same page, following a more systematic approach. “How can we better communicate, share best practices, and align? At the end of the day, we’re all serving the same community.”
Working in communications, she said, has also given her ideas about community outreach and connecting with local residents. “Digital has come a long way. Are there ways to digitally engage? Do surveys? Newsletters? Or teletown halls?” she asks. She is also looking to connect with every
Lauren Rabin
Party: Republican
Office sought: Selectman Incumbent :no
Age :57
Current job: Spent 35 years in the high-tech industry in the capacities of training, marketing and communications
Education: Greenwich High School, Keene State College
The most important issue in this election: Schools: Maintain and strengthen capital assets with a smarter, more focused approach toward spending, and help to ensure a successful tenure for our new superintendent of schools. Service: Increase our use of public/private partnerships to lessen the burden on taxpayers and establish more transparency among our independent boards and commissions to promote better communication. Sustainability: Work with the Business/Economic Advisory Committee to accelerate our economic growth by attracting new industries such as tech start-ups. Other issues: Development: Manage overdevelopment through strong, smart zoning regulations while encouraging environmentally responsible improvements to underutilized areas. Spending: Emphasizing more creative ways to use technology to reduce government spending. Family: Married 30 years to David. We have two adult sons, Scott and Eric. My mother and brother still reside in Greenwich.
Previous elected offices, community group affiliations: Former Cub Master for Cub Scouts; Former PTA Officer at New Lebanon Elementary School, Western Middle School and Greenwich High School as well as PTA Council; Former Treasurer for Greenwich Alliance for Education (GEA); Former Treasurer for Greenwich Youth Football League (GYFL); Former District 9 and Finance Committee Secretary of the Representative Town Meeting (RTM); Former Member of the Distinguished Teacher Award Committee (DTAC); Former Secretary, Operations and Technical Support Working Group Chair and Community Partnerships Committee for the Board of Human Services; Current Music and Instructional Space (MISA) Building Committee Liaison, Budget Committee Chairman, Greenwich High School Student Government Executive Committee Liaison. Food Services Committee Co-chair, Negotiations Committee for the Board of Education (BOE) Campaign website: laurenrabin4selectman.com
demographic, Rabin said, and across party lines. “I’ve always been nonpartisan or bipartisan,” she notes.
Rabin has multiple family members in town, and says she had never considered living anywhere else but the town where she grew up. “I love the character and charm of Greenwich, all the amenities. The parks, the beaches, the libraries, the restaurants, the shops. The school system of course, and the sense of community and volunteerism,” she said.
While she has traveled extensively around the U.S. and around the world, she said, “I always want to come home.”