Julia London
I am a mother of two boys, 10 and 8 years old, both of whom are in the Ridgefield Public School system.
I'm an attorney practicing medical malpractice defense with a firm based in White Plains and New York City. Prior to that, I was a prosecutor with the Manhattan DA's office for nearly ten years. My husband and I moved to Ridgefield in 2017. My husband grew up in South Salem and had hoped to move here for the great community, the excellent school system, and beautiful surroundings. We've had absolutely no regrets!
Ridgefield was a great move for us. We've all made such great friends here and love the strong sense of town pride to be found here. In our free time, we seem to live at the lacrosse and football fields. I am also an avid runner and music lover and recently took up the drums with my younger son (needless to say, he is much better than me).
What office are you running for?
What are the main issues facing the Board of Education?
Board of Education
We moved to Ridgefield for the schools. I want to help keep Ridgefield Public Schools the excellent schools they are! To me, that means keeping politics out of the curriculum, with a focus on getting "back to basics" -- reading, writing, math, and science. The values should come from home. Over the past year, I also found myself writing to the Superintendent of Schools, Susie Da Silva, pleading with her to do what she could to help school to remain in session, in person, to the fullest extent possible under the circumstances. I will continue to advocate for schools to remain open with in-person learning as we continue to navigate living with COVID. I am also aware that School Choice is an important issue facing Ridgefield students and parents. In the next few weeks, I will research this issue thoroughly and hope to hear parents' thoughts and concerns about that issue specifically.
Why are you the right candidate for BOE this year?
I'm a Ridgefield Public School parent! There is nothing more important to me than my boys' education, so I'm naturally invested. Both my husband and I are the products of an excellent public school education, and our kids deserve the same. Second, and perhaps much less important, I'm a lawyer and former prosecutor with a thick skin who is not afraid to stand up to my adversaries, but I would like to think I do it with respect and decency.
What do you hope to accomplish if elected?
I hope to be a voice for the parents who have expressed a desire for their kids to return to "pre-COVID" life to the fullest extent possible. These parents are out there and I have had countless conversations with them. They're the ones who convinced me to run for a seat on the Board of Ed (I have never had political aspirations prior to this!). I truly believe these parents are a "silent majority" whose voice needs to be heard, and I would be honored to serve as that voice.