Bryce Chinault

My wife and I moved to Newtown last year after living in the Washington, DC area together with our two kids.  She grew up in Newtown, as did both of her parents and grandparents, so we knew it would be the best place for us to raise our family.  She currently still holds a high school swim record under her maiden name, Abby Atkinson. 

 I have worked in a lot of different industries; from producing widgets at a CNC machine on the factory floor, to in-home therapy for children with autism, and in hard-hat required construction, to name a few.  For the past decade, I have worked in Washington, DC where I engaged in the policymaking process at the local, state, and federal level.  While working at policy research centers at George Mason University and George Washington University I had the chance to learn from academics, elected officials, bureaucrats, and private industry from across the country.  I now work at a think tank in Hartford where I testify before the state legislature, write op-eds, respond to media requests, and otherwise engage in state and local policymaking in Connecticut.

I earned my Master of Public Policy degree from George Mason University and a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater.  During my undergraduate degree, I played an important role in overseeing a multimillion-dollar budget raised from student fees and distributed to organizations on campus.

At various times throughout my career, I have had to put budget requests together for an array of programs and events.  I have also worked with colleagues on budget-related reforms at the federal, state, and local level.

As a member of the Board of Finance, I hope to ensure that Newtown residents are provided with transparency in how their taxes are being collected and spent.  I also want to help hold our public institutions accountable and ensure that tax dollars are spent in the most effective and efficient way possible. Newtown’s positive fiscal outlook is the result of hard work in previous years, and I hope to maintain or improve that trajectory. Wherever there are issues that may arise in Newtown – be it road maintenance, local zoning, traffic congestion, public safety, etc. – I hope to bring a perspective to the table that is focused on improving outcomes for people and limiting burdens on taxpayers.

Bryce is running as an Unaffiliated candidate for the Board of Finance and has received the Newtown Republican Town Committee’s endorsement.