The Meriden Record-Journal
Candidate Campaign editorial
Elizabeth Esty (D), candidate for the 103rd District
Wallingford, Cheshire, Hamden
October 29, 2008

I am running for state representative to bring much needed change to Hartford, and to build a better future for our families. Having knocked on virtually every door in the district, I know we are facing difficult times. People are worried about jobs, energy costs, shrinking savings, health care, mortgages, and their children's college tuition.

We have an opportunity, however, to build a growing economy for the future of this state. There is a worldwide market for affordable, sustainable energy and greater energy efficiency, and Connecticut is well-positioned to meet that need. We have a highly- educated workforce, major research institutions, excellent vocational schools, a tradition of innovation, and major corporations in the environmental and alternative energy fields. Connecticut is currently number one in the nation in loss of young people when they finish school. We can and should be providing incentives to create new, green technology jobs that will employ our young people and provide a strong economic foundation for this state.

We also need to re-think our state budget priorities, examining which programs work and which do not. A spending freeze, as proposed by my opponent, is the wrong answer. It assumes that our current spending priorities are correct. We must cut in some areas, and increase in others where the needs are greater due to the tough economic times - for home heating assistance, for food assistance for those who are losing jobs, and for those on fixed incomes who are seeing their savings plummet. We must use the kind of fiscal discipline at the state level that I have shown as a local elected official. We need to re-examine Connecticut's heavy reliance on local property tax which squeezes both seniors on fixed incomes and young families. I will push for an increase in the state's senior property tax credit program which has not been touched in 10 years. (I led the charge in Cheshire to increase our program for seniors, which has resulted in the 3rd most generous program in the state.) We should also look at the state's mandated funding formulas, most notably education cost sharing, to ensure they are both fair and efficient. I got involved in politics because of the public schools, and I remain strongly committed to investing in education, and in our children who are the future of this state.

Too many people are still without adequate health care coverage. Having worked as lawyer in Medicare and disability policy, I know just how complicated the system has become, and I have ideas about what we need to do to fix things. In particular, I will work to ensure that there is better coverage for the many families who are caring for loved ones at home. It is simply wrong that many policies exclude home health care. I will also work to ensure that we are covering preventive care, which helps keep people healthy rather than only paying for them when they get sick.

By working hard across party lines, I have been able to achieve real success in my 3 years on the Council in Cheshire (upgrading our bond rating to Aaa; keeping taxes to less than half the rate of inflation; fully funding our pensions; setting aside a healthy reserve fund; implementing a greatly expanded local senior property tax credit program, and supporting both schools and public safety). I believe that I have the proven skills, the energy, the new ideas, and the fresh perspective we need to make change in Hartford. I ask for your support and your vote on November 4th to represent Wallingford, Cheshire, and Hamden.

Elizabeth Esty
213 Preston Terrace
Cheshire, CT 06410