Solutions not Slogans.

The Danger of a Blanket Tax Waiver

Because Households with seniors make up roughly 30% to 35% of all households in District 8, a universal waiver would wipe out a third (close to 30 million across our district) of our residential tax base overnight. This creates severe fiscal and social trade-offs:

• Drastic Tax Hikes for Working Families: To make up for the lost revenue needed to fund schools, roads, and emergency services, the mill rate for remaining working-age families and young homeowners would skyrocket.

• Severe Cuts to Local Services: If towns try to avoid tax hikes, they would be forced to heavily defund public schools, reduce snow clearing and road paving, and thin out police and fire staffing.

• Fundamental Inequity: A blanket waiver lacks means-testing, forcing working-class parents to subsidize the taxes of affluent retirees, regardless of their actual need. It means considerable administrative burden and cost to our towns.

• Housing Market Distortion: Eliminating property taxes for seniors removes the natural incentive to downsize, severely restricting the housing inventory available for new families looking to move into the 8th District.

Action: Solutions for Sustainable Relief

We do not solve one generation's problems by throwing an anchor to the next. Instead of extreme measures that bankrupt our towns, I will champion targeted financial relief and mobility incentives that balance senior welfare with municipal fiscal health:

• Expand the Circuit Breaker Program: We must expand Connecticut's existing state-funded Circuit Breaker program. I will advocate for raising both the maximum credit amount and the income caps.

• Waive Conveyance Taxes for Downsizing: When a senior wants to sell a primary residence to purchase a smaller home or condo, the state and municipal conveyance taxes create a financial friction cost. I will push to waive these transfer taxes for residents over 65, making it easier for them to downsize.

• Zoning Incentives for "Missing Middle" Housing: Seniors often lack suitable smaller housing options in their own towns. By streamlining zoning approvals,we can give seniors attractive, low-maintenance places to live while freeing up larger homes for incoming young families.

By focusing on sensible solutions, we can protect our vulnerable seniors while supporting our working families and restoring our local housing market.

Housing Affordability and Smart Growth: A Practical Plan for the 8th District

We must make sure that our families, workers, and seniors can afford to live in the towns they helped build. Some politicians just look at the past and use empty words, blaming Hartford without offering real plans.

Our district needs practical, targeted solutions that actually work. Extreme political talk and hidden phrases like "responsible growth" are often used to keep certain housing out, and this will not solve our housing affordability crisis.

Action: Practical Solutions, Not Politics

A one-size-fits-all plan—whether it gets rid of all rules or uses strict state orders—simply fails our unique towns. Instead, we must balance local control with our shared duty to address housing affordability.

State Funding for Utilities: We will fight for specific state grants, like the Housing Growth Grant Program and brownfield funds. This money will help pay for the water and sewer upgrades needed to make multi-family housing affordable to build.

• Unlocking "Missing Middle" Housing: We need to support local zoning changes that allow duplexes, townhomes, and smaller accessory dwelling units (ADUs) to be built easily. This blends right into our neighborhoods without overloading our schools.

• Empowering Local Housing Trust Funds: Towns should be encouraged to use Affordable Housing Trust Funds. By using state grants and special fees, towns can guide new building projects to meet their specific local needs.

• Address Utility needs for expanding affordable housing by offering grants for water and sewer upgrades.

By creating smart, affordable paths to build starter homes, we can restore Connecticut's great reputation. We can make staying here the smartest choice for young people starting their adult lives.

Funding our Schools

Right now, the state depends way too much on local property taxes to pay for K-12 schools.

The state uses a math formula called Education Cost Sharing (ECS) to decide how much money each town gets. This formula looks at a town's wealth to figure out what they can afford to pay.

Because towns in the 8th District do not have big businesses or large shopping centers to help pay taxes, the burden falls heavily on regular homeowners. Towns have to keep raising property taxes just to keep their schools running.

To make things even harder, the state often forces schools to do new things without giving them the money to pay for them. For example, the state recently made schools start using new reading programs. They gave zero dollars for the actual books or the years of hard work it takes to completely change how teachers teach.

Action: How We Can Fix It

To protect our schools and give homeowners a break, we need to change the laws. Here is the plan:

• Update the Starting Amount: The state's base funding amount for each student has been stuck at $11,525 since 2013. We need to increase this number to match the rising cost of living so towns don't have to constantly make up the difference.

• Fully Fund Special Education: The state must pay the full cost of special education grants every year. Right now, they put a limit on the money, which leaves local towns paying the rest of the bill.

• Permanent Tax Help: We need a permanent program to share state tax money with local towns. This should be a reliable part of the state budget, not just leftover money that disappears when the economy is bad.

• Reward Teamwork: The state should give extra money to school districts that choose to work together on behind-the-scenes jobs, like computer technology or health insurance. This is much better than forcing small, spread-out rural towns to combine their schools.

Together, we can fix this broken formula, protect local taxpayers from unfunded rules, and make sure every student in the 8th Assembly District gets a great education.

Second Amendment Rights

Voters in the 8th District hold diverse opinions on gun rights and gun control, but we are united on one fundamental truth: we must stop the senseless killing of innocent people caused by gun violence.

As your State Representative, my position is clear. The Second Amendment is a constitutional right that is here to stay. Instead, I am committed to practical, targeted solutions that keep our communities safe without punishing law-abiding gun owners.

The Reality of Gun Violence

Our children have never known a time when gun violence wasn't a threat. This is a uniquely American crisis that requires urgent attention:

• 2,900+ mass shootings in the past five years (Gun Violence Archive).

• 300+ school shootings over the last decade resulting in injury or death (NCES).

• Leading cause of death for American children and teens (CDC).

Why Bans and Blanket Rules Fall Short

Simply banning more firearms is not a realistic solution. With approximately 54,000 registered guns already in Connecticut, and neighboring states like New Hampshire maintaining loose gun laws, cross-border weapon trafficking makes state-level bans ineffective.

Furthermore, the 8th District is uniquely diverse, encompassing densely populated neighborhoods and expansive, open farmland. A one-size-fits-all mandate on how and where guns are discharged ignores the reality of our geography. We must protect responsible gun ownership while establishing sensible, location-appropriate safety standards.

Action: Focus on the User, Not the Tool

The root of the problem is the dangerous user, not the firearm itself, just as a drunk driver is the danger, not the car. We must focus our legislative efforts on identifying and stopping those who pose a threat to our communities before violence occurs.

My legislative priorities focus on proactive prevention:

• Enhanced Mental Health Resources: Improving screening, early intervention, and comprehensive support systems to address the root causes of violence.

• Effective "Red Flag" Laws: Developing and strengthening targeted legislation to temporarily remove firearms from individuals who pose a documented, immediate danger to themselves or others.

• Supporting First Responders: Examining and refining the rules surrounding firearm use, to better equip, guide, and protect our law enforcement officers and emergency personnel in the field