The Milford-Orange Times is continuing its election-year tradition of asking the candidates to respond to questions about what they would do for the residents of Milford and Orange if voters elect them. Election Day is Nov. 5.
Q: What do you think are the greatest challenges facing the district right now, and how will you help address them? Be as specific as possible.
State Sen. James Maroney, Democrat, District 14 (Incumbent)
James Maroney
A: Rising costs are the most significant hurdle many families struggle with in Milford, Orange, West Haven and Woodbridge. From housing to energy to groceries to early childhood education, so many people in the community are having trouble with increasing expenses.
While inflation has recently come down, costs remain high. The causes for these challenges vary, but as a state, it is incumbent upon us to do what we can to provide some relief for residents.
Too many times, walking door to door, I hear from parents who are afraid that their children won’t be able to live here because housing is too expensive. People who have also lived here for decades are concerned they, too, may not be able to stay. The state needs to do more to partner with municipalities through tax credits and grants to incentivize the building of housing that will give choices to those who want to downsize and stay in our community or those who are looking to start their career and live in our community.
Offering more affordable options will allow more of our municipal workforce – our teachers, police officers, firefighters and more – to live in our community and not just work here.
I have also heard from companies across the state that are having trouble attracting new employees. Providing workforce housing will help foster workforce development. If people have an affordable option for a place to live, they are more likely to take a new role in a new career.
Another major hurdle for families is finding affordable quality early childhood education. When people want to start a family, they often struggle to find high-quality, affordable child care. The average cost of full-time infant toddler care in our community is almost $20,000 a year. Yet, despite that, our early child care workers are some of the lowest paid workers. The state must find ways to make this more affordable for families while ensuring the staff is paid appropriately.
One way is to expand the Early Childhood Trust Fund that I worked with my colleagues to create. This fund allows for accepting money from philanthropy, corporations and government so that it can be combined to find innovative and transformative approaches to early childhood education.
Another way is to expand a pilot of a tri-share program, a program that is currently only being run in eastern Connecticut. In this model, the state pays one third, the employer pays one third and the employee pays one third of the costs of early childhood education. The best investment we can make in workforce development and improving the life opportunities of a child is to invest in high-quality early childhood education. So investments in high quality early childhood education benefit both the child and our economy.
Energy prices are another issue that impacts everyone. Costs are increasing, but so are corporate profits. We need to empower the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority to hold energy companies more accountable in their rate setting and move toward true performance-based rate setting. The state will also need to find ways to invest in energy generation and create more options for customers.
It is not just rising energy prices that are causing members of our community to suffer. The costs of many common goods are increasing as well. As an economics major, I understand that the laws of supply and demand dictate prices. However, sometimes corporations take advantage of natural disasters or other situations to price-gouge consumers. We need to do more to empower the attorney general to pursue price gouging and invest in improving the supply chain and transportation.
Connecticut has always been one of the most innovative states in the nation. We cannot continue to do the same old things and expect different results. We need to find innovative solutions to the problems that are facing our state. We can and must work together for the betterment of our community. With the state’s finances on solid footing, we have a unique opportunity to build a stronger, more prosperous future for everyone in our community, and that starts by implementing policies to make living here more affordable.