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. 3.
Q: What will you do if elected to help make your district a more affordable place to live? Be as specific as possible.
State representative candidate Owen T. Weaver, Republican, District 14
Owen T. Weaver
On the campaign trail across the 14th State Senate District, I consistently hear from residents that for years they have been feeling the strain of high taxes and energy costs and increased costs for goods with no real hope of change in sight. The take-away message therefore is loud and clear – Connecticut’s elected officials must change course and prioritize making Connecticut more affordable.
If elected to represent the 14th State Senate District, I will prioritize reforming our state tax scheme, lowering property taxes, cutting energy costs and making sure the towns in the 14th State Senate District get their fair share of statewide municipal and education funding.
First, I will support reducing the income tax rates on our middle class. I will also support eliminating Connecticut’s tax on Social Security benefits so seniors can keep more of the income they earned. I will also support a state-level child tax credit to help young working families meet rising household costs. Approximately 69 percent of families with children would benefit from that credit.
Second, as the Orange town attorney, I know from firsthand experience that our property taxes are too high because the state is imposing too many unfunded state mandates on our municipalities. The Connecticut Conference of Municipalities estimates that there are approximately 1,400 unfunded state mandates that force municipalities to raise spending without the state providing the resources to pay for them. Many of these unfunded state mandates are unnecessary and antiquated, such as publishing legal notices in printed newspapers, and should be immediately eliminated. Other unfunded state mandates are intrusive and should be repealed because they infringe upon areas that are inherently local – such as aspects of 8-30g and House Bill 8002, which overrides local control of zoning in favor of a one-size-fits-all housing scheme that favors private developers. Each municipality is different, and local residents, not Hartford legislators and bureaucrats, should have the strongest voice and final say in deciding how their tax dollars are spent.
Third, I will support removing the public benefits charge from our electric bills. Programs authorized by the state should be debated and funded transparently through the state budget, not imposed as an additional charge on monthly utility bills – a hidden tax on ratepayers. I will also fight for an all-of-the-above approach to our energy crisis by expanding natural gas and nuclear energy in this state, while at the same pursuing solar and wind where the circumstances are right for that type of energy production.
Fourth, as a homeowner, partner of a law firm and a board member of several local nonprofits, including the Amity Chamber of Commerce, I know how important it is to budget and live within your fiscal means. Government, like every household and small business, must do the same. I will support strengthening the state’s fiscal guardrails by tying the growth of state government to a benchmark, such as inflation. I will also support enacting a property tax cap that is tied to greater of the prevailing rate of inflation or 2 percent. These measures will impose discipline on state and local spending and help protect taxpayers from costs that grow faster than their ability to pay.
Finally, I will fight to ensure that the four municipalities of the 14th State Senate District get their fair share of state funding. Unfortunately, the district ranks towards the bottom of Connecticut’s 36 Senate districts for combined municipal and education aid. Our current return from Hartford is insufficient and shows why our communities are facing annual property tax increases. I will fight to increase these amounts in future budgets by advocating, in part, for an increase in the base amount of education cost sharing for our towns.
The 14th State Senate District deserves a state senator who will prioritize making the district more affordable for all. As a born and raised resident of Orange, the current Orange town attorney, a board member of several local nonprofits, and a father and husband who is raising three boys in the town that I grew up in, I care deeply about Orange and the surrounding communities. If elected your next state senator, I will be steadfast in making sure that this district is affordable for all its residents and businesses. That is my promise to you.