CTNewsJunkie Voter Guide Profile for Jeffrey Litke

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Jeffrey Litke

Running for State Representative

1 CTNewsJunkie Reader Endorsements

Party: Democrat

CEP Status: participating

Website: www.JeffLitke.com

Age: 41

Marital Status: Married

Current Residence: Naugatuck

Current Job: Sr. Human Resources Generalist

Previous Job:

Education: Master's of Public Administration, University of New Haven; Bachelor's in Political Science, University of Connecticut

2017

Why are you running for this office?

I am running for the Board of Education because I believe in a quality education for all of our children and I want to lend my voice and opinions to make our school system even better. I am a product of Naugatuck Public Schools and I am proud of the education that I received there and am ready to give back to the school system where I was educated. Working together as a community we can ensure that our public school system is the best that it can be.

What is the most pressing local issue facing your community and how would you solve it (within the capacity of the office for which you are running)?

The most pressing issue in our community is taxes. We need to do what we can to lower taxes and control spending. From the Board of Education perspective, I will work to ensure that we have a responsible budget that meets the needs to the students.

With the state's ongoing budget crisis looming over the election, what are your plans for your community's budget? Is there anything you can do make your town less dependent on revenue from the state?

The state's budget crisis impacts everyone. We need to budget responsibly and keep in mind that we may receive less funds from the state. Some things that can be done to be less dependent on revenue from the state are to shrink the town budget where possible and seek funds from other sources when possible. We also need to increase our tax base to bring in more property tax revenue.

The legislature has been debating various ideas to allow towns to raise revenue locally through something other than property taxes. If you could ease your residents' property tax burden by adding another method of taxation, is there anything you might consider for your town?

I do not think that another method of taxation is the way to go. I think we need to grow the tax base in the town to increase property tax revenues. We have to do this by attracting businesses to not only Naugatuck but the surrounding area, and do what we can to make our town the best place to work, live, do business and raise a family.

Are you in favor of regionalizing more services in conjunction with other nearby communities? If so, which ones?

I think that regionalizing some services is a good idea. At this point in time from the Board of Education perspective I do not know which ones, but I think it is something to look into with other area towns.

Should your school district get the same amount of education funding from the state if your district's enrollment is dropping?

Yes, we should. Funding should not be tied to enrollment because each town is different. Just because one town loses a few students does not mean their funding should be cut. We still need to meet financial obligations and have a duty to our students to provide them with the best education possible.

What's one thing most people don't know about you?

I don't know if there's anything that most people do not know about me. I believe that I am an open book and I am willing to discuss anything. Feel free to drop me a line.