Would you vote for a bill that would legalize recreational marijuana? Why or why not?

No, for persons under the age of 18. Reason: 1) they are below the age of consent and 2) scientific research to date has shown marijuana has caused unfavorable brain developmental changes, which appear to be permanent. Society should want to promote things that maximize human development i.e. 'do no harm'. Scientific studies also show for the past decades that the brain is not fully developed until the age of 23 or so. Yes for persons over the age of 18...when there is readily available, affordable and 80-99% reliable fast acting testing for use by law enforcement and medical professionals. The handful of current tests cost $1000 and are reliable about 30-50% of the time.

How should the state balance the needs of vulnerable populations with the reality of another large budget deficit?

1) withhold 80% of campaign finance funding for 8 years or until the state-wide budget and bonding and all state funding responsibilities are met. Reason: CT taxpayers, municipalities, schools, social services and state services, etc. have been cut anywhere from 30-100%. Yet the funds used by candidates for state officers has not diminished. Perhaps current and potential state officials could cut back on money from CT residents to promote themselves. This funding benefits the two major political parties but not the minor parties. The money from CT residents is actually from the 'unclaimed financial property'. It consists of money left in forgotten checking, savings accounts or 401Ks, etc. If one is aware of this list, one could check for themselves or others to find out if they have unclaimed money. However, it needs to be promoted more e.g. TV and social media. The site is: https://www.ott.ct.gov/unclaimed_overview.html

A recent report found 40 percent of Connecticut residents can't afford basic needs such as housing, food, health care, or child care. What would you do to improve their situation?

a) ) increase basic taxes on all forms of income: 1) 37% for $250k to $500k; 2) 40% for $500k to $2million; 3) 45% for $2million to $10million and 4) 49% for over $10million. b) have state-wide minimum wage of $18/hour inclusive of service workers who are currently excluded. c) basic living income d)

Will you support top-down efforts to regionalize local services with an eye toward more efficiency and reducing the state's obligations regarding ECS and/or other funding for towns? How would you go about it?

Support. It is used in my own town of Wethersfield with various other surrounding towns. It is used by some towns to maximize services but decrease the costs to separate town when a town would not need full time support.

Where and how should state government focus its efforts in order to grow jobs?

1) maximize those industries and job skills within CT: a) water related industries: dredging, education of environmental studies and actual studies of water, flood plains, marshes; b) education of health care professionals & providing of those services to CT residents & visitors; c) education of the educators & providing of quality education to all its residents & new arrivals. d) public banking: it is used by about half of the countries in the world. North Dakota started its public banking in 1919 and has been successful profitable through the Great Depression, WWII, inflation and the 2008 subprime depression. It is funded by: state: fees, finds, licensing. Cost saving would occur when the current out-of-state cost for the administration of banking for the government of CT, is kept in CT with the use of a public bank. Many CT residents commute to their out-of-state banking jobs. This unique job pool could be tapped for public banking. It would be a win for CT as it could tap into these skilled workers and keep cost of banking administration within CT. And a win for the CT financial workers who would save on 'commuter taxes' and perhaps actual commuter costs.

Would you support legislation to "ban the box," prohibiting employers from asking the question about criminal convictions on a job application?

Yes and no. Sample of legislation I would need to be addressed on: 1) criminal vs civil; 2) violent and stalking vs. non-violent; 3) felonies vs. misdemeanors.

Based on estimates that out-of-state drivers would contribute 30-40% of overall revenue if highway tolls are implemented in Connecticut, would you support tolls with or without offsetting cuts in the state's gas taxes?

No, tolls for out-of-state drivers. Would like to see the weight-stations used more for trucks and other vehicles. No increase in gas taxes. Prefer, CT tax rebates for every mile of vehicle used by an alternate energy source than: fossil fuel, electricity, hydrogen.

Eversource and some out-of-state entities appear to be attempting to buy control of Connecticut's water resources, and some of our quasi-public water agencies have signed away large amounts of water to commercial interests with little regard to future water shortages. What can you do to ensure that Connecticut residents maintain control of public water supplies in perpetuity?

Keep public water sources, public. The more organizations involved in the responsibility, there is less clarity about who has responsibility for what. The 2018 proposed bill had all the responsibility authorized to the state government, while all the profits to the for-profits to the corporations, without responsibility.

Much of Connecticut is economically and racially segregated because many towns lack affordable housing and local zoning regulations prohibit multi-family dwellings. How would you propose incentivizing municipalities to start allowing multi-family units and other affordable housing options?

1) rehabilitate vacant and/or abandoned buildings. Investigate and consider municipal and/or state tax breaks that will be beneficial to both the town and the state. 2) consider rezoning. 3) reach out to people in the communities for their feedback and what they suggest.

How should the state address disparities in the Education Cost Sharing formula? What specific modifications would you suggest, if any?

Have a state-wide formula that is not based on municipal taxable income.

Should the government's response to the opioid crisis be to focus on law enforcement to stop drug dealers, or improving access to treatment for addiction and reducing the overprescription of painkillers?

Treat addition as a medical problem, not a criminal.

In 2016 the Connecticut Retirement Security Program was created. It will give over 600,000 residents in our state a way to save for retirement at work. Knowing that employees are 15 times more likely to save merely by having access to payroll deduction, how will you continue the implementation of this important program?

I'm in favor of workers having access to payroll deduction when their employer does not provide access.Ye

The 459,000 family caregivers in Connecticut provide an estimated 427 million hours of care each year. Nationwide, nearly seven in ten caregivers report making work accommodations because of caregiving, including arriving late/leaving early, cutting back their hours, changing jobs, or stopping work entirely. Would you support a family leave law that provides paid leave to employees who have to take time off for family caregiving purposes?

Yes.