CTNewsJunkie Voter Guide Profile for William Buckbee

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William Buckbee

Running for State Representative

14 CTNewsJunkie Reader Endorsements

Party: Republican

CEP Status:

Website:

Age: 48

Marital Status: Single

Current Residence: New Milford

Current Job: Executive Director Harrybrooke Park

Previous Job: VP Madstar Mobile

Previous Job:

Education: Indiana Institute of Technology and Western CT State University

YouTube:

2018

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

I am open to this discussion. I do not see it as a viable "money grab" but need to ensure the costs do not outweigh the benefits, socially and physically. I believe it is something we need to discuss in open debate.

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

We must protect the children, seniors, veterans and those who cannot care for themselves. Everything else should be on the table for cuts.

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?

Reduce state spending allowing for lower taxes and for business to thrive here in CT, thus reducing the cost of living.

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?

I am again open the discussion. How to go about it has many options including what I have listed above. ECS must be protected and not held hostage as Gov. Malloy did in this last budget. The children's future should never be a bargaining chip by ANY elected official.

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

I proposed an bill last year to offer an incentive for new full-time hires. In an extended offer to those currently unemployed or for our veterans. We must reduce regulation on small business and make the entire state more business friendly.

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

If criminal conviction is public record, why shouldn't an employer be allowed to ask?

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. We are taxed far too much on our vehicles as it is. Eliminate the gas tax and I will certainly welcome the toll discussion.

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?

Water is a basic human need so we must maintain access to potable drinking water for all people in the state. The answer is not an easy or quick answer for a survey but a full discussion to be had with careful consideration of protection balancing a business' right to purchase and protect this water.

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?

We can certainly offer incentives, but this falls to municipal obligation and not state or federal.

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

The formula must be maintained and every school district have an equal playing ground and not again, held hostage by the Governor.

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?

Both. This is a clear answer. Our response must be quick and well thought out but both certainly are required for a proper solution to be found.

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?

This was a great first step in the process. Retirement is important to address for all citizens, and we must be careful not to overstep the opportunities that individuals may choose.

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?

I support family leave incentives as many small businesses cannot afford the mandates previously proposed. This is a very important section of our working populous and caring for those who cannot care for themselves is critical to our society. Many seniors cannot afford to provide such stability and many times family members take leave to care for them. We must again be careful what we are providing and mandating and see how it effects all involved.