State Representative District 95
Juan Candelaria
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Party: Democrat
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Current Residence: New Haven
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John Carlson
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Party: Republican
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Website: https://carlsonforsenate10.com/
Age: 53
Marital Status: divorced
Current Residence: New Haven
Current Job: Teacher
Previous Job: factory and construction worker
Previous Job: Real estate sales
Education: 6th year
What action(s) will you take to reduce out-of-pocket drug costs and reduce the impact of the cost of prescription drugs on taxpayers and insurance premiums?
In these inflationary times, what will you do to help ensure that Connecticut’s middle-income retirees on fixed incomes are able to keep more of their hard-earned money in their pockets?
Reduce and eliminate taxes and fees wherever possible. Not tax retirement income.How do you plan to address the growing long-term care workforce crisis in the state?
Gas prices are higher than ever, which is difficult for older adults on fixed incomes. Yet, alternatives to cars in Connecticut are limited. What will you do to help older adults access other forms of transportation?
Let's reduce gas and public transportation prices by reducing or eliminating the gas and diesel taxes. Many older adults are physically limited and need handicapped accessible buses or vehicles for transportation like those used by elderly homes. We need more of them available to transport the elderly. Grants or direct funding to supply more of these vehicles would be a starting point.What are the two most urgent problems facing Connecticut within the context of climate change and the environment, and what will you propose to solve them?
Flooding and pollution/loss of habitat. Adding and protecting wetlands along the shore will help reduce flooding. We have to reduce the loss of habitat by protecting more green space, planting more trees and we must prevent pollution by educating people on how to reduce their carbon footprint. Reduce, reuse, recycle.How can Connecticut's education systems create better outcomes for students in low-income communities?
From a school based perspective, provide interventions to at risk students and those that are behind by using tutors and educational programs, hire more paraprofessionals and classroom aides, and provide extra help and tutoring after school. Often children are pulled for extra help from the very classes they are behind in.Pedestrian deaths spiked a few years ago and remain high, and it's fairly clear that driver behavior, such as distracted driving, is only getting worse despite significant efforts by law enforcement to stop it. How can Connecticut's streets be made safe for pedestrians and bicyclists?
"Significant efforts by law enforcement"? The PAB has made it difficult for officers to do their jobs. Let's give officers the tools, resources, training and numbers of officers they need to enforce the law. Allowing officers to do their jobs will make CT safer for EVERYONE. In addition, you increase funding for lights, speed humps and raised walkways to be installed, especially in areas where there is a higher risk. I've had speed humps installed in my neighborhood and they've greatly reduced speeding.How should the state and its school districts deal with COVID-19 going forward?
By treating it like the flu. We are one of only ten states with emergency powers still in place.What should be done on the state level to further address Connecticut's lack of affordable housing? Do you support, for example, mandating or incentivizing towns and cities to alter their zoning codes to be friendlier to affordable housing?
All zoning should remain local. Incentives may be used, but the biggest thing we can do to create affordable housing is to grow our economy and provide our residents with good paying jobs. Another way would be to reduce government involvement in the rent industry. The government is artificially inflating rents by overpaying for rent. Slumlords then increase their monthly rents because the government is paying more than they would actually get from a working family. This cycle then encourages all other owners to also charge more and the costs just keep going up.What can be done to prevent excessive consolidation of the healthcare industry and the loss of services – or, in some cases, the loss of small hospitals themselves – in the state's rural areas?
Do you think the state's two major electric utilities (Eversource and United Illuminating) are sufficiently regulated? If not, what measures would you take to ensure that consumers are protected to the greatest extent possible against prolonged loss of services and unfair rate increases?
What is your position on whether Connecticut should open its election primaries to unaffiliated voters?
No. If someone feels strong enough on whether a candidate should win a party's primary then they should join that party and vote. Open primaries in areas where one party dominates registration would allow partisan voters to influence another party's choice and select who they think is the weaker candidate for the general election.