Republican state Senator Craig Miner is seeking another term in the 30th District, which includes New Milford and Brookfield. Democrat David Lawson, a retired teacher who serves on the New Milford Board of Education, is looking to unseat him. Lawson believes priorities are skewed in Connecticut right now and wants to focus on education. He says that’s not only the key to today, but to the future. Lawson would also focus on health and environmental issues if elected.
Miner says the most important thing that got done last session was the budget compromise, signed by the governor. There were three budgets, all bipartisan, which tried to balance spending while not increasing taxes and preserving municipal aid and social safety nets. Miner believed two moves by the Governor in the budget process would be punitive. One was significant cuts in municipal aid. The other was moving teacher pension costs onto towns.
As a member of the Environment Committee, Miner got a bill passed to remove derelict fishing gear, like lobster traps and nets, from Long Island Sound. He also touted a bill dealing with residential automatic pesticide misters. He next wants to address the amount of glass being collected and put in landfills. Miner says the Save Our Lakes bill that passed should be helpful in monitoring water quality and dealing with invasive species. He wants to unburden people who live directly around the lake from total responsibility for weed maintenance or other issues like blue green algae.
Lawson says virtually every town in the district has a vital waterway. He says protecting the quality of those resources is not only important for recreational purposes, but for quality of life. He backs a constitutional amendment on the ballot this November about public land sales, which would require public notice and a public hearing. Lawson says there should be better communication among neighboring states when it comes to air quality. He wants an air quality station in Kent or somewhere nearby to monitor the effects of a soon to be completed natural gas plant in neighboring New York.
Extending rail service to New Milford has been discussed over the years and Lawson says that would alleviate some congestion issues. But he says a comprehensive plan for the state needs to be examined. Lawson says quality rail service would be a welcome solution.
Miner says there are members of the New Milford community interested in expanding rail service to northward and beyond. He says the least amount of controversy exists on expanding from Danbury to New Milford. Aside from the cost associated with upgrading the rail and how it would be shared by riders, he doesn’t see any property rights or noise issue. He doesn’t see how fares alone could pay for the upgrades and wants to look into private investment. Connecting service into Massachusetts, he says some communities are concerned about the speed of trains through their towns.
Tolling is a complicated issue according to Miner. He says the technology now is better than having a booth, but everything he’s read shows a reduction in federal dollars. He says to go from Danbury to a community college in Winsted would be in excess of $2,300 a year based on previous proposals. Miner doesn’t want another toll study and opposes installation.
Lawson called tolls a regressive tax. He opposes bringing electronic tolling to Connecticut.
As for sports betting, Lawson says it’s already going on. He would support regulations and taxing sports betting. Lawson wants to continue studying legalizing recreational marijuana. He says public health concerns and the funding raised from taxes are two areas he wants more information about before making a decision.
Miner says sports betting is likely something that will come to Connecticut. He says there is a camp that doesn’t like gambling at all, and they don’t want an expansion. But he wants to figure out how to implement regulations. Miner suggested the Lottery Corporation or the Native American Tribes. As for recreational marijuana, Miner says more adjacent states have passed legislation for that opportunity. He says that makes it more difficult to keep it from happening here. But he is concerned about testing in the case of motor vehicle and employee accidents. Miner says there is also a concern for people applying for jobs when there is a drug test involved. He doesn’t want to rush approval and called for changes at the federal level first.
Lawson says educational funding is paramount to local districts. He says a one-size fits all formula doesn’t work for the state’s 169 towns and would like to come up with a more equitable solution.
Part of the budget package looked at a new education cost sharing formula. Miner says it also increased the state’s payment rate for students attending vocational agricultural schools by $1,000 per pupil. A receiving town with 200 students from outside the district saw an increase in payment. It’s not yet at the level of vo-tech schools or charter schools, but he says it moves the state in that direction. The ECS formula changes look at wealth, student population and English-as-a-Second Language. Over the last 125 years, student population hadn’t been considered as important as the previous ECS formula would have required. There are now some phased-in adjustments.
Wait times at the DMV are a concern for Lawson. He says having to take a day off to get business done is counterproductive. He suggested having mobile DMVs going around the state on weekends to help residents get their transactions done quicker.
On the Public Safety Committee, Miner has continued to work on mental health matters. He says public safety personnel come under the same requirements of a bill passed years ago saying that if an individual seeks treatment, they are prohibited from owning, possessing or controlling a firearm for up to 6 months. Miner notes that state police and others have told them that they occasionally must seek treatment, for something going on in their personal life or an alcohol issue, and they have been forced to leave the state for that treatment because there is no such notification requirement. Miner wants to modify the law to be both helpful for members of the public safety community, while not putting the public at risk.
