Farley Santos is seeking to follow in Democrat David Arconti's footsteps and represent the 109th House District in Danbury.  Santos was raised in Danbury, graduated from Henry Abbott Tech and has been involved in the community.  He is a community development manager at Savings Bank of Danbury, served on the Board of Education and is a City Council member.

Santos wants to find ways to lessen the burden of healthcare costs and improve accessibility.  He's also passionate about veterans issues and called DVA Commissioner Tom Saadi a mentor.  He wants to expand access to mental health care to veterans.  He touted the work of VFW 149 veterans who've returned from the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, working to help their peers connect with services and benefits they need and deserve. 

If elected, he says education issues would be a top priority.  He wants the Education Cost Sharing formula changed to better address community growth.  Santos says the needs of and challenges posed by the booming population should be better addressed.  He is a public school advocate and if there are proposals that would take away from public education funding, which is already underfunded, he would not be supportive of.  He wants more clarification on the current proposed charter school before making any decisions on that topic. 

When it comes to water quality, Santos wants to learn more about the needs of Candlewood Lake.  He says more funding should be made available for testing and treatment, and better collaboration with the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection so they understand the needs of the lake.  He would work with the Candlewood Lake Authority to maintain the economic, recreational, cultural and health needs of the lake.  He says there should also be safer standards on the water for recreational vessels. 

Santos says middle class families are currently feeling the economic pinch and he would support continuation of the 25 cent gas tax holiday.  He says it's important to lessen the burden on working families and wants to make the state more affordable for seniors.  He wants to explore options for a lower tax burden on those populations. 

When it comes to public safety, Santos supports funding for police, firefighters and EMTs.  He says that will keep the responders safe, and in turn keep the community safe.  But Santos says there aren't enough police officers on the force.  He says Connecticut gun laws are some of the most restrictive in the country, but would be against easing those laws.  He believes in the 2nd Amendment, but doesn't think the framers would think the weapons used for war is what they had in mind when it was written. 

On the issue of infrastructure, Santos says there's a need to improve the roads.  He called for a traffic plan because an assessment hasn't been done in over 20 years. 

Republican Jesy Fernandez is also seeking the open seat.  He came to the country as a young boy from the Dominican Republic and served in the United States Navy, serving many tours abroad.  He is a small business owner and father of two.  Fernandez says education is the main tool for citizens to achieve the American Dream. He supports the proposed public Charter School saying it will eventually serve 770 students with little to no cost to taxpayers.  He also wants to increase the availability of vocational education, and job training. One of his top priorities is to work towards a Danbury Police Department that has sufficient officers and resources to keep the city safe. He says he will fight any attempts to criminalize law enforcement and to empower criminals. Fernandez doesn't think the state should burden small business with ever increasing taxes and wants to lower taxes, finding what he called sensible alternatives that encourage investments and growth in the city.  He says the state needs business leaders at the capitol that understand how the economy works.  Fernandez called for the elimination of the diesel tax, and any other taxes that are directly hurting the working class and small businesses. On infrastructure, Fernandez says he would fight for dollars to update bridges and other infrastructure projects that can eliminate the congestion in the downtown area. He also wants more funding for bike paths, bus and train routes.