Platform

-Voluntary emergency response capacity: 15-20,000 Connecticut residents organized by the state, who mobilize and train at a local level. Accountable first to the town and state, and second to the citizen themselves. Creates a powerful state-backed system for delivering disaster relief while federal capabilities such as FEMA and National Guard are being used elsewhere or vanish entirely. Makes the state and municipalities much more resilient.

-Anticorruption task force: the single issue I’ve encountered most while knocking doors is a widespread and bipartisan conviction that government is corrupt at all levels. When it spreads far enough, this feeling will doom our democratic experiment. If elected governor I will stand up a bipartisan anticorruption task force that will perform an audit at the state and local level of all elected and appointed politicians, starting with myself.

-Resilient grid for individual households: can write off up to $5k per year to a maximum of $25k for the purchase and installation of solar panels, home batteries, wood-burning stoves, and home EV chargers. We should not have to depend on Chinese technology and manufacturing to protect our household budgets from wars in the Middle East.

-Two-year freeze on new projects: no more adding to the state budget. If we aren’t contractually obligated to increase funding or begin a nonexistent project or program, for two years, we’re not going to.

-Toll at the CT border: if you’re driving into or out from the state, it’s a flat $1 toll on all vehicles. The funds raised from this toll will go to maintaining infrastructure in the state (roads, bridges). We need to stop depending on the federal government for hand-outs, and start being accountable for our own spending needs.

-Clarity around development projects: no more “done deals” in government — if a project with backing from the state is under serious consideration, that will be telegraphed long before it gets locked in. Furthermore, if taxpayers will be required to foot a substantial part of the bill for the project — more than a quarter — politicians must communicate that early and often. Presenting fully-realized plans to the public and then pretending to solicit feedback breeds cynicism, disenfranchisement, and ultimately contempt for government itself.

-State level voluntary farming initiative organized at the town level: similar to community gardens at the town and city level. A way for folks to grow food for food pantries. Connecticut can afford to become more resilient as a state regarding food production without returning to agrarianism, and it’s a useful proficiency with which every citizen ought to be familiar.