The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
Republican hopefuls on same page
GOP candidates attack Malloy in Monday debate
NEW HAVEN — They called it a debate, but there was little dissent among the four Republican candidates for governor who took the stage in New Haven Monday.
The candidates agreed across the board: Connecticut has a serious financial problem starting with pensions and ending with income taxes, immigration is OK as long as it’s legal so watch out sanctuary cities, tolls are bad, President Donald Trump is welcome in Connecticut (though none would say if they want him to campaign for them), the state needs pension reform and everyone hates Gov. Dannel P. Malloy.
“I would welcome Donald Trump to come here anytime he wants,” said Danbury Mayor Mark Boughton, the party-endorsed candidate for governor. “The fact of the matter is, this is a Connecticut problem caused by Democrats. We need focus on the most hated politician in the state of Connecticut and that’s Gov. Malloy.”
“The Democrats want to make this about Washington because they don’t want to talk about their failure,” echoed former Trumbull First Selectman Tim Herbst.
So what distinguished Westport tech entrepreneur Steve Obsitnik from Greenwich hedge fund mogul
David Stemerman, and the businessmen from Boughton and Herbst?
Obsitnik was the only one who didn’t wear a tie, Stemerman — the only candidate who’s never run a campaign before — seemed the most uncomfortable on the debate stage and Herbst attempted to take the toughest tone.
Boughton and Herbst were more conservative in their support of a casino in Bridgeport, while the businessmen said they’d gladly support private sector growth and negotiate with the state’s tribes.
“I don’t think we need government sitting there telling us more of what we should do,” Obsitnik said, in response to Boughton’s claim that running a business is very different than running a government, one of the only semi-subtle jabs between candidates in the hour-long debate.
“It’s good to look at things and ask questions when business brings an opportunity to you but I think we need to unleash the private sector, entrepreneurship and what businesses have done in this state for generations ... Under my administration we are open for business,” Obsitnik said.
Stemerman, who received a late invitation to the debate, turned the casino issue back to Connecticut’s ailing infrastructure — he doesn’t think it should be an excuse for not bringing a casino to Bridgeport — citing an economic plan he released last month and alluding to comprehensive ideas for infrastructure improvements. He even floated the idea of a highspeed ferry to Manhattan.
“Connecticut has a wonderful location between New York and Boston,” Stemerman said. “What we need is outside-the-box thinking to solve these problems. The debate in Hartford is all about “yes” or “no” to tolls, and we need fresh thinking.”
The debate was organized by the Connecticut Realtors Association and WTNH. Boughton is the endorsed GOP candidate for governor, Herbst and Obsitnik both qualified for the ballot at the state Republican convention last month, and Stemerman, the only candidate who hasn’t officially qualified for the ballot, submitted 20,000 signatures to registrars of voters this week, more than double the requisite 9,000.
Petitioning candidates Bob Stefanowski, a businessman from Madison, and Shelton Mayor Mark Lauretti also received lastminute invitations, but declined to attend the debate in order to focus on the last hours of their petition drives before signatures are due Tuesday.