The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
Forum held, without GOP
4 Democratic candidates discuss concerns in state
TORRINGTON — Concerns about highway tolls, Internet reliability, diversity awareness and opioid addiction were key issues at a candidates’ forum Wednesday sponsored by the Connecticut Academy For the Arts.
However, the five Republican candidates running to represent Torrington in the state legislature did not attend the forum, and therefore did not weigh in on the issues.
State Sen. Craig Miner, R-Litchfield; Sen. Kevin Witkos, R-Canton, as well as state Reps. Jay Case, R-Winsted; Brian Ohler, R-Canaan; and District 65 candidate Molly Spino of Torrington were not there.
Four of the five Democratic candidates were on hand to answer questions submitted by audience members.
Those in attendance were state Senate candidates Melissa Osborne, 8th District, and David Lawson, 30th
District; and state Rep. Michelle Cook, D-Torrington, and 64th District candidate Maria Horn. Candy Perez, a candidate for the 63rd District House seat, was not present.
The Republican candidates said in separate phone interviews Thursday that their absences were due to a delay in receiving the invitations, which arrived in early September.
CAFTA Executive Director Teresa Sullivan said she was told by members of the Republican Town Committee to email the invitations to Torrington RTC Chairman Justin Giampaolo. She did so Aug. 2, also inviting the media to attend. Sullivan expected that Giampaolo would forward the invitations to the candidates, she said.
Giampaolo did not return a call for comment about the delay, but several of the candidates said he should not have been the conduit for the invitation to begin with. Rather, they said, the event information should have been sent to their personal emails.
By the time the emails arrived, all of the candidates said their calendars were booked.
Board of Education member John Kissko, who was a timekeeper at the event, and a member of the Republican Town Committee, said, “It was a missed opportunity for the Republicans. It was a large and responsive crowd.”
In an effort to keep the forum fair, and allow the Republican candidates a chance to voice their campaign issues, Sullivan and other coordinators decided just days before the event that they would allow the GOP politicians and Perez to provide written comments to be read at the forum.
All of the candidates who didn’t attend provided statements, which were read by moderator Owen Quinn at the beginning of the forum.
Following the reading, questions were directed to the four appearing candidates. The first question asked how, as elected officials, they would address the death toll from the opioid crisis.
Horn, of Salisbury, a former federal prosecutor, said she is involved with the McCall Center for Behavioral Health. “They teach kids how to deal with stress in different ways” she said. “The most cost effective way is prevention.”
When it came to the issue of highway tolls, Osborne, a resident of Simsbury, said “I’m going to touch the third rail of infrastructure; I support tolls. We need an infusion of money.”
On technology, upgrading of Internet service “is vitally important,” Cook said, responding to a question. “It’s vitally important to invest in fiber. We should put Wi-Fi downtown,” she added.
Turning to the theme of diversity, Lawson who lives in New Milford and is a retired teacher, said awareness is the key. “You can’t just have a seminar and think, ‘that’s done it.’ You truly have to tackle the issue and understand that everyone has the right to be in a workplace.”
Two Republicans and one Democrat released their written statements to the public.
Perez noted that she has had “the unique experience of having been a municipal leader, educator, coach or resident in each of the communities that make up the 63rd district.”
Miner wrote that “I believe that as we grow the economy ... residents will feel more like supporting the arts and having their taxes spent in other areas.”
Case weighed in on the state budget. “(T)he two sides came together with a no tax increase budget. We’re on the right track and I’m working to make sure the train stays on course.”
As the forum was wrapping up, Cook commented about the responses were all coming from Democrats. “I’m disappointed that we didn’t have candidates from the other side of the aisle,” she said.
“I think it was a missed opportunity,” Sullivan said.
At least three more forums are planned before the Nov. 6 general election.
A state Senate candidate forum will be held at Northwestern Connecticut Community College from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. Oct. 11. The college also will be the site of a state House candidate forum from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. Oct. 19.
A forum also will be held at 1:30 p.m. Oct. 18 at Prime Time House, 836 Main St.