EAST HAVEN Zullo, Balter battle it out, nicely, for 99th District seat

EAST HAVEN — As the race to see who will replace Democratic former state Rep. James Albis as East Haven’s 99th District representative in Hartford comes down to Tuesday’s vote, both Democrat Josh Balter and Republican Joe Zullo agree on one thing.

Each praised their opponent for keeping it a clean, issue-oriented race.

“I’ve got to give Zullo credit. He’s run a clean election. It’s about the issues,” said Balter.

“He and I touched base early in the campaign. We had a great discussion” and since then, “it’s kept to the issues,” said Zullo.

Zullo and Balter both are lawyers, with Zullo also serving as town attorney.

Both also say that running — and in particular, knocking on the doors of thousands of East Haveners — has been an enriching, eyeopening experience.

“Things have been going great!” said Balter. “The turnout of volunteers has been absolutely stunning .... The response of people of all political persuasions has been wonderful.”

Zullo said the experience had been “tremendous” so far. “The response has been as positive as it has been humbling. I grew up in East Haven, and to have so many people coming out and supporting me, it’s been tremendous.

Balter mentioned tax relief as one of his primary issues, saying he will support ways “to make it affordable to live in Connecticut.”

He also said he would protect seniors by supporting and working to speed up the process to make pensions tax-free — and extend that to “pension-like” plans such as 401(k)s for people below a certain income threshold.

He said he would “hold the Medicaid supplement sacrosanct,” support municipalities buying into the state employee health plan and introduce plans “where the elderly can stay in their homes for as long as possible before having to move out for medical reasons.”

Balter also said he would support programs to better train employees for jobs in the technology field.

In addtion, “Paid family medical leave has to be passed immediately” and Balter said he supports a $15 minimum wage.

He said he’s the best candidate because “I have actual experience in leadership” running three medical clinics during his time in the Navy. Zullo also mentioned tax relief.

“The message that I have been talking to people about and that I’ve been hearing doorto-door is that tax hikes are not budget solutions,” Zullo said. “The people of East Haven can’t afford that and the people of Connecticut can’t afford that.

“We need to go on a serious debt diet,” he said. “We did it in East Haven and it allowed us to give one of the largest tax decreases since 1989, and it’s kept our mill rate growth under 3 percent in the last six years. We have to say no sometimes . ... We need to start showing some restraint.”

Zullo called the $15 minimum wage “a big issue” in a blue-collor community like East Haven, both for economic and “quality of life” reasons, but said it’s complicated.

“I know there are some issues that I’m concerned about with it, as far as youth employment — is a $15 mimimum wage an impediment to a kid getting their first job?” he asked. “We want to help people. We don’t want to inadvertantly hurt them.”

He said he would support bills that address the opioid epidemic, saying, “It really has affected every home, every family.” Among other things, “We need a bill that would require counseling or rehabilitation following the administration of Narcan, or at least some kind of social intervention.”

Zullo said that one big difference between them is on tolls. “Josh has come out in favor of tolls and I have come out against it,” he said.

Balter said that his actual position is, “The only way I’ll have tolls is if we have a complete removal of the gas tax, along with ... max discounts” for commuters and Connecticut residents.

With regard to tolls, Zullo said, “I recognize that a substantial” amount of the added revenue “would be paid by out-of-state drivers,” Zullo said. But Connecticut’s fiscal difficulty “is not not a revenue problem; it’s a spending problem.”

Zullo has served as town attorney since Mayor Joseph Maturo Jr. returned to office in 2011. He also maintains a private practice with Zullo, Zullo and Jacks. He also served as Maturo’s campaign manager in the last election and a co-manager of his campaign in at least two previous elections.

Balter lives in East Haven and is a member of the East Haven Chamber of Commerce. As a retired Navy Corpsman and a combat vet, he is involved with the VFW and other veterans groups. He is chairman of the annual veterans luncheon.