The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
First full GOP slate at debate
Republicans face off at Mohegan
UNCASVILLE — Madison business executive Bob Stefanowski joined the Republican debate fray Thursday night, taking the stage alongside his competitors for governor after months of staying away.
While the five candidates spent most of the 90-minute debate at Mohegan Sun talking about their own accomplishments, former Trumbull First Selectman Tim Herbst attacked Stefanowski’s record of not voting, and of contributing to former Sen. Chris Dodd, a Democrat.
Herbst took a swipe at Stefanowski’s TV and direct mail ads, saying his messages fail to mention “the fact that he has not voted in 17 years.”
”I really think it takes a hell of a lot of nerve to ask the people of the state of Connecticut to vote for you when you couldn’t exercise the most basic right which is fundamental to our democracy,” Herbst said, adding that Stefanowski switched political affiliation to Democrat in the fall of 2016, right before President Donald Trump was elected, only to change back to the GOP last year.
Records in Madison, where Stefanowski lives, show that the candidate voted for the first time in years last November, after news reports that he had not cast a ballot. Stefanowski offered the first public comments about the issue Thursday.
“I didn’t vote, I should have, I wish it were different,” Stefanowski said. But he added, “I’ve traveled across the state and I can tell you there are a ton of dissatisfied voters out there.”
The unspoken implication: Many of those disaffected
people have not voted, either. “And these people are going to come roaring back in November,” Stefanowski said.
The rest of the candidates — Danbury Mayor Mark Boughton, who holds the party endorsement; Westport tech entrepreneur Steve Obsitnik; and Greenwich hedge fund mogul David Stemerman, escaped relatively unscathed. Stemerman took a brief attack over his contributions to former President Barack Obama’s 2008 campaign, also from Herbst.
The debate, sponsored by CBS Radio 94.9-FM, was standing room only inside the 400-seat Cabaret Theater at Mohegan Sun as partisans for each of the five candidates were encouraged to voice their support. Campaign materials littered the aisles.
While extolling their different backgrounds, the candidates generally hewed to the same positions on gun control, economic policy and transportation infrastructure.
Early in the debate the candidates relished the chance to oppose additional gun laws and sanctuary cities, with Herbst as the most zealous, touting his endorsement by the Connecticut Citizens Defense League.
“Unlike Dan Malloy, I am not going to punish law abiding citizens. We’re going to punish criminals,” he said.
Herbst added that he would have local officials work with the state to document violent crimes committed by undocumented immigrants.
“I believe... that we live in a law-abiding society,” Obsitnik said, describing his military record. “Things like sanctuary cities I do not support.”
Stemerman turned the gun debate back to mental health care.
"When we passed this gun legislation it was supposed to be accompanied by mental health,” Stemerman said. “It’s never been funded properly."
Boughton talked about enforcement actions in Danbury as recently as Thursday.
“I get what has to happen in terms of enforcing the Constitution and we stand ready to work with our federal government to do that,” he said.
Boughton worked to separate himself himself from the stellar business credentials that Stefanowski, Obsitnik and Stemerman all claimed.
“Leading is different than running a business. It’s a different skill set,” Boughton said. “You’ve got to be able to create consensus to get things done. You see, in business you can just tell people what to do or you can fire them. You can’t do that in government… This is not a time for on-the-job training.”
On the economy, Stefanowski cited the plan he developed with the help of Reagan-era economist Arthur Laffer.
“Look what Donald Trump's tax cut has done in this country,” Stefanowski said in answer to a question about how he would solve the state's budget shortfalls.
He did not mention, however, that the Trump administration is set to borrow an additional $1 trillion to make up for federal deficits resulting in part from the tax cuts. Connecticut, unlike the federal government, must run balanced budgets and is only allowed to borrow to fill budget gaps under very limited circumstances.
Moderator Lee Elci, a CBS Radio personality, asked each candidate how much he pays for a gallon of milk — reflecting a question that tripped up former President George H.W. Bush in a 1992 debate for re-election. The answers ranged from $1.25 from Stemerman to $4.25 from Stefanowski, who added, “for organic.”