Date: Fri 25-Oct-1996

Publication: Bee

Author: ANDYG

Quick Words:

candidate-profile-Wasserman

Full Text:

Candidate Profiles: Julia Wasserman

B Y A NDREW G OROSKO

Republican State Rep Julia B. Wasserman of Sandy Hook is seeking a fourth

two-year term representing residents of the state's 106th District, which

includes a section of Newtown and a section of Bethel.

Mrs Wasserman's challenger in the race is Charles A. Noe of Bethel, the

Independent Party's endorsed candidate.

"I think I do a fair job. I'm a worker, a very hard worker. I work hard for my

constituents," Mrs Wasserman said.

The state representative said constituents who contact her with their problems

are then placed in touch with a person in state government who is in a

position to help solve those problems.

One of Mrs Wasserman's prime concerns during recent years has been what the

future holds for the state's Fairfield Hills campus, the sprawling 675-acre

parcel in the center of town which formerly held a state mental institution.

Mrs Wasserman headed the Fairfield Hills Task Force, an ad hoc group which in

1994 recommended a variety of possible future uses for the property. The task

force was formed, in part, to forestall the state from building another prison

on the property.

"It's extremely important," Mrs Wasserman said of Fairfield Hills' future. The

fate of the property is a bigger issue than she had previously thought, she

said.

The state will be hiring a marketing company to find suitable long-term future

uses for the campus.

Fortunately for Newtown, the state has agreed to provide the town with a

long-term, no-cost lease for about 45 acres of Fairfield Hills property for

local economic development, she said.

Of Fairfield Hills, Mrs Wasserman said "I'm convinced we ought to have an

educational presence there" in light of the site's suitability for such a use.

Mrs Wasserman said the town should gain the right to use an existing building

for all town agencies at Fairfield Hills, such as Shelton House.

She added she'd like to have the state designate more than the 200 acres which

already have been earmarked as protected open space land at Fairfield Hills.

Another important issue facing local residents is the availability of

underground drinking water supplies, according to Mrs Wasserman.

Mrs Wasserman has helped form the state's Water Resources Task Force which

will study the impact of land development on available groundwater resources

in Connecticut and make recommendations to the state legislature on "sensitive

areas."

The task force will provide towns with guidelines to identify areas with

sensitive groundwater supplies, so that future land development will include

adequate water supply testing and evaluation, and, if necessary, employ

measures to lessen the adverse effects of development on groundwater, she

said.

On other issues, Mrs Wasserman said legislators must find ways to lower the

state's gasoline tax.

Also, legislators must monitor recent state welfare reforms to learn how well

those changes are working, she said. Most people receiving welfare want to

work and be productive members of the community, she said.

Mrs Wasserman views the outcome of the Sheff Vs O'Neill lawsuit as an

important "equality of education" issue facing the legislature.

"We have to try to find solutions. It will require tremendous effort," she

said.

Also Health Maintenance Organizations (HMO's) and medical insurance companies

must be better regulated by the state, Mrs Wasserman said.

The former public health director of New Fairfield said she is very concerned

about whether patients receive sufficient care under "managed care" programs.

Also, Mrs Wasserman said she plans to become involved again in legislation

concerning lead abatement in buildings.

A Newtown resident since 1959, Mrs Wasserman has served on the town's

Conservation Commission and Legislative Council. She also was a member of the

town's sewer avoidance committee.