In his Candidate Profiles interview with The Newtown Bee this week, Republican 28th District Republican State Senator Tony Hwang identified the most important thing state senators and representatives do to make a difference in their district: “Be present for people in the community during their difficult times” and aid them in “dealing with state bureaucracy.”

“Having someone that they know and will go to bat for them is important to the community,” said Hwang. “It’s so far away from all the political rhetoric and divisive attacks. The ability to know your representatives are there, have been there, and will be there. At least they know someone will be there to help. When someone calls, they are not going through the motions, they are calling because they need help and they don’t know what else to do.”

Hwang said his role is to be his constituents’ voice and offer support through the “inefficiency of bureaucracy.”

Hwang, a Fairfield resident and real estate agent who has been serving the 28th Senate district since his election in 2014, will be facing challenger Democrat Tim Gavin in his bid for re-election for a fifth term. Voters will decide between incumbent Hwang and challenger Gavin on Election Day, Tuesday, November 8.

Hwang said he is looking at three main issues, the first being affordability.

Hwang said that inflation, Connecticut’s tax policies, and how it manages its budget process have all played into increases in the price of food, gas, utilities, and housing. He noted that at the grocery store alone, if one wanted to make a bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich, that bacon has tripled in price, eggs and cheese have doubled, and bread has increased significantly as well.

“Affordability can impact people differently,” said Hwang. “Seniors, young families, and people living paycheck to paycheck are hit hardest, but even the well-to-do have been impacted by stock market losses in the last quarter.”

Hwang said that with every issue he focuses on, he feels it is important to not only note the problem but also to have viable solutions.

“That’s the contrast between me and my opponent,” said Hwang. “The experience and accomplishments I’ve brought to the table. I have done this before and brought solutions.”

‘Taxing Too Much’

Hwang recommended reducing income tax rates for individual filers making $75,000 and under and joint filers making $175,000 and under from 5% to 4%.

The state currently has a surplus because the state is “taxing too much,” Hwang said.

“We’re patting ourselves on the back for the surplus but we’re taxing too much,” said Hwang. “We need to ease the burden instead of giving short term tax relief.”

Hwang also recommended lowering the sales tax from 6.35% to 5.99%. Additionally, he wants to suspend the 1% additional meals tax on restaurants.

“We have one of the highest sales taxes in the region,” said Hwang, who noted that the meals tax is hurting restaurants already struggling following the pandemic.

He also noted that tax free days are popular around back to school, but those tax free days are only necessary because the state now taxes clothing when it did not in the past.

Hwang also wanted legislature to do a line item review of the budget to remove pork. He said with recent budgets, senators and representatives have been handed 2,000 page budget documents with only hours left before a vote, which reduces the ability to modify the budget and reduce spending.

“The state needs to live within its means,” said Hwang.

Noting that affordability issues are “everywhere,” Hwang noted that Aquarion wants to raise its water rates by 25%, and the state’s utility companies want a rate increase “despite dismal responses to storms.” For small business owners, health care and insurance are becoming unaffordable, with insurance companies requesting a 21% rate increase.

“We need to stand up to the utilities and health care companies with monopolies and hold their feet to the fire,” said Hwang. “Which I have done.”

The second issue of importance to Hwang is maintaining a balance between state mandated controls against local input and governance.

“People live, work, and get elected in their communities,” said Hwang. “They need a resonant voice in Hartford. Hartford sometimes has a ‘one size fits all’ attitude when regulating towns.

Hwang expressed frustration with how the pandemic was handled, with top-down state mandates “handcuffing many local educators without real data or political guidance.”

“It left local educators vulnerable, whether it was virtual learning or masking,” said Hwang. “There was no real consistency in the policy that engaged all shareholders from the state level.”

Mental Health & Housing

Hwang was deeply concerned about the mental health impacts from the isolation from virtual learning, as well as learning loss among students who did not thrive in that environment.

Affordable housing requirements was another “one size fits all” policy from the state that Hwang feels is not appropriate for every town. He said state Statute 8-30 requires all towns to work towards 10% of its housing be affordable housing. Newtown was at 2.66% as of earlier this year, and “may never reach 10%,” according to Newtown’s Land Use Director George Benson.

“It’s well meaning legislation gone awry,” said Hwang. “In 30 years [since it was enacted], it has not addressed the issue.”

Hwang would like to see more collaboration between the federal government, state and towns in policies in the future.

“The solution is not one size fits all,” said Hwang, “but a collaborative effort.”

The third issue of concern for Hwang is social responsibility, which to him runs the gamut of things from education to mental health.

Hwang said he was involved in the passage of three bi-partisan mental health bills, and is a ranking member of the senate’s Public Health Committee.

“I’m committed to funding outreach and support programs,” said Hwang.

Hwang noted that Connecticut is unique in that it currently has a “dual delivery system,” in which many support services are duplicated between local nonprofits and state departments. He said the state’s Department of Mental Services is offering high wages to employees but offering much less in services than local nonprofits.

He then pointed to a study done that showed nonprofits doing the same job with better delivery of services than the Department of Mental Health, at “55 cents on the dollar” of the cost.

“We should explore this inefficiency and provide the best to providers in the community rather than the state,” said Hwang.

Hwang said he was “proud of his record on environment” and “recognizes climate change in the area,” from the impact on the coastlines and woodlands to severe weather patterns.

“We need to make sure we are better stewards of the environment,” said Hwang. “We need to help preserve and sustain our environment for future generations.”

Hwang said the environment lent heavily into public health considerations.

“I’m an environmental advocate,” said Hwang. “I see it as a responsibility to make the community better for future generations. The environment should not be controversial.”

Hwang said while he understood that environmental concerns may run counter to business goals, that a collaborative effort, with the objectors at the table, can help create solutions that can “work for everyone.”

‘Bridging The Gap’

“My strength is bridging the gap,” said Hwang. “We need to make plans that engage all shareholders. If we jam through a bill and ignore all viewpoints, it’s not sustainable. At every opportunity the opposition will try to jam it.”

While Hwang has faced negative campaigning in previous elections, this year he feels he is being targeted for holding positions that are the opposite of his actual positions.

For instance, Hwang said he has “always supported women’s rights.”

“I have a record on women’s choice,” said Hwang. “I’ve made countless statements on that issue. To make an accusation that I support making abortion illegal is misleading.”

Hwang also said that as a representative of Newtown, he is not against gun control. He noted that gun control advocate groups rated him B+ in gun control, and that he supported Ethan’s Law, under which gun owners would be required to secure their firearms in a “secure gun storage or safety device” if a minor is likely to gain access to the firearm without permission, or if a resident of the dwelling cannot legally possess a firearm.

Hwang was also concerned that his opponent had charged him with being “anti-education.”

“To question my commitment to education, which is fundamental to me in entering public service, is disheartening and misleading,” said Hwang.

Being “100% committed” to protecting teacher’s pensions and health, Hwang said education is the “highest honor and vocation to support.”

Hwang is a believer in collaboration across party lines and “engaging with all shareholders” so that all voices are heard. He said that with the country becoming increasingly divisive, that is becoming more difficult, but it is still possible in Connecticut.

“We’re nowhere near what it’s like in Washington,” said Hwang. “[In Connecticut], people work together despite aggressiveness and divisiveness trying to take the national identity. It needs to be about solutions and working together, not national agenda, ideology, and labeling people.”

Associate Editor Jim Taylor can be reached at jim@thebee.com.