Rob Blanchard, Democratic candidate for 28th district state senator, moved to Newtown in July with his wife and their 2-year-old son. While he is very new to Newtown, Blanchard has lived in Fairfield County for about four years. Blanchard said he is “familiar with all four communities intimately.” He added that while still living in Fairfield, he volunteered within the community and is excited to be a part of Newtown’s idyllic Main Street.

Blanchard got his start in politics by serving locally on Fairfield’s Representative Town Meeting, which is similar to Newtown's Legislative Council. In Fairfield, he was the deputy majority leader. He has over a decade of local political experience combined, and Blanchard has also served as chief of staff for Comptroller Sean Scanlon.

Blanchard spent four years, combined, between Governor Ned Lamont’s first and current terms, doing policy, press, and communications work. All of this work is “part of what has helped inspire [him] to run,” he told The Newtown Bee.

“When you’re out there communicating, whether it's free childcare or investments in education, an opportunity, or municipal aid, and housing, you start to find that the families that you’re talking about helping are a lot similar to your own, and you’re grappling with some of those costs yourself,” Blanchard said.

Blanchard is running, he also shared, because he thinks Connecticut is at a very “challenging and unique time, both nationally, but at the state level.” A lot of the issues he is running on not only impact him personally, he said, but it would also be a benefit for Newtown residents to have someone who has “experience and perspective on.” He thinks facing challenges so many other Connecticut residents are facing gives him an edge to try and address them in a more “effective way.”

Blanchard has had a “front row seat," he said, to seeing how the federal government has cut millions from critical programs. While Connecticut is “backfill[ing]” these programs, Blanchard said, it is not sustainable long-term.

“It’s important that you’ve got people in the state house who are going to stand up and make sure that we’ve got a strong safety net,” he said.

Blanchard’s core values of his campaign are: affordability and cost of living, a better balance between state and municipal budgets, housing, and the cost of healthcare. He asks if the state can take on things like special education or transportation and look at them in a more efficient way to become a more “cost efficient state.”

The budget is something Blanchard thinks is the “most important [thing] that any legislator can work on or be a part of.” He called it a “reflection of our values” and “priorities.” He thinks the cost of healthcare and electricity can be “potentially alleviated” by “smarter or more efficient investments,” so he wants to look at the childcare endowment, the association health plan to drive down healthcare costs for small businesses, and the Millstone Contract.

When asked if he plans on doing anything differently from current State Senator Tony Hwang, Blanchard said, “I think that Senator Hwang has done a nice job reaching across the aisle and collaborating on important issues, and he broke ranks in support of gun safety, reproductive healthcare, and the environment, and the budget as well. And I think that this district expects someone who is going to put the communities before their party, and that’s exactly what I plan on doing.”

Blanchard said he looks forward "to continuing the spirit of collaboration and bipartisanship” Hwang carried throughout his long career as a Connecticut state senator. He added he thinks this is what the community deserves and expects, and that Hwang’s approach has “worked well.”

There are ideas brewing in Blanchard’s head to tackle the cost of healthcare. He thinks the state can pass legislation to create association health plans, which is when small businesses across different sectors pool their resources to provide higher quality healthcare for employees while driving down costs. Blanchard noted Connecticut Business and Industry Association (CBIA) has advocated for this in the past. Blanchard also thinks the state needs to work with healthcare providers for more “cost containment” across the state.

On energy, Blanchard said, “When we approach the Millstone Contract, we need to buy power in a smart and efficient way, again, that allows us to hedge.” He added that he is “open to the idea of looking at which public benefits charges we need and which ones, maybe, we do need to discontinue.”

Blanchard said he cautions against moving them into the budget where there is a spending cap, however.

Blanchard made a suggestion for a sales tax exemption on power for small businesses because, while many people think about the costs for ratepayers, the energy costs for small businesses can be left behind. Investments in universal childcare is another important issue for Blanchard, and he said this is not just because he is paying for it now.

“I think early childcare … is so important to the foundation of our children, their development, for parents who want to participate in the economy,” Blanchard explained.

He thinks the state has been “smart” to look at possible property tax reform while also finding ways to fund education in a more “efficient way.”

Brownfields, transit-oriented development, and abandoned buildings are areas Blanchard wants to look at to create more housing opportunities for veterans, seniors, and people with disabilities. Blanchard thinks towns need to take the lead on these conversations; “They are part of the conversation,” Blanchard said.

“We don’t need to break ground or build in some places, but we can put these abandoned properties back on the tax rolls and generate revenue for the town,” Blanchard said.

Blanchard wants Newtown to know he has a unique, but personal, perspective and experience for state senate, has real compassion for the people who face issues challenging the state, and that he really enjoys finding new ways to help people.

“I’d be honored to serve my neighbors and be part of this community,” Blanchard said.

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Reporter Sam Cross can be reached at sam@thebee.com.