Choosing Candidates

It has been The Bee’s custom in recent years to endorse candidates at the top of the election ballot no matter whether it was a Presidential election year or a local election. When old media were a more exclusive club, and the obligations of offering timely political opinions were traditionally assumed by newspaper editors everywhere, these endorsements had their place and seemed important — at least to the editors. But with so much in the way of political opinion about national and high profile statewide races competing for attention across every iteration of new media every moment of every day, we will concentrate this year on offering our opinions where they might be most appreciated — on the races we have covered directly: the state assembly district contests in the 106th, 112th, and Second Districts.

In most election races, incumbents face challengers and the battle lines are drawn along the merits of “experience” vs “new ideas.” Whether incumbency has a true advantage or voters simply prefer to go with what they know, mostly voters return incumbents to office unless there is a compelling grievance or failing that motivates them to make a change. This year in the 106th District there is no incumbent since the current Democratic state representative has chosen to take a new job out of the political realm. Still, our tilt on this race is weighted by considerations of experience, even though both Republican Mitch Bolinsky and Democrat Lisa Romano are new to state politics. Mr Bolinsky gets our support this year because of his knowledge of the town from many perspectives. He has been volunteering in town from the time he moved here 12 years ago, not only on town boards and commissions, including the Board of Ethics, the Economic Development Commission, and most recently on the Legislative Council, but he has also been active in Cub Scouting and has served as a justice of the peace. Not every assignment has been a glory job for Mr Bolinsky, but in each instance he stepped forward to fill a need and to serve people. In so doing, he has learned something about our town that informs his work and enhances his effectiveness as a public service. As a result, he is best qualified to understand the needs of the town’s people, businesses, and local officials and to represent their interests in Hartford.

This year, Republican DebraLee Hovey gets our backing in the 112th District. She has proven repeatedly to be an effective advocate for Newtown on issues ranging from preserving the Second Company Governor’s Horse Guard in town to the meanest details of routine constituent service. She knows how and where to make her voice heard, and she does it with a commendable rate of success. While she is more overtly partisan than we like to see in our representatives and is a high-profile member of the far right-wing American Legislative Exchange Council, we have found repeatedly that her actions tend to mitigate some of her hardline rhetoric. While her opponent Democrat Robert Dombroski is a intelligent man with some personal opinions of how government should work, he has little knowledge of Newtown.

At The Bee’s October 16 Candidate’s Debate, Second District incumbent Republican Dan Carter was a standout. He introduced himself to Newtown, which prior to redistricting last year was not represented in the Second District, saying he was both pragmatic and principled. He noted that he has worked with both sides of the aisle in Hartford, voting with Democrats 76 percent of the time on issues benefiting all Connecticut residents. But he showed that he is especially passionate about and committed to the cause of business men and women in the state, promising his critical review of policies, regulations, and laws that frustrate their success and by extension the economic prosperity of the communities they serve.