Property Tax Relief
Canton and Avon are proof that good government starts at the local level. Our communities are fiscally responsible, well managed, and committed to delivering excellent services. We do not need Hartford imposing unfunded mandates and minimum spending requirements that drive up local budgets year after year. These contribute significantly and increasingly to our town budgets. Voters in both towns have consistently voted down budget proposals time and time again. There are over 1,400 unfunded mandates and this contributes to bloating our town budgets by an estimated 15%.
Another major contributing factor to our property taxes is our broken Education Cost Sharing (ECS) formula. While education costs continue to rise, state education aid to towns like Canton and Avon has remained flat for 13 years. Accounting for inflation, the funding has actually decreased significantly. Our district has become the financial punching bag for the entire state, and local taxpayers are forced to make up the difference. We pay some of the highest taxes to the state per capita, and much of those tax dollars lack sufficient accountability. We deserve our fair share of increased education funding from the state to off set property taxes on seniors and hard working families who are struggling. I will fight hard to restore our fair share of state education funding for our community.
Unfunded mandates paired with a lack of state funding for education have caused the property tax crisis that we now face, placing the greatest burden on seniors living on fixed incomes and hardworking families just trying to get ahead. local leaders, not state bureaucrats, are best equipped to set priorities and manage taxpayer dollars responsibly. These are state government created problems and they require a state solution. Local town boards cannot fix these issues. Only the state government can.
It's time to reform the ECS formula, and reduce unfunded mandates and ease the burden of property taxes for our community.
Energy Policy Reform
Connecticut families are being crushed by some of the highest electric bills in the nation. Seniors and working families, and businesses feel it most. We must repeal the Public Benefits Charge. It does not belong as a line item charge on your electric bill. To the extent that costs within this line charge are truly necessary, they should be part of the state budget, having cuts made elsewhere to offset these expenses.
As a professional in the energy sector, with years of experience in residential solar, and an understanding of the grid, the utility companies, and the threats we face with supply, demand, and infrastructure, I will work to solve this crisis.
I support nuclear expansion. It’s clean, reliable, and local, especially compared to fossil fuels. It means Connecticut jobs, and it supports long-term economic growth, while strengthening our energy independence from national, federal and interstate political disputes. Residential solar serves those functions as well. Solar allows homeowners to produce their own power, send excess energy back to the grid, support local jobs, and maintain energy freedom for themselves.
Residential solar also supplies the grid with power during peak demand summer hours when we need it most. I will protect net metering in Connecticut and I will reject proposals to tax residential solar systems.
We must increase natural gas supply to our state as well. It’s critically important for our grid and will be for decades to come. Not only does it help to supplement base load energy, but we also need it as a reliable and affordable heating source.
Solar farms and battery storage projects must not be forced on towns. Municipal governments should have significant authority over siting decisions, especially given concerns about land use, safety, and current inadequate regulatory oversight.
We cannot eliminate fossil fuels overnight. The environment matters, but so does reliability and affordability. Energy policy must be rooted in realism, not fantasy. My energy agenda puts ratepayers first, protects local control, embraces innovation without sacrificing reliability, creates and sustains Connecticut jobs, supports economic growth, and reduces our dependency on fossil fuels.
Protecting Our Environment
I believe in responsible stewardship of our natural resources and preserving the forests, rivers, lakes, beaches, and open spaces that define our community and our state. Everyone deserves clean air, clean water, and clean food. This is one issue which we should all agree on.
I support smart, responsible development that balances economic growth with environmental protection. Overdevelopment should not come at the expense of wildlife habitat, open space, clean water, or the character of our communities.
As new industries expand, including data centers and battery storage facilities, we must ensure that corporate profits do not outweigh environmental responsibility. These projects should be carefully regulated, with strong local control over siting decisions to protect public safety, watersheds, and natural resources.
I support investments in municipal water infrastructure and advanced filtration systems to remove PFAS chemicals, microplastics, pharmaceutical contaminants, and other pollutants linked to cancer and long-term health risks.
I also recognize the need to gradually reduce our reliance on fossil fuels while pursuing practical, affordable energy solutions. There is no immediate replacement, but we should continue investing in cleaner technologies that protect both our environment and our economy, so long as they are feasible. This means nuclear and residential solar primarily.
By promoting conservation, local control, clean water, and responsible development, we can protect our environment while ensuring a strong future for generations to come.
Local Control
I firmly believe in local, accountable government. Our towns should be governed by the people who live in them, not by state politicians catering to special interests. Yet Democratic leadership continue to push a centralized, top-down agenda that strips towns of their authority and hands power to developers, lobbyists, and bureaucrats who don’t answer to local voters.
Planning and zoning decisions belong at the local level - period. Towns understand their own infrastructure limits, including sewer capacity, traffic congestion, emergency services, and environmental impact. State mandates ignore these realities and force growth where it simply does not belong. Protecting open space, wetlands, historic districts, and town character isn’t extreme, it’s responsible leadership. Local government consistently outperforms state government, especially in fiscally responsible, self-sufficient communities like those in 17th house district.
Local officials are accountable to their neighbors, not to political pressure from Hartford or special interest groups. That accountability leads to better decisions, smarter growth, and stronger communities. That’s why the latest housing bill, HB 8002, along with the outdated 8-30g statute, must be amended, or repealed entirely. These laws rely on coercion instead of cooperation, forcing towns to meet state targets regardless of infrastructure, environmental impact, or local consent.
Parental Rights & Individual Liberty
Strong families are the foundation of strong communities, and parents play the central role in their children’s lives. Our government should support families, not replace them or override their judgment. Decisions about education, faith, and healthcare are best made close to home, in partnership with local schools, medical professionals, and community institutions.
Connecticut already has laws to protect children, and the focus should be on enforcing them effectively, not expanding bureaucracy or imposing one-size-fits-all mandates from distant, unaccountable agencies. Any oversight must be limited, transparent, and respectful of families.
Parents deserve trust, whether they choose public school, private school, or homeschooling. Religious freedom is a constitutional right, and families of all beliefs should be free to raise their children according to their values without undue government interference.
Healthcare decisions should remain between parents and medical professionals, guided by medical judgment and each child’s unique needs. By keeping decisions local and focused on children’s well-being, we can protect kids, respect parents, and strengthen families and communities across Connecticut.
I strongly support our Constitutional rights. These rights do not change depending on which party is in power. Any politician who fails to recognize this, or who refuses to stand up to their own party when those rights are threatened, is unfit to serve. My allegiance is to the Constitution and to the people, not to any political party.
