Tuesday night’s (Oct. 25) 2022 State Legislative Candidate Debates, hosted by the Wilton League of Women Voters, the Wilton Library and GOOD Morning Wilton, were held in front of a live audience as well as livestreamed on GMW. But for anyone who didn’t catch them live, we’ve got a way to hear what the candidates said and how they answered the questions residents asked — right here.
Watch the entire two-hour 16-minute event, start to finish; watch just the State Senate 26th District candidates’ full one-hour debate or just the State Representative 42nd District candidates’ full one-hour debate; OR find the clip of candidates answering a specific question that matters most. Either way, voters can learn as much as possible about the people running to represent Wilton in Hartford.
The video of the full event is unedited and shown in its entirety; however, there are three places in the video where GMW fact-checked what was said and indicated onscreen that what someone stated during the debate was inaccurate. Those corrections are made in the video. Similar corrections have also been made in the race-specific hour-long videos as well as the pertinent individual questions where the errors were made.
The clips of answers to individual questions have only been edited for brevity, to include just the moderator posing the question and the candidates providing answers or debating one another. GMW has only trimmed any unnecessary procedural discussions from these clips (for example, about the time remaining or the order in which candidates would answer).
Entire Debate Event
State Representative 42nd District candidates’ full one-hour debate
State Senate 26th District candidates’ full one-hour debate
State Representative 42nd District — Individual Questions
State Representative 42nd District — Debate Introduction
State Representative 42nd District — Opening Statements
State Representative 42nd District — Question 1: Citizens Election Program
Connecticut’s Citizens Election Program, which provides campaign funding to candidates for state office who choose to opt in to the program, is considered a model for transparency and accountability in campaign spending. If elected, will you support continued funding of this program and measures to strengthen its coverage, such as restricting foreign contributions to campaigns?
State Representative 42nd District — Question 2 Budget, Bond Law, Spending
Connecticut has the second-highest public pension underfunding per capita. An important part of addressing that were reforms passed five years ago. The CT legislature imposed a volatility adjustment and other restraints on spending in 2017. The bond law provisions then enacted expired in 2023. Would you vote to renew the 2017 restraints, keeping the volatility adjustment and other provisions in bond law for another five years?
State Representative 42nd District — Question 3: global warming, environment, fossil fuels
If elected, what laws and policies would you try to put into effect here in Connecticut to reduce global warming and protect our environment? Some things you might want to discuss are, what would be your plan to ensure that we have sufficient supplies of oil, gas and diesel fuel for our homes and businesses until such time as there are viable and abundant replacements?
State Representative 42nd District — Question 4: 8-30g and affordable housing
Assuming there are other local ways to promote housing variety and choices, would you support repealing CT General Statute 8-30g which is the affordable housing appeals procedure? And what would you replace it with if you do?
[EDITOR’S NOTE: there is a fact check in this clip.]
State Representative 42nd District — Question 5: Women’s Reproductive Rights
Mike Pence recently said, “Come January 22, we will have pro-life majorities in the House and the Senate, and we’ll be taking the cause of the Right to Life to every state in America.” Would you support or vote ‘Yes’ on future legislation that would take away or restrict any reproductive healthcare rights and protections that women in Connecticut have today?
State Representative 42nd District — Question 6: Reducing Inflation
Q6: More and more, inflation is taking a bite out of our income, with much higher food costs in some instances, increased gasoline prices, and even more expensive haircuts. What can we do, as a CT legislature, to reduce inflation? What sort of plans or thoughts have you had on the topic, the general issue of inflation?
State Representative 42nd District — Question 7: violence, gun violence, police accountability
What will you do as a legislator to prevent further violence in Connecticut in general and gun violence in particular?
[This discussion also moved to police accountability, mental health, and affordable housing, balancing state budgets]
State Representative 42nd District — Question 8: laws allowing towns and cities to negotiate with unions
After conversations with members of the Wilton Board of Finance, it seems a significant part of the school budget goes towards teacher salaries. At the same time, taxpayers in Wilton face an ever-rising school budget and an ever-increasing mill rate. Ways to cut costs cannot be implemented as the teachers’ union rejects them. The town seems to have very little power when negotiating with unions. As state reps and state senators, what legislation will you sponsor to allow our towns and cities to negotiate directly with unions, and is that feasible?
[EDITOR’S NOTE — Fact Check: Town and school officials already can and do negotiate with employee unions. The one exception is for the teachers’ pension, which is funded and negotiated at the state level.]
State Representative 42nd District — Question 9: personal beliefs and Party stance vs constituent beliefs
It’s probably safe to say that most elected officials do not always agree with every aspect of their party’s full platform. If you win this election, how will you stand up to the pressures that face you to conform, whether that is your party’s stance on an issue, or your religious convictions, especially if your constituency leans heavily in a direction that you do not? If you are elected, how can you assure that all your constituents, regardless of their party affiliation, you will listen to their ideas and beliefs and will not just vote on your own beliefs and party’s stance? How will you use your personal views of issues, as compared to your constituents and how do you reflect those?
State Representative 42nd District — Closing Statements
State Senate 426th District — Individual Questions
State Senate 26th District — Opening Statements
State Senate 26th District — Question 1: Citizens Election Program
Connecticut’s Citizens Election Program, which provides campaign funding to candidates for state office who choose to opt in to the program, is considered a model for transparency and accountability in campaign spending. If elected, will you support continued funding of this program and measures to strengthen its coverage, such as restricting foreign contributions to campaigns?
State Senate 26th District — Question 2: Climate change and environment
As a Wilton resident, I am very concerned about my future in this era of climate change. What additional steps can Connecticut take to protect the environment?
State Senate 26th District — Question 3: Methane Gas Line New Canaan Rd.
If elected, how will you address the grandfathered methane gas pipeline currently being built along Rte. 106/New Canaan Rd.?
State Senate 26th District — Question 4: 8-30g, affordable housing and regionalization
The lack of affordable housing is an issue throughout the state. What are your concrete proposals to increase the supply of affordable housing throughout Connecticut? (affordable housing, regionalization, 8-30g)
[EDITOR’S NOTE — There is a fact check in this clip.]
State Senate 26th District — Question 5: Women’s Reproductive Rights
What will you do if elected to ensure that women’s reproductive rights remain in place or are strengthened?
State Senate 26th District — Question 6: The Economy
What are you going to do to reduce income taxes and correspondingly reduce state spending? The $0.25 stay in Connecticut gas tax holiday is set to expire on November 30, 2022. If elected, will you support continuing the gas tax holiday? And if so, how will that tax receipt funding be recovered in the future? Is the gas tax funding designated for specific uses through the state?
State Senate 26th District — Question 7: Local Control
Q7: What does ‘local control’ mean to you? Why is it such a hot-button issue or campaign slogan? How would you protect, how would you augment local control?
State Senate 26th District — Closing Statements