I support early voting because it makes voting more accessible to every citizen – especially students, working people and minorities. A majority of states, including Texas, have early voting. CT is an outlier because we don’t allow it. Unlike my opponent who opposes early voting, I believe democracy works best when all of our citizens can and do participate. For instance, I also support adding polling places to college campuses to increase turnout among young voters (who have the lowest voting rate of any demographic). And I support no-fault absentee ballots so anyone can choose to vote by mail. These are all simple and constructive ways that we can remove unnecessary barriers and increase voter turnout. Legislation expanding voting has been proposed, and my opponent consistently votes against all these bills.

My top three priorities are to 1) fix the unfunded pension crisis, 2) eliminate the estate and gift taxes so residents stay in Connecticut and, 3) modernize our infrastructure to have 30-minute train rides between Stamford and New York, which would bring businesses back to our state. All of this is possible and necessary if we are to restore fiscal stability, balance the budget and become a premier destination for business. I have clear and concrete plans to achieve these priorities.

I proposed a fair and permanent solution to the pension crisis. It’s called a “shared risk” model and could reduce liabilities by up to 30%. “Shared risk” pensions deliver fair and predictable payments to retirees (payments they can count on), and remove politics from the process so the problem cannot be repeated. This is a model that works well in other states and countries. It requires collaboration and partnership between unions and the state, each of which have much to gain by adopting the shared risk model. Please read my article in Bloomberg for more detail and my answer below about how we can modernize our infrastructure.

I support the lockbox initiative. For too long, our transportation funds have been raided and this must stop. We need a dedicated revenue stream to invest in major improvements to our roads and rails, which have not been upgraded in years and are now 42nd worst in the nation! One reason we have fallen behind our neighboring states is that they’ve all installed electronic “smart” tolls and we have not. Opposition to tolls is shortsighted. In fact, opposition to tolls is holding us back from economic growth. We are leaving billions of dollars on the table by letting out-of-state drivers, who represent 35% of the cars on our roads, use (and damage) our roads for free. Trucks represent another 26% of traffic. Connecticut residents are currently footing 100% of the bill through our tax dollars! This makes no sense.

We should install electronic tolls like MA, NJ, NY, RI and PA have done. Tolls would generate approximately $1Billion/year in new revenue (mostly from out-of-state drivers who would be charged more than CT residents). This new source of revenue could then be leveraged with private financing to create $7-10 billion in funding for major improvements – like faster trains between Stamford and NYC and creating a new “express” lane on I-95 (by removing the center barrier and alternating directions depending on traffic flow). This plan also unlocks billions of dollars in private financing that we cannot access otherwise. The result: less traffic and more businesses in CT. That’s a growth strategy!

The $2 Billion budget deficit must be reconciled immediately and I would follow the recommendations of the Bipartisan Commission on Fiscal Stability to do so. Their plan entails 1) fixing the pension crisis (see my answer above) which could reduce expenses by $750 Million, 2) eliminating estate and gift tax (to keep more residents in state and grow the revenue base), 3) lowering the corporate tax rate and eliminating 20% of special interest tax deals (which would reduce expenses by approximately $1 Billion.)

In addition, I would explore options to make the State government more efficient by sharing services, outsourcing services to non-profits (and paying them for these) as well as harnessing technology to deliver more efficient services (for instance, at the Department of Motor Vehicles). McKinsey Consulting told the Bipartisan Commission they could eliminate $1 Billion from the state budget without compromising quality of service by exploring such options. By pursuing all of these methods, we can get the budget balanced in a year.

In addition to achieving fiscal stability, we must also drive economic growth. By creating the conditions that attract new businesses and residents, such as state-of-the art trains and highways, Connecticut can become a desirable place for businesses and people to locate. We need to invest in training people for 21st century jobs and creating thriving downtown districts to attract millennials and all ages for these jobs. When we invest wisely in innovation and growth, we will become the modern, thriving state we should be!