One of the most beautiful civic duties we have is voting on Election Day. As Lincoln said, we have a "government of the people, by the people, for the people." I support making Election Day a National Holiday to continue this vital tradition of our civil society. I'm grateful that in Connecticut our Constitution specifies a right to absentee vote.

It is outrageous that a large part of the recent massive power outage was due to Eversource's failure to properly trim trees as regular maintenance and preparation for expected storms. The problem is not a lack of legislation regulating utilities. See my op-ed below to know the litany of legislation passed in recent years, which have increased costs to consumers and governmental control over our energy sector. We need more transparent, market-based solutions for our energy woes, not more bureaucracy and protected monopolies. I would support legislation to introduce competition and innovation wherever possible in energy generation. https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/opinion/article/Opinion-Bureaucracy-in-way-of-improving-CT-power-15483617.php

Education is the key to success. Every parent has the right to give their child the best education possible and should not be limited to under-performing schools. Strong schools are paramount to having the opportunity for a bright future for all. A good education can change lives -- it can take an at-risk child and give them security, lift a child out of poverty, and give a sense of community to a neglected child. Funding is not the only thing that needs to be discussed when it comes to education. What helps each child thrive is unique and one schooling model does not fit all. Ultimately, budget deficits are the greatest threat to public education, special education, and arts, music, and sports education. Economic recklessness jeopardizes all opportunities for our children and future generations.

Live online access to our government is a vital innovation for democracy that should absolutely continue in Connecticut. As an advocate for individuals with disabilities, it is crucial that everyone have equal access to be able to speak in front of their elected officials and tell their story live, not just in written form. Coordinating transportation to testify in Hartford can take a week or more for a person needing special vehicles, but during committee and in session, we the people often get only a day or two's notice for a public hearing or that a bill is coming to the floor. Live online access also benefits working people with full-time jobs, or multiple jobs, or family responsibilities. I emphatically support making live online access for constituencies to testify a permanent feature of government in Connecticut.