Politics & Government

A Q & A With Candidates for the 20th District Special Election

Democrat Joseph Verrengia and Republican Allen Hoffman answer questions about issues and why voters should participate.

On Feb. 22, West Hartford will hold a special election for the 20th District General Assembly seat vacated by David McCluskey, who was apointed by Gov. Dannel P. Malloy to the state Board of Pardons and Paroles.

The Democrat vying for the seat is Joseph Verrengia, 46, a member of the Town Council. The Republican is Allen Hoffman, 68, who held the seat in 1995-1996.

Voting will take place on Feb. 22 at the following polling places: , , , , and .

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Both candidates were asked the same questions. Their responses follow:

1) In your opinion, what are the top three issues of concern in the 20th District and how would you address them?

Allen Hoffman: The first two are actually component parts of one, the current state budget crisis; specifically the excessive and seemingly unrestricted state spending and the increasingly unaffordable tax burden that is necessary to support a bad habit. Additionally, the state’s borrowing practices would never be tolerated in the private sector as all loans must be repaid in full. The state has an obligation to face future fiscal liabilities in a completely responsible manner. Voters are held to certain standards of debt obligation and if they default they end up in bankruptcy court. That is the last place that the state should find itself, but it could. The third issue, job creation and business expansion, would provide some relief to the first two if businesses were allowed to flourish and certain restrictions and prohibitions placed on businesses were reduced or removed. Mandates of any kind are restrictive by definition and inhibit and stifle business growth. And it hardly matters if it’s a mega company or a Mom & Pop operation, all suffer.

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Joseph Verrengia: These are very difficult times with so many challenges.  Three challenges that stand out are: (1) jobs; (2) education; and (3) the state budget crisis.  First, people are concerned about jobs.  As a state representative, I plan to use the same common sense approach I have used as a councilman to bring new economic opportunity to West Hartford and the 20th District in particular.  Whether those jobs come through new mixed-use development, transportation, or creating an environment conducive to small business.  Second, West Hartford has world class public schools.  As a West Hartford police officer for 21 years, I have been fortunate to work in those schools and see the difference they make.  In these difficult times, we have to stay committed to our schools.  They are one of the things that make this community so special.  Third, the Governor’s budget proposal will be released this week.  As legislators, we will need to make tough choices while always remembering how our decisions on the budget will affect our constituents.  Having grown up in this community, I know how hard people in the 20th District work and how much every paycheck means.

2) What experience do you have that makes you the best candidate?

Allen Hoffman: Having had the privilege and honor to have served as the State Representative for this district in 1995-1996, I understand and appreciate the amount of time necessary to represent the district, I already know how the legislature works, I fully understand the needs of the constituents whom I served, I have the ability to listen to constituents and truly represent them, not simply go along with partisan leadership and the status quo. As a recent retiree, I have the time required, I have also developed a perspective that only comes with age, and I have developed a skill set to enable me to ask critical questions when necessary. I also recognize that by Election Day, approximately one third of the first year of the two year session will already have passed and there is no time to introduce new legislation on behalf of the constituents of the 20th Assembly District. Some Committee work is more than half over and opportunities for important discussions at that level become greatly diminished. As a result of this vacancy, the district has been left at a distinct disadvantage and that’s why my experience is vital.

Joseph Verrengia: In addition to serving this community as a police officer for more than two decades, I have a proven record on the Town Council and the Metropolitan District Commission.  For the past seven years, while serving on the Town Council, I have consistently fought to balance fiscal challenges while fighting for property tax relief.  In addition to serving on the Town Council, I have spent the last five years as a commissioner on the Metropolitan District Commission. This experience taught me how to work with parties from other municipalities, balancing our competing interests, while serving the greater good.  Finally, beyond all my professional and political experience, my lifetime of living in the 20th District gives me a deep appreciation for this community and a commitment to doing the very best for them at the state capitol.

3) Why should voters turn out for the special election on Feb. 22?

Allen Hoffman: Simply put, voters have a stake in their future on behalf of their children, their spouse/partner, or their property. All of those assets are at great risk as the cost of maintaining a comfort level and quality of life will soon be unaffordable. The formula is out of balance. When too few taxpayers are faced with an increasingly larger tax burden and government continues to grow and expand recklessly at a greater cost to fewer taxpayers, the current equation no longer works. In addition, our right to vote, protected by our constitution and defended by the brave men and women in our military, is a franchise that each of us has an obligation to exercise.

Joseph Verrengia: If we learned one thing with the election of Governor Dannel Malloy by a razor thin margin, it is that every vote counts.  Voters should turn out for the special election on February 22nd because elections matter, they really do!

4) Who has endorsed your candidacy?

Allen Hoffman: Several, including Denise Hall and Steve Adler who represent the minority on the West Hartford Town Council and former Congressman and recent U.S. Senatorial candidate Rob Simmons with whom I served in the General Assembly. While I thoroughly appreciate their endorsements, the most important endorsement will be each individual voter who recognizes the critical fiscal crisis that exists in Connecticut and who understands that improvement and a remedy will only come from taking a strong stand against wasteful and out-of-control spending, against the arrogance that expects the taxpayer to ante-up whenever asked, and the voter who recognizes that taking the same path will be self-defeating. These endorsements, from those who cast their vote for me, will be the most important and the most valued. All of us have made sacrifices in our own personal budgets and they were not easy to make, but they were after all necessary. The state of Connecticut should operate no differently.

Joseph Verrengia: Endorsements include: American Federation - Teachers Connecticut Education Association; Connecticut AFL- CIO; American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees Council 4; and the Greater Hartford Labor Council.

WestHartford.Patch.com will print letters to the editor about the special election. Please email them to susan.schoenberger@patch.com.


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