Mark Boughton and Jeff Wright visit Eastern Connecticut

This weekend candidates Lt. Governor hopeful Danbury Mayor Mark Boughton, and State Treasurer candidate Newington Mayor Jeff Wright came out to Eastern Connecticut to meet with residents in area towns to talk with them about their concerns and discuss their ideas for creating jobs and getting the economy back on track.

As I observed them up close and had the chance to listen to their interactions with the public. It was very clear to me why both of these guys are so incredibly popular with their own constituents. Instead of talking over people - as most politicians do, both men listened quite intently to the public's complaints about high taxes and lack of jobs. Eastern Connecticut has been hit particularly hard by the Obama recession and many people are out of work, and really hurting.

As readers know, I was very critical about the lack of Republican (and Democrat) visits to Connecticut's second district, if not angry - particularly once Senate Candidate Rob Simmons dropped his bid for the U.S. Senate. It became clear to many people that candidates either took the second district for granted, or simply didn't care. Connecticut is not the size of California or Texas, so if candidates can't be bothered to drive an hour or so to meet with constituents - well, then I guess they shouldn't expect their votes. So, to see this dynamic Mayor-duo making the rounds was a sight for sore eyes, and exasperated minds.


Of course, I've had the chance to interact with Jeff Wright on multiple occasions because of his proximity to home, and my experiences have always been positive. As Mayor of Newington Jeff Wright worked to set a tax cap in place so Newington's Town Council would be forced to offset spending whims with cuts and sound budget management. This was a stark contrast to West Hartford's plans to simply raise taxes each and every year while refusing to make tough choices, and laying the burden at taxpayer's feet.

The idea of having Jeff Wright, as "Cash Cop" in the Treasurer's office would be a saving grace to Denise Nappier's ongoing "tax and borrow" philosophy. Nappier, the sitting incumbent, has borrowed nearly $2 billion dollars in order to give the appearance of temporarily balancing the budget. Borrowing, which is an added burden to the public, has largely contributed to Connecticut's ongoing spending problem. It's another example where Democrats refuse to make tough choices and allows them to continue to pursue a cycle of irresponsibility. The Democrat-Led State Legislature has had a loyal friend like Denise Nappier sitting in the Treasurer's Office for 12-years; given the horrific outcome of failure to provide responsible oversight to the budgeting process has led to dire consequences for Connecticut.

Mark Boughton, has served as Danbury's mayor for five terms and has turned one of Connecticut's largest cities around since he took office moving Danbury up to the 26th safest city in the United States - which is major accomplishment considering it close proximity to New York City. He is well-regarded, and won re-election in 2009 with an astonishing 65% margin - in a very Democratic city. During the course of second district travels, I witnessed an exchange where Mark ran into a former student of his (Mark taught Social Studies for fourteen years) who was happy to see him.

One of Mark's campaign workers commented, "Everywhere we go, even if its far from home, Mark seems to run into someone he knows. And its always a friendly smile and happy exchange."

I was able to talk with Mark for several minutes about his background and ideas. It was clear to me from his points that he understands both the public sector and private sector in depth. He talked at length about the benefits of sound fiscal policies as a way to promote economic growth. Personally, I find that his experience in Danbury, and his three years serving in the Connecticut State Legislature would be a boon for Connecticut.

I also had the chance to witness first-hand the intriguing interaction between several small business owners and the candidates. Boughton was asking the business owners about their issues and concerns, and many of them spoke about the complexities of taxation and regulation which have made it difficult to keep their businesses open. They also raised concerns about general economic problems which has led residents to be tight with their spending. "It's an endless cycle." one business owner claimed. "If people are afraid to spend money because of fear of losing their jobs, that doesn't bode well for us. We are trying to keep our heads above water in these serious times."

Boughton and Wright were sympathetic to the business owner's concerns citing that at root are the job losses which have hit Connecticut are three-fold; the Democrat-led Legislature has passed high business taxes which have forced some businesses to leave Connecticut, and some to cut jobs. The second problem is the uncertainty of businesses due to the Obama economic troubles including the passage of new federal taxes and the expansive healthcare mandate which has put businesses in a "wait and see" mode before making decisions to hire, expand, or in some cases - leave. And the third has been the adversarial role that Connecticut Attorney General's office has been against business under Richard Blumenthal. The record number of lawsuits by Blumenthal has been a deterrent to business expansion in Connecticut.

Listening to Mark Boughton and Jeff Wright speak common-sense was refreshing. Now its up to the voters to see if they are going to embrace the same old practices of tax, spend and sue, or if they will put leaders like Tom Foley, Mark Boughton, Jeff Wright, and Martha Dean in office, and elect state legislators who can start to reverse years of run-away spending, high debt, and anti-business climate by the State House and Senate.