Summaries

In order to ensure ease of reading, some of the answers are paraphrased. The spirit of the initial answer is there, just slimmed down for brevity. When a candidate said an untruth, the fact check is liked at the bottom of this page. Each question is linked with a timestamp for reference.

October 18th 2018

5:03 : Back in 2016 a Syrian couple and their 5 year old son were given clearance to come to the US after waiting for 3 years. Would you have accepted this family to Connecticut?

  • Lamont : Yes
  • Stefanowski : I’m not familiar with the circumstances, but my gut would be yes.

8:04 : We have illegal immigrants holed up in churches right now. What side of the fence would you be about people being scared of being deported?

  • Lamont : I’d error on the side of being generous.
  • Stefanowski : We shouldn’t be ripping families apart. We need more control over immigration to begin with.

10:08 : We know people of color face inequities every single day, from educational opportunities to higher incarceration rates. What kinds of innovations do you advocate to address this?

  • Lamont : I want keep community colleges in our correctional facilities, so when criminals get out they can be productive members of our society.
  • Stefanowski : Early childhood education is important, get these kids at the start. School choice. Magnet schools. Charter schools. The public schools.

14:20 : Connecticut’s prison level is at its lowest level in about 22 years. We have seen one of the biggest drops in violent crime. How can we continue this success?

  • Lamont : I think the second chance is working. Crime is at a all time low. Recidivism is low. I would continue with the plan.
  • Stefanowski : I’m all for giving people a second chance, but this early release program is out of control. Over 50% of people go back to prison. (Fact Check)

18:30 : What kind of justices would you nominate?

  • Lamont : We need to fill seats. If the court system bogs down that makes life impossible for people. I want people with integrity, who know the system, and would cast a wide net to get fair representation.
  • Stefanowski : Just because there are vacancies does not mean we need to fill them all. We need someone with high integrity, someone who is smart, and will interpret the constitution as it’s written.

24:09 : What is your plan to make Connecticut as business friendly as possible?

  • Lamont : After G.E. left, we asked them why they left. They did not leave for lower taxes. They left because they could not get the talent they needed, and they could not get to the office due to gridlock traffic (Fact Check).
  • Stefanowski : G.E. left because of the worst economic policy under Malloy. We need to get the corporate tax rate down to keep companies like GE here. (Fact Check)

35:50 : What should the governor of the state do about climate change??

  • Lamont : You want a governor who will stand up for what’s right in Connecticut.
  • Stefanowski : Climate change is a problem. We need to do something about it. We need to incentivise the private sector to develop new technologies. We need to encourage green energy and let the private sector complete.

September 17th 2018

5:22 : How would your administration ensure cooperation across the isle and avoid partisanship?

  • Lamont : My door is going to be open. I’m going to share credit wherever I can. I’ll take the blame for the tough decisions.
  • Stefanowski : This state is yearning for leadership. I know how to deliver results.

8:53 : What is the best solution to avoid more funding cuts at UCONN?

  • Lamont : I’m going to be committed to education and investing into education and not gutting education.
  • Stefanowski : We need to take a holistic approach to education. We need to make college more affordable. Everyone needs to be part of the solution. Not every student needs to be going to college.

12:40 : Should state government take any steps or push towns to build more affordable housing?

  • Lamont : I propose a tax cut on property taxes to make it a bit easier to buy that first home.
  • Stefanowski : I think we should leave it up to the towns.

16:42 : How would you work with organizations such as Connecticut Association of Realtors to make our state better?

  • Lamont : I’ll do anything I can to get the business community more involved in our state.
  • Stefanowski : I’ve got experience leading companies in the past.

31:48 : What would you do to make sure comprehensive paid family and medical leave passes next session?

  • Lamont : I will work closely with the business community to pass this. (Note : SB-1 : Establishes Paid Family and Medical Leave was signed into law in 2019)
  • Stefanowski : We need to do something for everyone that needs it. We should provide an opportunity for people to voluntarily put money away for when they need it, and allow for a company match. The best solution for this is to give people more take home pay every week.

35:41 : Critical medications, such as diabetes and high blood pressure medications, have tripled in cost since 2005 to 2015. What can the government do to help this issue?

  • Lamont : Look at drug prices today — the free market does not solve it on it’s own. Let’s leverage our big purchase price to lower the cost of medications.
  • Stefanowski : We need to provide more competition, and look across borders. The answer is the free market and holding pharmaceuticals accountable. I have made a commitment to protect existing conditions insurance for everyone.

Fact Checks

Over 50% of people go back to prison.

According to the State of Connecticut Office of Policy and Management Criminal Justice Policy and Planning Division, Connecticut’s recidivism rate is 34%.

They could not get to the office due to gridlock traffic

Boston is #1 for worst traffic in traffic in the US. GE did not move to lower traffic.

We need to get the corporate tax rate down to keep companies like G.E. here

Massachusetts has a higher corporate tax rate than Connecticut