Tuesday, October 07, 2014

Election 2014 State Senate Candidates

So many races, so many candidates! Waterbury falls within two State Senate districts, the 15th and 16th.

15th State Senate District

This district includes most of Waterbury, as well as parts of Middlebury and Naugatuck.



Joan Hartley (D) has been the State Senator for the 15th District since 2001. I'd be very surprised if anyone in Waterbury disapproves of the job she has been doing. It's clear that she loves this city, and that she is highly capable of making good things happen here. Hartley's dedication to her constituents is remarkable. She is a bundle of positive energy, with a no-nonsense, can-do attitude. She is a model of what a politician should be.

Joan Hartley
(photo from state website)


However, with that said, there are two candidates running against her. The Republican candidate is Karl D. Shehu, a young attorney who is new to the political scene. His platform suggests his novice status. For example, he proposes reducing Connecticut's gas taxes to the same amount as in Massachusetts, without mentioning that Massachusetts more than makes up the difference in tolls. Shehu also proposes increasing the number of charter schools and technical schools in the state, but I'm not sure how that will be managed if his proposal to reduce the state's tax revenue goes through. Basically, he's new to politics. Maybe someday he would make a good politician, but right now I see no reason to vote for someone with no experience, when the incumbent is superb.

Karl D. Shehu
(photo from campaign website)


The third candidate is Blair Bertaccini of the Working Families Party. Bertaccini does not appear to have a campaign website, but he has been a regular candidate for the 15th district for many years. He is employed as a wage enforcement officer for the State Department of Labor.

Blair Bertaccini
(photo from Rep-Am website)




16th State Senate District

Waterbury's East End is in the 16th District and is currently represented by Republican Joe Markley. I confess I don't know too much about him. I do get regular eBlasts from his office, so I know he does pay some attention to Waterbury, but his district is primarily located in Wolcott, Southington, and Prospect.

Joe Markley
(photo from Facebook page)


There is no Democrat candidate running against Markley. The Working Families Party candidate is Christopher R. Robinson, who does not have a campaign website. I was unable to find any information about him.

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