State Representative Anne Hughes and challenger Chris Peritore discussed issues in a 45-minute forum held on October 6 at Weston Town Hall by the League of Women Voters organizations of Weston and Redding.

Rep. Hughes, the Democratic nominee, is seeking a fourth term representing Weston, Redding, and Easton in the General Assembly. Mr. Peritore, a 23 year-old registered with the Independent Party (not to be confused with Unaffiliated) was also endorsed by the Republican Party.

For their opening remarks, the candidates were asked what they had heard so far in the campaign about the particular concerns of voters.

State Rep. Anne Hughes

Rep. Hughes said she had encountered voters frustrated by “an extremist Supreme Court” and electricity prices. Her own frustrations, she said, were things that so far have not been accomplished in Hartford, such as environmental measures and legislation to permit medical aid in dying.

She said she also hears often “from folks that they are thrilled to be where we are, especially after the pandemic, living in this beautiful district” and in Connecticut.

Chris Peritore

Mr. Peritore said he hears frustration with electricity prices and “dissatisfaction with the two-party system” and partisan politics. “People want change,” he said. “People want radical change” in how the state is governed.

The format of the event was more of a serial Q&A than a pure debate. Candidates had only two minutes to respond to questions submitted by the audience and read aloud by the moderator. Rebuttals were limited to 30 seconds.

Those tight times shorted depth and detail on some topics. But, as it was, Rep. Hughes and Mr. Peritore agreed on several of the questions presented.

Common ground

The candidates agreed that a proposed battery farm in a residential area of Redding is a bad idea. They agreed that it would be good to have civics taught in public schools, but that it should not be mandated.

Both candidates are fans of vocational education. Mr. Peritore said he comes “from a family of tradesmen,” that a path to a four-year college isn’t for everyone, and that there should also be a path to the trades.

Ms. Hughes said she is “a big proponent” of vocational education and has been endorsed by trade organizations. She said a 2019 attempt to offer programs in existing schools did not succeed due to budget constraints, but a recently established office is “tasked with figuring out how to make it happen.”

Both candidates also expressed strong support for teachers. Mr. Peritore said his family moved to Easton in 2001 “for the schools” and that he “will do everything we can do to support teachers” and maintain the quality of education.

Rep. Hughes said she is the daughter of public school educators and has “been endorsed by every teacher group and the association of retired teachers.” She said teachers must be supported with “wages that are commensurate with their education” and that she has urged Congress to allow them to collect Social Security.

There was no disagreement on protecting women’s reproductive rights, and both candidates support the proposed amendment to the State Constitution to allow no-excuse absentee voting.

Asked if the legislature can do anything to help seniors get health coverage, especially if they were denied it, Rep. Hughes cited her work on legislative committees that are “all about increasing access to healthcare” and often “at odds with the for-profit insurance industry.”

Mr. Peritore agreed that everyone should be insured, and said “anything the legislature could do would be awesome.”

Not so common ground

Asked if the state should spend a limited amount of its rainy day fund, Mr. Peritore said he would like to see some of it used “to help people struggling with utility bills.” He also wondered if ARPA funds could be used for that purpose.

Rep. Hughes said bipartisan fiscal guardrails put in place years ago cap the rainy day fund and require that anything extra be used to pay down pension debt. She said the fund exists to keep vital state services running during a recession, “not to subsidize for-profit utility companies.” She said she would like to see more flexibility to fund vital services, and believes all ARPA funds are already committed.

Mr. Peritore, who said he has worked in restaurants since age 17, believes that state requirements for paid sick days, family leave, and the minimum wage are hurting small businesses. Businesses in the district are all small businesses, he said, and that “they have been hurt. I know from personal experience that they have been hurt.”

Rep. Hughes said she is proud of the paid family leave legislation and that the minimum wage amount is “paltry.” She said “we have normalized the exploitation of low-wage workers, often female.”

The candidates also disagreed on a question about whether it makes sense to require dispensers of menstrual products in school restrooms for grades three to 12, regardless of gender. Ms. Hughes said such products should be basic items supplied in case they are needed. Mr. Peritore said they “might confuse little boys” and that the idea “feels a little farfetched.”

More complex

The candidates briefly discussed two topics ill-suited for tight time constraints: affordable housing and climate change.

Mr. Peritore wondered if it is fair that state affordable housing targets prescribe the same percentages for towns regardless of size. He said that Easton, with a large portion of its land watershed, is particularly disadvantaged.

Ms. Hughes said large scale development in towns like Easton doesn’t make sense, but it does makes sense to provide options for seniors to stay in their town. “We have to look at what’s possible,” she said.

Mr. Peritore said “affordability is very subjective” and that builders can build whatever they want under Statute 8-30g. Ms. Hughes said that isn’t true, that there are provisions for health and public safety, and that she has proposed expanding the definitions to include watershed. The statute actually contains a specific definition of affordability.

On climate change, the candidates agreed that it is real. But Mr. Peritore objected to support Rep. Hughes has given to proposed legislation that would essentially mirror California law requiring that, by 2035, all new light-duty vehicles sold in the state be zero-emission. Calling it, not quite correctly, an “EV mandate,” Mr. Peritore said it was a case of “the government extending its arm into the private sector.”

“We are running out of time to take action,” said Ms. Hughes. “We need a comprehensive, collective effort.”

Closing time

Mr. Peritore closed by saying that, if elected, he “will do everything in his power” to work across the aisle to come up with “real solutions,” and that he is not bound to any party.

Rep. Hughes said she is “humbled by the overwhelming support” she has received for six years in office, that the team of state and local leaders have increased communication, met needs with policy changes, and “put government to work for you.”