Letter to the editor from Ryan Fazio, Greenwich
At the onset of a new decade, it’s clear that Connecticut was totally failed by its state government in the last one. We live in a wonderful state that has been suffering by almost every measure over the last economic cycle. We’ve lost jobs, our population has declined, our home values have been stagnant, the economy has shrunk, and opportunity is fading. While the US economy booms, Connecticut’s is stuck.
In that time, Democrats have had complete control of the state government in Hartford. They’ve raised taxes by billions in four of the last six budgets to pay for wasteful and ever-increasing spending,
including inflated fringe benefits for unionized public employees. The special interests have gotten all the breaks, while the middle class has been forced to pay more and more.
Going forward, those Democrats need to be held responsible for their failures. That can start Tuesday, January 21st by electing Harry Arora to the state House in a special election to replace the great Fred Camillo, who has endorsed Harry. The 151st district covering most of central and eastern Greenwich cannot fall into the hands of Democrats who have failed our town and state without shame for decades.
Adding margin to one-party rule in the state government will mean higher taxes, more regulation, a slower economy, and weaker home values in Greenwich and beyond. It would be a reward for failure
and corruption that will cause things to get even worse.
For all the talk about debates in this short campaign, Harry and his opponent, Cheryl Moss, did have one on News12, which voters should watch. It makes entirely clear what many already know: Harry is smart, hard-working, and honest and will ably represent us in the state House. He immigrated to the US with little, put himself through school, built a career as a reliable and honest trader and risk manager, and then built a successful business and created jobs.
Some local Democrats, desperate for ever-more power in Hartford, are trying to smear Harry in local media rather than win on the merits. That even though he has been cited for his honesty and intelligence in the Harvard Business Review and in a book called Hedge Hogs. The false attacks alone should signal to voters that the Democratic machine is without merit in a state that has still yet to recover all its jobs and output lost since the last recession.
On the other hand, Harry has a good, substantive vision for government—and he’s also campaigning on it. He wants to prioritize vital investments in our infrastructure, especially rail and highway in lower Fairfield County, which has often been neglected in favor of expensive boondoggles elsewhere in the state. He’ll consistently vote to limit taxes and simplify our outsized regulatory apparatus—and he’s the only option in this race you can count on for that. And he’ll also focus on increasing the practical value of education across the state.
One-party rule totally failed Connecticut last decade. Harry Arora will cushion the blow for Greenwich against Democrats’ overreach this term and then he’ll help lead a Connecticut comeback by the end of the new decade. I hope you will join me in voting for him Tuesday, January 21st.
Ryan Fazio is a Greenwich native and incoming member of the RTM for District 12.
NOTE: This letter was submitted in time for the Jan 14 deadline at 5:00pm