Housing, Roads & Transportation, Zoning, Seniors, Health Care, and the Environment

HOUSING

All three areas – Bridgeport, Trumbull, and Monroe – need more housing options for young people, families, and seniors. And all three towns need to maintain the character of their neighborhoods while pursuing more housing options to satisfy the needs of their residents. We are all in this together. The solution to our housing shortage is for suburban legislators and people in Trumbull and Monroe to join Bridgeport to leverage state land acquisition funds and federal and state aid to build appropriately diverse housing stocks in downtown Bridgeport and in areas with vacancies and disused land. We need to invest, in all three communities, in transit-oriented development, which means that we should coordinate our housing planning with our transportation planning to ensure that new housing has sufficient access to public transit and does not cause congestion. We should make use of public/private partnerships to offer subsidies that encourage greater opportunities for home ownership. We can conduct a review of derelict and vacant properties and convert unused commercial property in Bridgeport into residential housing stock where it is appropriate. We can support the development of an arts and culture district in Bridgeport with the construction of apartments, condominiums, and hotels. We can therefore create more affordable and safe neighborhoods for both young people and senior citizens and job opportunities for all. We can make Bridgeport the regional destination for arts and culture and a place to live, learn, work, play, develop a business, and raise a family. Trumbull and Monroe will benefit from this investment in Bridgeport’s greater availability of quality and safe housing in Bridgeport will make it easier for Trumbull and Monroe to maintain single-family housing areas and maintain the character of their towns.

ROADS & TRANSPORTATION

Bridgeport, Trumbull, and Monroe all face similar problems of having roads with potholes and needs for transportation improvements such as sidewalks, lighting, and traffic signals. We need a state senator who will fight for better roads. I will work with my fellow legislators to make sure that this district gets our fair share of newly available road and transportation funding through the federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. I will make sure that we get our share of funds also for transportation improvements. I will push for new, clean-energy buses for the region; ensure that high-speed rail is kept on schedule and includes Bridgeport; and that federal highway dollars are spent in the district. I will also make sure that the State Department of Transportation prioritizes improvements to our state roads.

ZONING

When it comes to zoning, Bridgeport, Monroe, and Trumbull all face issues of creating sustainable development while preserving the character of their towns and city. We are all in this together. Therefore, the zoning boards of all three municipalities should meet frequently to discuss zoning issues impacting the region. High vacancy rates and slow economic development in Bridgeport, for example, can spur overdevelopment in Trumbull and Monroe. Similarly, the rapid expansion of Sacred Heart University impacts both Trumbull and Bridgeport. This expansion has catalyzed economic and intellectual growth in both municipalities. But it has also brought challenges in serving the off-campus housing needs of students and their storage needs. Zoning boards in Bridgeport and Trumbull (together with Fairfield and Easton), can collaborate to ensure that storage facilities are not built in residential housing areas, that apartment buildings are approved with sufficient parking and concern for the surrounding areas, and that the character of Trumbull and of Bridgeport’s north end is maintained.

SENIORS

Seniors in Bridgeport, Monroe, and Trumbull face similar issues. Many want to age in place, but they are being priced out of their homes. If they want to move to smaller homes or those with assisted living options, they find that those also are expensive and not conveniently located near the neighborhoods in which they have lived for decades. We are in this together. Better transportation, entertainment, and housing options in Bridgeport will also benefit seniors in Trumbull and Monroe. We need more 55+ housing options in or near downtown Bridgeport, with convenient access to rail and bus. We also need to support existing work to develop senior housing in Trumbull and Monroe. And we need to expand opportunities for social and cultural engagement for our seniors, including finding an appropriate place to construct a new senior center in Trumbull. Finally, we need to assist seniors in aging in place by offering a property tax rebate for seniors.

HEALTH CARE

Despite improvements in health care access via the Affordable Care Act and state plans such as Husky, quality, affordable health care remains out of reach for too many families in our region. We must continue pressuring both the state and federal government for a long-term, systemic solution that would offer decent health coverage for all Americans. In the short term, expanding participation in the Connecticut Partnership Program would allow non-profits and small businesses access to state employee health plans where they can take advantage of economies of scale that provide them more affordable and effective coverage. It might also support the financial health of the Partnership Program by growing it to an extent that it would be less vulnerable to volatility in the overall market.

ENVIRONMENT

Climate change poses a significant threat to the well-being of our children and grandchildren, but it also impacts our quality of life right now. I will support the efforts of the Connecticut Green Bank to promote solar and fuel cell energy, and to work to make sure that the permitting process for the installation of solar, fuel cell, and wind energy is sensible and simple enough not to be a disincentive for both residential and commercial clean energy operations. We may need to consider additional incentives to make sure that we have sustainable programs, especially for wind energy. Additionally, we should expand and promote composting as a sensible and low-cost environmental option, and work to increase bottle deposits to encourage recycling and fund efforts to improve our environment. Finally, we should expand current programs to provide low interest loans for the installation of solar panels.