Zimmerman, Harding have different formulas to fight rising inflation

“U.S. businesses are becoming more pessimistic about economic conditions in the face of high inflation and rising interest rates, the Federal Reserve said in a Wednesday report.”

Bryan Mena, The Wall Street Journal, October 19, 2022

By Scott Benjamin

BROOKFIELD – Democrat Eva Bermudez Zimmerman says her most recent heating bill was “staggering.”

Republican Stephen Harding, who, like Zimmerman, is 35 years old, says some of his parents’ friends can’t afford to live in Connecticut.

The two candidates for the open seat in the sprawling 30th state Senate District have different solutions on combatting a national inflation rate of 8.2 percent – the highest since Robert Klein made his first appearance on Late Nite with David Letterman.

During a Monday night, October 17, Brookfield Chamber of Commerce debate, Zimmerman of New Milford said she is “not a fan” of “gimmick proposals,” an apparent reference to the Republicans’ $746 million in tax reductions. That package would, among other things, reduce the income rate from five percent down to four percent for residents earning $75,000 annually or less and trim the sales tax from 6.35 percent to 5.99 percent.

Said Harding of Brookfield, who has served as the state representative from the 107th District since February 2015: “I would not consider reducing taxes as gimmicks right now.”

He has campaigned for the Republican package at gasoline stations in the district.

This spring the General Assembly approved a suspension of the 25-cent a gallon gasoline tax, which began on April 1 and is due to expire in December. Harding said he supports extending it.

CT Mirror has reported that Democratic legislative leaders are considering a special session shortly after the November 8 election to vote on extending the gasoline tax holiday.

Zimmerman, a director with the Connecticut State Employee Association/Service Employees International Union, said some gas station owners have “pocketed” the money that would have reduced the gasoline tax. Harding acknowledged that in some instances that has occurred, but that state Attorney General William Tong (D-Stamford) has been addressing those cases and all violators “should face penalties.”

“For the most part” the gasoline stations have been complying, said Harding.

Zimmerman, the co-chair of Child Care For Connecticut’s Future, said that some of the $4.3 billion state budget surplus should be utilized to increase early childhood education, noting that about 30 percent of the early childhood employees have departed since the 2020 pandemic.

Patch.com has reported that an additional $183 million was approved in the revised $24.2 billion state budget that Gov. Ned Lamont (D-Greenwich) signed.

In an interview with Patch.com in July, Zimmerman praised the General Assembly for providing that funding.

Harding opposed the revised budget.

In a phone interview this spring with Patch.com, he said that he voted against that package because, "I didn't see investments that we need to make in areas like education, in areas like child care. . . We're funding studies to study airports and golf courses. We could have invested far better in the area of child care. We could have revised those areas which we have been underfunding for years, now that we have surpluses."

The district has 18 municipalities - stretching from Brookfield to Salisbury – more land than in any of the 36 state Senate districts.

CT News Junkie columnist Susan Bigelow recently selected the 30th District as one of 11 state Senate races to watch.

No Democrat has prevailed since the late Joe Ruggiero of Litchfield in 1978.

However, departing Republican state Sen. Craig Miner of Litchfield garnered less than 54 percent of ballots in his last two campaigns. Democratic State Central Committee member Audrey Blondin of Goshen has told Patch.com that Democratic registration has been growing in the Northwest Corner of Litchfield County over the last 20 years, particularly since the pandemic.

But longtime Republican State Central Committee member John Morris of Litchfield told Patch.com earlier this year that Harding should excel in the more-populated southern corridor, which includes New Milford and most of Brookfield.

Resources:

https://ctmirror.org/2022/09/2...

https://patch.com/connecticut/...

https://patch.com/connecticut/... centers-need-more-state-funding

https://ballotpedia.org/Connecticut_State_Senate_District_30

https://ctnewsjunkie.com/2022/10/18/analysis-legislative-races-to-watch-state-senate/

https://www.wsj.com/articles/b...