CT Patch Candidate Profile: Kimberly Fiorello For 149th House District

GREENWICH, CT — The 2022 election is heating up in Connecticut and there are plenty of races with candidates eager to serve in elected office. Eyes are primarily focused on the gubernatorial election, but every state representative and senate seat is up for grabs. All five of Connecticut's congressional seats, plus one U.S. Senate seat, are up for grabs as well.

There are 151 seats in the state House of Representatives and 36 in the state Senate. Democrats currently hold majorities in both chambers.

Connecticut Patch asked candidates to answer questions about their campaigns and will be publishing candidate profiles as election day draws near.

Kimberly Fiorello, a Greenwich resident, is running for State Representative for the 149th House District, which covers portions of Greenwich and Stamford.

Campaign website

https://www.kimberlyfiorello.com

Party affiliation

Republican

Education

Harvard College, A.B. Economics

Occupation

State Representative, District 149; full-time mom; community volunteer at Greenwich Historical Society and Grace Church of Greenwich; former state director for a non-profit that works in education; Inventor of storage bag design (U.S. Patent holder); former line chef at Wallse Restaurant in NYC; former reporter for the Far Eastern Economic Review and the Wall Street Journal in Hong Kong; graduate of analyst training program at Salomon Brothers.

Family

I have four school-aged children, one son and three daughters, in grades 10, 9, 5, and 3. All attend parochial schools in Stamford.

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

No.

Age

47

Previous public office, appointive or elective

State Representative, District 149, 2021-current; Greenwich Representative Town Meeting, 2017-2020

Why are you seeking this office?

I am motivated by three things.

(1) A love of country that was imbued in me by my grandmother who escaped communism in North Korea, survived poverty in war-torn South Korea, and came to the United States to live a life beyond her dreams.

(2) A love for Connecticut, the Constitution state, and its amazing history. In the federalist system where each state brings something unique to the table, we, here in Connecticut, are stewards of the some of the oldest communities in our country that declared to the world that all men are created equal and have an inalienable right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

And, (3) I am running because good policy ideas do not enact themselves, they need champions. I seek to solve the problems of our day, not by blunt, bloated government, but by the policies of limited government, low taxation and less red tape that allow the creativity and innovations of free people and free markets to find solutions.

Please complete this statement: The single most pressing issue facing my constituents is ___, and this is what I intend to do about it.

The double whammy of year after year of suffering no economic growth in Connecticut plus having amongst the highest cost of living is the most pressing issue facing my constituents. I will continue to: (1) fight back against taxes and fee increases, wasteful spending, unfunded mandates, corporate welfare, income redistribution programs, and more, that are driving up the cost of living in Connecticut; and (2) fight for good clean bills that bring accountability and transparency to government programs, that lower taxes and fees, and that reduce red tape.

I will submit bills for pricing transparency at hospitals, to eliminate 200 of the 344 taxes/fees that cost more to collect than they bring in, and for broad-based marginal tax reductions for corporations to help make Connecticut competitive again.

What are the major differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

Please see answer for previous question. My opponent will vote consistently for the Democrat agenda in Hartford. Greenwich and Stamford are the #1 and #2 income taxpayers to Hartford ($916 million and $406 million respectively in FY20). Those are astounding numbers in income tax receipts. District 149 needs a fighter to stand up for the rights of our hardworking taxpaying individuals, families, and business owners.

I have pro-growth, pro-business, and pro-public safety endorsements:

(1) 20,000 members of CT Realtors

(2) our state’s largest small business organization National Federation of Independent Business

(3) the 25-year veteran and former director of the non-partisan Office of Fiscal Analysis, Alan Calandro

(4) the men and women officers of the Stamford Police Union

(5) the Fraternal Order of Police CT, our largest police union

(6) the Police Officers Association of CT

If you are challenging an incumbent, in what way has the current officeholder failed the community?

I am the incumbent. This is a hard job, if done correctly. Reading every bill, talking with experts, and taking hard votes because they are the right thing to do are what constituents should expect and they certainly deserve.

What other issues do you intend to address during your campaign?

EDUCATION – As a member of the Education Committee, I will continue to champion education policies that focus on academic excellence and that respect parents as the primary decision makers for their children. I support local control of schools and curriculum and am opposed to forced regionalization by Hartford.

LOCAL CONTROL OF LOCAL ZONING – As a member of the Planning & Development Committee, I will continue to defend the vital importance of local zoning decision making. Thank you so much to everyone who became a part of this movement to stop Hartford laws that would deliver our neighborhoods to out-of-state developers.

CRIME -- The Democrats' Police Accountability bill was pivotal in making Connecticut a place where a career in law enforcement became an unappealing choice and more dangerous work against emboldened criminals. I will continue to work to fix the Police Accountability bill, restore qualified immunity, and respect for our law enforcement officers. I will fight to ensure our communities can have school resource officers to protect our children, stand up for victims' rights, and fully fund the illegal guns task force.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

I CAN STOP bad bills – as evidenced by the spate of zoning bills I led the movement to stop in the Planning & Development Committee. I CAN PASS good bills – as evidenced by the CT Food Donation bill I co-introduced with a Democrat peer, worked to garner Republican support by changing mandate language, and passed unanimously. Plus, I was able to have a local expert who works with Greenwich Neighbor to Neighbor be appointed a member of the implementation task force.

I have found my work experience as a reporter to be very helpful in being a legislator – the ability to quickly process copious amounts of information to boil it down to a few key salient points, to find subject matter experts to learn from, not to be afraid to ask simple direct questions of the Democrat proposers of bill, and finally to promptly report it all back to the people of my district via social media posts, eblasts, opinion editorials in the newspapers, and town hall forums.

What is the best advice anyone ever gave you?

I have on my desk two plaques from the Ronald Reagan Library. One says, "It CAN be done." The other says, "There is no limit to what a man can do or where he can go if he doesn't mind who gets the credit."

I try to keep both in mind as I tackle all of my daily To Do's as a wife, mother of four, and a state lawmaker.

Is there anything else you would like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

THANK YOU, THANK YOU. Thank you for all the volunteers helping and giving of their time and energy, to all the donors supporting this campaign and giving of their treasure, and all my neighbors and constituents who I have seen throughout the two years and am again at your front doors. We often do not say Thank You enough in our society.