Candidate Profile: Kim Healy, State Senate, District 26

WILTON, CT — The 2020 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 presidential election, but every state representative and senate seat is up for grabs. All five of Connecticut's congressional seats 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 with a 91 to 60 lead over Republicans in the House and a 22 to 14 lead in the Senate.

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

Kim Healy, a Wilton resident, is running for Senate District 26.

Age: 51

Party affiliation: Republican Party, Independent

Family: Husband and four children, ages 23-14

Occupation: Mother, Board Treasurer, Wilton Library; volunteer tax preparer; former auditor PwC

Previous elected experience: Board of Selectman appointed to Wilton Library Association- 2015

Family members in government: no

Campaign website: KimHealyforCT.com

The single most pressing issue facing our state is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.

Connecticut's primary challenge is affordability due to high taxation, regulations, and fiscal irresponsibility. Too many Nutmeggers leave for lower-tax and lower cost of living states. A variety of policies brought us to this point, from unfunded pension liabilities to expensive labor contracts. I believe the outcome is the product of Democrat supermajority control for nearly 40 years in the legislature.

We need comprehensive reform in many areas. Connecticut needs to borrow responsibly, fund its pension liabilities appropriately and reasonably, and make better choices with regard to its expenditures. Additionally, we need to roll back burdensome regulation and taxes that stifle entrepreneurship and business and drive people out of the state.

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

The biggest difference between my opponent and I is our professional backgrounds. I have critical life and work experience to ensure that we get CT moving in the right direction. I am driven by my community, not aspirations for anything higher. I have raised four children in Connecticut, worked here, own a home here, and I want to stay here with my children as they continue to grow into adulthood.

With my experience as an auditor, I have learned how to prevent waste, create efficiency, and cultivate opportunities. Connecticut desperately needs to take on its long-standing issues, and the majority party is simply incapable or unwilling. I will do everything I am able to bring spending and taxes under control. And I will not write or sponsor irresponsible bills, like the Police Accountability Bill that hurts our communities.

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

I have worked in the client service industry auditing global companies. I have done project-based work for local not-for-profit organizations that directly serve the community. I am a volunteer tax preparer through the AARP serving retired and low income individuals, so I see first hand how many seniors struggle to stay in Connecticut.

I have always worked and lived in a way that fosters community spirit and brings people together. Virtually everything I have done personally and professionally has required me to collaborate with others who do not always share my views. I will bring this skill with me to Hartford to get things done. I stand on my own and do not require permission to vote in any particular way.

Do you believe Connecticut needs reform when it comes to electric utility oversight? What steps, if any should be taken?

Our energy costs are one of the many things that make Connecticut less affordable than other states. Connecticut’s rates are among the highest in the nation and we do not get the quality of service that we pay for. We saw this once again during Isaias. I personally lost power and internet service for over a week. We need to address these issues now. Unfortunately, the bill currently moving through the legislature will increase costs for consumers and do little in the way of oversight.

There are important steps that the legislature should take to lower costs. First, we need a genuine consumer advocate once again who will be primarily focused on keeping costs down. We also need to take a deep dive into the choices we have made as a state regarding our power procurement and how it is affecting the consumer’s bottom line. We prioritize policy prerogatives far above costs and Connecticut’s residents are feeling the weight of those decisions in their energy bills. We need a transparent and informed approach to energy policy, and right now we do not have it.

What steps should state government take to bolster economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic for local businesses?

Connecticut has been lagging behind its neighbors for years, and COVID-19 has made our problems significantly worse. Government should work to make Connecticut more economically competitive by easing burdens on residents and businesses. For example, our corporate tax rate should be lowered which will attract more business than relying on programs to "incentivize" entrepreneurs like the First Five program.

Our government imposes a variety of regulatory burdens that create monopolistic outcomes and impede entrepreneurship. The Connecticut teeth whitening case is a sad example. Business owners were forced to close their locations because the state determined that teeth whitening was effectively a medical practice even though the materials used are sold over the counter. Consequently, dentists can charge higher prices to consumers and control the market. This is one of innumerable examples.

These sorts of regulatory and bureaucratic impediments make an economic turnaround very difficult to achieve. To make Connecticut competitive, we need to open up our economy to more activity like so many other states have done in recent years.

List other issues that define your campaign platform:

At the core of my community-driven campaign is the principle that we should control what happens in our communities. Our town controls over our schools, a portion of our taxes, planning and zoning, etc., are really an appreciation for small town democracy. We should be encouraging this type of activity, not letting Hartford consistently and arbitrarily limit our capacity to self-govern. This trend goes against every tradition we have in Connecticut and New England.

Accordingly, I am very concerned with protecting that tradition and retaining control over our local schools, town planning and zoning choices, housing policy, our police departments, and more. Hartford has a bad habit of crafting policy based on ideological imperatives that hurts the state. Successful towns like ours in the 26th District need less intervention from the state, not more.

I am also very concerned with policing and the most recent "Police Accountability Bill" co-sponsored by my opponent. The bill creates additional financial problems, exposes many parties to frivolous and expensive litigation, creates on-the-ground problems for police, and makes our communities less safe. Some officers have already quit in anticipation of the bill and more will likely follow. The bill should be drastically amended.

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

I am an average person, and a mother. I am not looking to create a career in politics, rather I think my skills are critical to making Connecticut a better state. Every one of my policy goals is practical, not ideological. While so many are focused on what is going on nationally, I am laser focused on what is happening here at home. All I want is for Connecticut to succeed, and that is why I decided to run.

Too much of the legislation coming out of Hartford focuses on finding new ways of raising money, instead of living within our means. The solution of the Democrats who run our government is to increase taxes or create "alternative forms" of revenue to pay for an ever-expanding list of programs. This was one of the many justifications behind the push for tolls over the last year.
Tolls, like many other revenue schemes, drives more people and businesses out of the state by again increasing the costs of doing business here. We need to be smart about liabilities going forward, and the only way that will happen is by changing the leadership in Hartford.