Rep. Martinez: The Southington Outsider Video Q&A
On October 1, the Southington Outsider sat down with the candidates running to represent Southington at the State Capital. Among the participants were Rep. Rebecca Martinez (D), who represents the 22nd District, and her challenger, Rich Mette (R).
Both were asked seven questions: four that were posed to all candidates, two that were crafted by their opponents, and one they wrote for themselves.
Rep. Martinez's answers can be viewed below. For each question we have provided a time-stamp in boldface numbers, for quick reference.
The interview was filmed and edited by Wayne Edwards, with help from Jay Sanders.
Seven Questions for Rep. Martinez
0:38 What changes would you work for at the state level to make it easier for residents to afford electricity?
2:15 What is the most useful thing the state could do right now to help its municipalities?
2:58 Which segment of the population do you feel has needs that are being overlooked by the state?
4:07 Identify a national or international issue that impacts us in Connecticut. How should this issue be addressed?
5:19 A question from Rich Mette: "You are endorsed by the Working Family Party (WFP). In 2020, The Working Family Party position was to defund the police and reallocate funds. The WFP Charter called for a shift of resources from police, jails, and detentions centers, shifting to unarmed community-based responders, and endorsing candidates who are committed to defunding the police and rejecting police union support. Do you still support the WFP’s historical advocacy of Defund the Police? If you don’t, then why did you accept the WFP’s endorsement?"
7:16 A question from Rich Mette: "Why did you propose HB5133, an income tax increase, HB5139, for estate tax recapture, HB5186, a surcharge on business entity tax surcharges, and support bills raising Connecticut citizen tax burdens while Connecticut is ranked nationally with the 3rd highest citizen tax burden and the 5th highest property tax burden? Why no bills to lower state taxes and improve all citizens’ affordability?"
8:52 A question from yourself: "What specific accomplishments can you point to from your first term representing the 22nd District?"
