Rep. Mastrofrancesco: 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. Gale Mastrofrancesco (R), who represents the 80th District, and her challenger, Cheryl Hilton (D).
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. Mastrofrancesco'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. Mastrofrancesco
0:52 What changes would you work for at the state level to make it easier for residents to afford electricity?
2:08 What is the most useful thing the state could do right now to help its municipalities?
3:20 Which segment of the population do you feel has needs that are being overlooked by the state?
4:40 Identify a national or international issue that impacts us in Connecticut. How should this issue be addressed?
3:55 A question from Cheryl Hilton: “Representative Mastrofrancesco, you voted against the FY26/27 state budget and subsequent budget adjustment package. Those measures delivered $270 million in municipal aid, $190 million in additional education funding, property tax relief, family caregiver tax credits, firefighter cancer benefits, nursing home workforce investments, aging-in-place grants, early childhood education funding, and Medicaid rate increases. What specific budget proposal did you support that would have provided comparable benefits to the residents of Wolcott and Southington, and where in your proposal would the funding have come from?”
8:52 A question from Cheryl Hilton: “Representative Mastrofrancesco, many members of your own party joined Democrats in supporting House Bill 5003, Workforce Development and Protection for Assaulted Workers, because it expanded benefits for assaulted healthcare workers and teachers, strengthened support for first responders and veterans, and provided new protections for the families of those killed in the line of duty. Why were those provisions not enough to earn your support, and which specific benefits contained in the bill did you object to?”
11:07 A question from yourself: "Can you point out the differences between the Republican Party and the Democratic Party today?"
