MONROE, CT — State Rep. Tony Scott, R-112th, won a three-way-race in a special election to finish fellow Republican, J.P. Sredzinski’s term three years ago, before adapting to a district map revision replacing Newtown with portions of Easton and Trumbull. Then, he won reelection in 2022.
Now that the 112th District has settled down and Scott learned how to be an effective legislator as a member of the minority party in Hartford, he’s expressed the belief he’s on firm footing for a third two-year-term.
“I built a lot of relationships with the majority party over the last four years, so I have some say in the bills that are proposed,” Scott said during a recent interview at Last Drop Coffee Shop in Monroe.
Scott said he believes his opinions and input are given more serious consideration in the crafting of legislation.
“That’s my job in the minority party, to build relationships and knock down these walls and do what’s best for the citizens in your district — and not base decisions on whether you have an ‘R’ or a ‘D’ next to your name,” he said.
Scott is currently focused on preserving spending caps, fighting for local control of planning and zoning decisions, and doing more to control the rising costs of utilities for Connecticut residents.
This November he faces a challenge from Beth Cliff, a Democrat from Easton.
Scott lives in Monroe with Jennifer, his wife of 21 years, and the couple has twin daughters, Lauren and Addison, who are 15 and will be entering their sophomore year at Masuk High School.
Spending caps
One of Scott’s biggest priorities is to keep spending caps, which were proposed by Republicans amid soaring budget deficits in the bipartisan biannual state budget that passed in 2017. Now Connecticut has a string of annual surpluses.
“We’re doing so much better as a state now,” Scott said. “We don’t want to go back to out-of-control spending. We’ve had a big surplus the last two years, but that’s got to be used to pay down pension debt. There are hundreds of millions of dollars in unfunded liabilities in the pension fund.”
Scott said officials had been using the money for other things, so the state could not meet those obligations to the people they promised to pay.
“We felt pressure this year when making adjustments,” Scott said of the spending caps. “Democrats wanted to spend more of the surplus instead of applying all of it to debt, but we had the spending caps.”
He said more Republicans are needed in the legislature to block efforts to increase or remove the spending caps. “We have to get a few Democrats to agree,” he added.
Zoning control, utilities
Connecticut requires all municipalities to make progress on various goals, such as having at least 10 percent of a town’s housing stock meet the state definitions of affordable housing. Scott wants more local control.
“As the ranking member of the Housing Committee, I see the majority party pushing to pass laws that dictate our planning and zoning decisions from Hartford down to our local communities,” Scott said. “We elect planning and zoning commissioners locally to make these decisions. We should trust them to make the best decisions for our towns.”
He also expressed concerns over the cost of living for constituents.
“People are complaining about their electric bills going up this summer,” Scott said. “Past decisions by the majority party led to some of the top utility rates in the country. We need to take some of that control back.”
Years ago, Scott said the legislature decided to appoint members to the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA) to make decisions on utility rates, taking the General Assembly out of the process.
“They haven’t worked for the benefit of all Connecticut citizens,” Scott said of PURA.
Youth crime
Theft rings of youths entering unlocked vehicles to steal belongings and, if a key fob is inside, the vehicle itself, has been a nuisance in Monroe and surrounding towns, but current laws allow minors who are arrested to go back on the street, where many repeat the offenses.
“We see multi-offenders, because there really is no punishment,” Scott said, “and the legislature over the past few years has not been willing to consider stronger punishments for these juveniles and adult criminals, who are doing most of this local crime.”
Aside from stronger punishments, Scott said there could be more rehabilitation programs for those who commit multiple crimes with participation requirements being met in order to clear their records.
‘Your voice in Hartford’
One of Scott’s most memorable moments was responding to a Monroe teen with macular degeneration, who asked for help in getting his driver’s license.
“I got a bill passed in the Transportation Committee helping people with macular degeneration get a driver’s license,” he said. “Over 30 states allow special optic lenses to be used during driving tests. Connecticut was not one of these states.”
“This helped this one individual, but there are many in his situation who will benefit,” Scott said of the bill, “and it’s being able to make a positive difference in people’s lives that makes me want to run again.”
This year, Scott said he made more videos to communicate with constituents when the legislature was in session. He also sends out weekly, sometimes daily, emails to keep people informed about the latest issues. To sign up for the emails, visit repscott.com.
“I consider myself as someone who is open minded and wants to hear from my constituents to understand their individual problems and see if we can find a solution at the state level,” Scott said. “My biggest message is to use your voice with me and speak out and I’ll be your voice in Hartford.”
For information about State Rep. Tony Scott, visit his website by clicking here.
All respectful comments with the commenter’s first and last name are welcome.
Tony Scott,
I whole heartedly support your candidacy for a third term as State Rep for the 112th district.
You have represented our district admirably, honorably and with conviction during your tenure as State Rep.
Brgds
Sean O’Rourke