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10/23/2018 03:00 PMColin Souney is the Green Party candidate running for state representative in the 86th General Assembly District. Souney said he will be a “common-sense” voice for the people of his district and not a “bought and sold politician.” He feels the two-party system has failed the state and said he’ll bring change and new ideas to Hartford to address Connecticut’s budget deficit, healthcare, economy, and societal and environmental issues.
A Guilford resident, Souney graduated with the Guilford High School Class of 1993 and has worked in the area for more two decades in vocations including construction, welding, and machining, as well as operating his own small business.
The 86th Assembly District represents North Branford/Northford, northern Guilford, and parts of Durham and Wallingford.
Souney said he has several planks in his campaign platform to bring change that will “cause a betterment for society, instead of just a betterment for the corporations that are controlling it.”
Looking for Accountability
Souney said there is a litany of expense issues at the state capital that aren’t being properly addressed, and that legislators in Hartford should be held accountable for their actions.
“My Democratic opponents would like to increase taxes to cause the taxpayer to be more under burden financially, while myself, I’d like to start putting the politicians under a little bit more of a financial burden and remove their crowns,” said Souney. “Its high time that the corporations stop benefiting from politics, from involvement. We have several large companies that just left the state. Our governor and our politicians made arrangements with them to give them subsidies based on contracts. They often times fail to fulfill these contracts in their entirety, and then they do not get penalized. So they end up with pockets full of cash that they funnel back to a politician or a lobbyist for contracts that do not get fulfilled.”
Souney said he’d also work to hold those corporations, as well as state contractors, accountable.
“I plan to hold every single corporation, every single contractor accountable for their lack of fulfillment in contracts and for what I consider to be tomfoolery in contracting. Some of these state contractors [get] renewed every year. There is no competitive bidding process [to] allow contractors the ability to compete with each other so the state can benefit from savings,” he said. “People get comfortable, just like politicians. And the change that’s necessary is to implement a lack of comfort [so] they can start to benefit the people again.”
Souney would also advocate for an “efficient but gradual” increase to the state minimum wage in a way that would “safe-guard small businesses.” He supports taking the wage from $10.10 per hour to $15 per hour to provide living wages for workers.
As a member of the Green Party, environment is a paramount concern, said Souney. As state representative, he’d couple protecting the environment with helping people and look to bring in successful models from other states that are doing both while also generating revenue. One way to do that would be by leveraging plastic bottle-type deposit fees on items like plastic bags, Styrofoam containers, and other items that he said could easily replaced by reusable or biodegradable counterparts.
“If we want to move into a future that we’re all proud of, it’s time we look at plastics as being a part of society that we want to get under control,” said Souney.
He said he also would work to preserve and protect state-owned land and open space properties.
“In Connecticut, we have this very strange issue where the state is trying to sell off huge parcels of land to fix some deficit or something. That absolutely should not be happening,” said Souney. “The state should not be selling its open places and properties. We should be working to preserve these properties and open spaces. You know, I don’t think that the state should have to need to money that badly.”
Instead, the state could raise additional revenue from taxing corn syrup, sugars, or other unhealthy foods, ideally to help fund programs such as universal health care, Souney said.
“I would like to see a universal minimum health care program. I think that every single human being has the right to reasonable health care,” said Souney. “If we expect a government to foot the bill for this healthcare, we have to start understanding that people who make poor health decisions cost more to taxpayers. Just like the tax on cigarettes, [they] should start being held accountable for these poor health decisions. Now, I make poor health decisions—I’m not saying that it’s a bad thing to do. What I’m saying is that if we are going to make poor health decisions that are going to cause society a higher economic burden, we should be contributing back.”
Truly Taxing the Top One Percent
Souney said he’d work to end tax breaks and other subsidies for the state’s top one percent of earners and would push for a moderate increase in state taxes on the wealthiest one percent.
“People would say that our highest earners are paying the most taxes as it is now, but what they’re not taking into consideration is all the litany of tax breaks that these higher earners get,” said Souney. “And when they can hire an accountant who’s a very intelligent person, the accountant can take advantage for all these people, once again keeping the poor man down and allowing the rich man to earn money exponentially. Removing some of these tax breaks and other subsidies for the rich is just one more change I would like to make [working] with my partners.”
Legalizing Marijuana in Connecticut
In Hartford, Souney said he would advocate for legalizing, regulating, and taxing marijuana to address Connecticut’s budget deficit. He noted he went to the state legislature to advocate to bring in Connecticut’s current medical marijuana program.
“I’ve been fighting for the medical program since 2012 here in the state [and] I’m one of its first patients. If it weren’t for the medical marijuana program in the state, I would not be able to run for office, which I think is a very important thing to note,” said Souney, as medical use was illegal in the past. “Because I am a patient, I can advocate, and I can use marijuana in the state of Connecticut. If you do not have a medical marijuana card, you cannot use marijuana in the state with safety. Once again, we’re protecting rich people. We’re not embracing the downtrodden. We want to legalize marijuana, and of course we’re going to tax marijuana sales.”
Programs to Assist this Generation, and the Next
Souney said generating revenue through new ideas and working to save the state money can help turn back cuts to education and healthcare.
“I think it’s our obligation to humanity to protect the health of the downtrodden, and to allow our children to have the opportunity, when they graduate high school, to participate in a society that benefits them. And the state right now has been cutting the budget to education and cutting the budget to healthcare. And that’s a backwards move,” said Souney.
Souney wants healthcare for all to include improving the state’s mental health systems and ensuring adequate funding for services and preventative treatment for individuals, families, and communities.
Souney said he will also work to provide more meaningful educational opportunities for children.
“A lot of the money I’m looking to save the state would be earmarked into some sort of fund to, with my partners, build a curriculum for children to get educated regarding society’s issues, beginning at an age as early as 5th grade,” said Souney. “It would cover not only drugs; I’d love it cover to guns, depression, bullying, love, the economics of a household, [and] how to conduct yourself after [graduation] so you stand a chance of succeeding. Education is the key.”
He said he would work with the State Board of Education and Association of American Educators among other partners to bring in school programs that would focus on giving students tools to successfully navigate potentially life-altering society and health issues.
Souney said he is willing to challenge a six-term incumbent candidate for the 86th district seat, Republican Vincent Candelora, because he feels the community is ready for a change.
“It does seem the community is tired of bought and sold politicians [and] they’re really excited to see someone who is not an incumbent,” said Souney. “I’d like to think that my community’s intelligent. If a man sits in a position of power for any period of time, that offers him an insight that would no longer benefit the people; it should be taken with concern. This position pays $28,000. It’s not a position [for] making money. It’s a position to get into to look to make a difference. And the feedback I’m getting is a constituency that’s very excited to experience that change that drives that difference to cause a betterment for society, instead of just a betterment for the corporations that are controlling it.”