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10/06/2020 03:33 PMJohn May, a Clinton resident, is the Green Party candidate in the race and said voters should vote for him because he won’t be beholden to the goals of advancing a party agenda, but instead that he would work to advance the goals of the people.
“I’m presenting a choice that is not Republican or Democrat,” said May.
May said his number-one issue in the race was “expanding education opportunity to end the classroom-to-debt pipeline.” May said he wants to build on initiatives that have been started in the district that offer job training or apprenticeships to people in fields like manufacturing.
May said that the state needs to take greater advantage of programs that offer class credits and training in fields that allow people to make good money while not going college.
Another area May is concerned about is improving the electricity services provided to residents, something that has taken on increased scrutiny after the disappointing response time by Eversource in the wake of Tropical Storm Isaias.
“I’m in favor of going further and exploring municipality-controlled power,” said May.
Other Service
May was a high school teacher for many years before starting his current job as a financial advisor. He is also a member of the Clinton Economic Development Commission and the Conservation Commission. May said was inspired to get into the race because “I’ve always wanted to make a difference.”
May said that being in the class room when he was a teacher showed him that helping others was his true calling.
“As a financial planner it’s the same thing. It’s talking to people, understanding them, and wanting to help them,” May said.
May says that by working on jobs on the both the public and private side, he has a unique perspective on how the state should function.
“I’ve really seen the two sides of the coin of how people are able to function and be successful in the state of Connecticut,” he said.
Budget Concerns
As far as the state budget is concerned, May said, “I’d like to look at the different proposals that are out there” before committing to any large budget items. “I think it’s important to have everyone look at it and know what they’re voting on.”
May firmly believes the budget needs to find a way to help Connecticut citizens when it comes to the COVID-19 pandemic. May said the state legislature needs to proactive in helping its citizens.
“People need relief and they needed it yesterday,” said May. “We need emergency measures because I think every community has people in crisis right now.
“I think the virus was handled as well as it could, given that the majority of people in Connecticut take it seriously,” said May.
However, May said that the state should seek more aid from the federal government and the state should find a way to institute a universal basic income (UBI) to help with the recovery from the virus.
“If not now, when? If you take a look from all sides of government you could certainly have UBI. We have to be able to rethink and rewrite the book,” said May.
May said that perhaps the largest portion of his appeal to voters is that he is neither a Republican nor a Democrat and that as the Green Party candidate he can take stances on issues without being told how to vote. For Democratic voter in particular, May said that his commitment to progressive ideas should attract voters since that party at large seems resistant to those ideas in his view.
“At every level of the Democratic party, the progressives are being primaried. So, I think progressive voters should consider how come the progressive ideas they like haven’t happened yet,” May said.
May pointed to a recent US News and World Report article that ranked states by quality of life and placed Connecticut 21st. May said he believes the state suffers from “political gridlock” and that votes for outsiders could alleviate that gridlock.
Police Reform
On the topic of police reform, which has rocked the country after video surfaced earlier in the summer of George Floyd, a Black man who was killed in May by Minneapolis police, May said that he supports social justice reform, but it must be done responsibly.
“In a state like Connecticut with a few mid-size cities, you need to let the cities [and] towns make their own decisions,” May said.
May said he felt the controversial police reform bill that the legislature passed earlier this summer put too much burden on the towns, especially when it comes to costs for storing data.
“The problem with the bill is that it it’s a blanket bill that will affect every community,” said May.
Changing the System
May said he is a proponent of bringing ranked-choice voting to Connecticut. Ranked-choice voting is a system in which voters are able to rank their preferred candidates in order from favorite to least favorite. May explained that if no candidates in a race win more than 50 percent of first-place votes, the last place candidate is eliminated from the race, but the candidates still in the race would pick up additional votes based on how they were ranked on ballots cast by people on which they were not the first choice.
Proponents argue that in theory, ranked choice voting would then reduce the chances of an unpopular candidate winning an election and captures the opinion of a larger portion of the public. For an example, May brought up the 2016 presidential primaries where, in his view, the moderate Republican candidates split the vote among themselves, where with ranked choice voting perhaps a candidate with more moderate views that reflected the opinions of the voters more accurately would have emerged.
Both of May’s opponents in the race, Republican John Hall III and Democrat Christine Goupil, have experience working with the state on some level. May acknowledged he doesn’t have the same experience, but he argued that it shouldn’t concern voters and that said he can learn the ropes quickly.
“I don’t see it as an impediment. The state is full of many reps year in and year out who make a career out of politics and you can see where that has gotten us,” said May.
For more information, visit May’s website votejohnpmay.com.