Josh Balter Lists His Top 3 Issues as Special Election Approaches

EAST HAVEN, CT - Democrat Josh Balter is facing off Tuesday against Republican Joe Zullo in a special election to fill the seat recently vacated by James Albis.

Polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. District 01 is Tuttle School: District 1s is East Farm Village; District 02 is Momauguin School; District 03/3s is Deer Run School; District 04 is Overbrook School; District 05 is Hays School; District 5s is Woodview.

Patch asked both candidates to list their top 3 issues. Here are Balter’s.

The Economy

Hold taxes down on the working and middle class while ensuring the richest 1% pay their fair share. Right now the top 1% pay an effective tax rate of just over 5% while the average East Haven resident pays an effective tax rate of over 15%. Invest in the people of our state by providing vocational training and collage programs which lead to high paying in demand jobs; Anyone who remains in the state for 5 years after completion of training will have the cost of that training waived. We need to protect and encourage small business; most small business’ fail in the first 5 years, I will introduce a bill which calls for no state taxes on small businesses in year one with a gradual increase in taxes to the full amount after 5 years. Fighting off any plan which harms the people of East Haven, like requiring the town to pay 25% of teacher pensions, and encourage any plan which helps the people of our town.

The Elderly

Make sure we keep families together and not allow our state to be to expensive for the elderly. Some of my plans. $50,000 tax assessment relief on the home of anyone over 65. Escalate the elimination of all taxes on pensions and eliminate taxes on all pension like plans. Hold Medicaid supplement sacrosanct. Allow towns and individuals to buy into state health care and medication plans. Develop home care plans which keep the elderly in their own homes as long as possible.

Programs which help all people and ensure financial independence of our residents

Some specific plans: Paid Family Medical Leave – no one should worry that an illness or birth of a child or need to care for a relative will cost them their job and their home; this also ensures that employers keep valued employees, is what in demand young people want when choosing a state to live in who are in turn wanted by employers and helps preserve the value of all people homes by preventing unnecessary foreclosures. A living wage; no one who works full time should be in poverty and a living wage means the tax payer spends less on state aid for those who need it. End corporate welfare; no big box billion-dollar corporation should be allowed to pay their employees less than a living wage which then requires them to get state aid – I will support measures which penalize major corporations which have a certain percentage of employees on state aid. Expand drug treatment programs.