CT Patch Candidate Profile: Rob Blanchard For State Senate

FAIRFIELD, CT — Election Day is fast-approaching on Nov. 5, and there are a number of key races on the ballot in Fairfield.

To help educate readers about the state's election, Patch reached out to candidates for office to get more information on their campaigns, and about the issues that are facing the town and state.

Candidate’s Name: Rob Blanchard

What office are you seeking? State Senate

District: 28th State Senate District (Bethel, Easton, Fairfield, Newtown)

Campaign website

What city or town do you live in? Fairfield

Party affiliation: Democrat

Education: Syracuse University, BA in History

Occupation: Currently serving as Chief of Staff to the State Comptroller with over a decade of experience in public and private sector communications/public relations.

Family: Yes, my wife Samantha Norton, who grew up in Fairfield, our newborn son Theo and dogs Penelope and Winslow.

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government? My wife, who I met working in public service, currently serves as the Director of Communications for the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities System, where she promotes affordable and accessible higher education. Additionally, I have teachers and police in my extended family.

Previous public office, appointive or elective:

I currently serve on Fairfield's Representative Town Meeting (RTM) in the 6th District. I also have six years of local elected experience on a city council and planning and zoning commission where I fought for responsible planning, investments in education and to keep property taxes predictable.

Age: 36

Why are you seeking this office?

As a new father raising a family in Fairfield, I know that families are being squeezed financially, childcare is unaffordable, our taxes are high, healthcare is too expensive, and we need to make it easier for businesses to thrive here. For our state to move forward, we cannot continue to rely on the same playbook. It is time for a change in who represents us, and I’m ready to be that voice in Hartford. We must address affordability and Connecticut’s high cost of living head on by easing the impact of inflation and combating the rising costs of utilities, healthcare, and prescriptions through smart, proactive legislation. I am committed to ensuring taxes remain stable and predictable for seniors and families, while fighting for increased municipal aid, so local leaders aren’t faced with raising property taxes or cutting education funding. I’ll also work to defend and protect our fundamental rights – such as a woman’s right to reproductive freedoms and access to paid family and medical leave – regardless of who is in the White House. As your next State Senator, I will fund public safety, strengthen red flag gun laws that save lives, and pass gun safety laws. At a time when critical industries are facing mass shortages, we must invest in a workforce that attracts and trains the next generation of teachers, healthcare and public safety professionals, mental health workers and manufacturers by working with public and private leaders to identify ways to address the talent gap. We need to ensure that workers who are trained here stay here. It’s also imperative that we protect watershed towns from overdevelopment and environmental harm. I will partner with legislative colleagues as well as our municipal leaders to help get legislation over the finish line. As the district continues to address challenges around development, we must also be thoughtful in how and where we build, so that our environment and watershed are not adversely impacted, while protecting open space. While these are just a few issues, my main focus is connecting with voters and showing them they don’t need to accept the status quo. They can ask for more of their representation and in turn, their elected leaders can do more to make their lives better.

What do you believe is the No. 1 issue facing Connecticut, and how do you plan to address it?

My number one priority, if elected, will be to grow our economy, address affordability for families, and fight for fiscal discipline in our budget. That includes lowering the cost of things like childcare and utilities while also exploring how we can expand tax cuts for the middle class and create a business climate where companies can grow and thrive here. If elected, I will collaborate with colleagues on both sides of the aisle who share in the idea of putting together a budget that both moves our state forward and works towards making it more affordable. I will advocate for additional bonding and aid to help offset municipal expenditures. Programs such as the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), property tax credit or Child Tax Credit (CTC) have been proven to help lift up families, stimulate economic spending, and lighten the burden on residents. We must hold the line on taxes or cut them where we can, especially for seniors on a fixed income or young families. For families, nonprofits and small business owners one of the most expensive items in their budget is healthcare. That is why we must level the playing field for the small businesses that employ thousands of our families and neighbors. I support working on comprehensive, consumer friendly Multiple Employer Welfare Arrangement (MEWA) legislation to give our small employers a new option for health benefits--while also ensuring key ACA protections are incorporated. By pooling together resources, we can help lower the cost of health coverage for small businesses and their employees and improve the coverage quality.

There have been an alarming number of deaths on Connecticut's roadways. Is there anything from a legislative standpoint that can be done to address that?

Connecticut ranks third nationally in fatalities due to impaired driving. It’s why we all know someone who was killed by a drunk driver, a wrong-way driver, or have been involved in a car accident ourselves. As someone who almost lost their life to a drunk driver, protecting our roads from distracted driving, wrong-way drivers, speeding and other causes that lead to roadway fatalities is so important. These fatalities are almost always preventable. We can reduce these statistics with the partnership of state and local law enforcement, automakers, healthcare providers, mental health professionals, transportation leaders, and lawmakers. Connecticut is set to receive $1.3 billion over five years under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to improve public transit across the state and $4.1 billion over five years in federal funding for highways and bridges. Throughout our state, DOT has deemed over a third of the ramps on our highways as “high risk” for dangerous incidents. By seizing this moment to reimagine and rebuild our transportation infrastructure, we can actively prevent tragedies by improving road clarity, reducing wrong-way collisions, and curbing pedestrian-related deaths through road diets (or roadway reconfigurations) and pedestrian-focused accommodations such as islands or raised median strips. Also tucked within the infrastructure bill are improved technology requirements that are expected to prevent more than 9,400 drunk driving deaths annually. This technology, which should be standard by 2026, will detect the driver’s blood alcohol concentration (BAC) and prevent the car from starting if they are over the limit. We can also address this issue through greater collaboration with state and local police, more training and tools such as wrong-way detectors that also notify local law enforcement, even if it’s on a state road. Many states, including Connecticut, have proposed changing BAC limits, which has proven to be successful in states that have adopted this change. Utah was the first in the nation to adopt this measure and has seen a 20% drop in traffic-related injuries, crashes, and drunk driving, which is a drastic reversal when compared to our rapid increase. Lowering the limit will help deter drivers from drinking and driving and hopefully ensure they plan more carefully.

What are the major differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

I bring the professional, political and local elected experience needed to help effectively address some of the challenges facing our state, as well as relationships with nonprofits, agency commissioners, legislators and local leaders. I'll work collaboratively to ensure our budget is a reflection of our values and priorities, while supporting common sense gun safety laws, access to reproductive healthcare for women, economic programs such as Paid Family and Medical Leave and bridge the skills gap between our institutions of higher education and employers to attract future leaders in education, manufacturing, public safety, healthcare and more.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

I'm proud to have worked in Governor Lamont's administration where we have turned Connecticut's economy around and enacted budgets with tax cuts and a historic Rainy Day Fund, while also seeing the state through an unprecedented pandemic. Currently, as Chief of Staff to the State Comptroller, we have helped to make healthcare more affordable for local municipalities and stabilized the Connecticut Municipal Employees Retirement System (CMERS), introduced a small business retirement savings program and a prescription drug discount card. At the local level, I'm proud to have supported teacher contracts that ensure Fairfield remains competitive in recruiting the best teachers to educate our children and invested in public safety, arts and culture and kept neighborhood schools open, while keeping taxes predictable.

Is there anything else you would like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

My door will always be open. I'm not afraid to stand up for what I feel is right, even if it means standing up to my own party, especially on behalf of the values of this district. My campaign has been built on connecting with voters and hearing from them about the issues and values that are important to them. If elected, I promise to continue this approach and always listen to all sides and be accessible. I encourage voters and residents to always reach out if I can ever be helpful. Please visit RobBlanchardCT.com for more information or email me at Rob@RobBlanchardCT.com. I hope to earn your vote on November 5th.