2024 Patch Candiate Profiles: Gregg Haddad, State Rep

MANSFIELD, CT — Gregg Haddad is running for the 54th District seat in the Connecticut House of Representatives in 2024.

____

Candidate’s Name: Gregg Haddad

What office are you seeking? State Representative

District: 54th House District

Campaign website

What city or town do you live in? Mansfield

Party affiliation: Democrat

Education: B.S in Physics from UConn

Occupation: State Representative

Family: I've been married to Donna Becotte for 32 years. We have a daughter, Natalie, a student at Mansfield Middle School..

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government? No other members of my immediate family are involved in politics or government.

Previous public office, appointive or elective:

State Representative, 2011-present; Deputy Mayor of Mansfield, 1999-2011; Mansfield PZC-IWA, 1997-1999

Age: 58

Why are you seeking this office?

I am running to represent Mansfield residents in the State House as an experienced, progressive leader who understands Mansfield's values. I've supported common-sense solutions to challenges faced by the citizens of Mansfield. I believe in policies that help ensure that everyone gets a fair shot at the opportunity to build a successful life in our state. I ask the residents of Mansfield for their support to continue to make progress.

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

Connecticut residents want the opportunity to live successful, productive lives here in our state. We have already adopted programs and policies to help. Connecticut's free community college ensures that critical job training is within reach for first-time students and those seeking to gain new skills for job advancement. We have passed the largest tax relief effort in state history to help families make ends meet. We have acted to provide paid family and medical leave and paid sick days to ensure that employees aren't buried by temporary illness or an unexpected family crises. As next steps, we need to hold down tuition increases at our public state universities by maintaining state funding to institutions and investing in direct scholarship support. We should better regulate and control energy costs and we should increase affordable housing across Connecticut through targeted investments.

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?

Yes, the legislature can act to continue to adopt policies that improve state and local road design, support installation of safety equipment and better enable traffic enforcement. We can and should do more to design roads that are safer for pedestrians and bicyclists with dedicated lanes and safe crosswalks. In Mansfield, I have been working with local government and the state DOT to install modern safety equipment at crosswalks and we have been working to build sidewalks where bike and pedestrian traffic is heaviest. Additionally, we can adopt policies that allow for improved enforcement of reckless driving behavior. Many examples of tragic deaths, including the death of my colleague, Rep. Quentin Williams, after an accident with a wrong-way driver has galvanized the legislature to aggressively address this important issue.

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

I am the only candidate that understands the values held by most residents in Mansfield. I have a record of protecting individual reproductive rights and making state investment in college opportunities for residents. I have supported democratic reforms that increase access to voting for citizens and comprehensive initiatives to address the crisis of climate change. I'm the only candidate who will fight efforts to enact laws that ban access to reproductive healthcare and abortions; place barriers in the way of exercising your vote; divest from public colleges and universities; and deny a scientific and proactive effort to curtail the negative impacts of climate change.

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

I'm proud to have a long record of accomplishments. I successfully increased state aid to Mansfield by 45% or $9 million annually in the last four years to help hold down property taxes and pay for great schools. I authored the bill that provides free community college education to nearly all CT residents. I've supported responsible fiscal reforms that have turned budget deficits into surpluses as we pay down our long-term debt. I have a progressive record on reproductive freedom and improving access to voting.

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

I am grateful to the citizens of Mansfield for their continued confidence in my ability to represent them in Hartford. As your representative, I work hard to listen first, to understand the problems that confront us and to work to find solutions that work for people. I learn a lot from listening to people with diverse opinions and find that common ground can be found on a lot of issues. Where differences remain, we can agree to disagree in respectful and civil dialog.