Candidate Profile: Steve Orosco, 11th State Senate District

NEW HAVEN, CT — The 2024 election is heating up in Connecticut and there are plenty of races with candidates eager to serve in elected office.

Eyes are primarily focused on the U.S. presidential election, but every state representative and senate seat is up for grabs. All five of Connecticut's congressional seats, plus one U.S. Senate seat, are up for grabs as well.

There are 151 seats in the state House of Representatives and 36 in the state Senate. Democrats currently hold majorities in both chambers.

Patch reached out to candidates for office to get more information on their campaigns and the issues that are facing the state and town.

Steve Orosco, 43, of New Haven, is running for election to the 11th state senate district, representing Hamden and New Haven.

Campaign website

Party affiliation: Republican

Education: Double Masters, MBA and MSM

Occupation: Entrepreneur / Self-Employed

Family: Jeannine Candela Orosco ( Spouse ), Payton Orosco ( Daughter, age 18 ), Jaxson Orosco ( Son / age 10 ).

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government? No

Previous public office, appointive or elective:

No

Why are you seeking this office?

I am seeking office, because change is desperately needed in New Haven. Why? We are ranked last in education, first in violent crime, first in Fentanyl overdoses, top 3 in taxes, highest debt per capita in Hamden and more importantly... Term Limits. No one should be a public servant for 44 years / 22 terms.

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

In Senate 11 it's frivolous spending / budget allocation. When the most important facets of thriving community are failing ( education, safety, affordability) there's no reason to allocate our budget to non-essential items. Furthermore, Hamden is a great example where they again were at a budget deficit of what is already over $1b. This fiscal cycle they were at a deficit of $3 million. The result was having to cut middle school sports and staffing positions, but Quinnipiac came in at the 25th hour and essentially bailed them out. What will happen next year? and the year after?

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?

As mortality rates increase as a direct result to poor driving the first step is to enforce stricter penalties. It might not change the driving behaviors of all, but it will limit repeat offenders.

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

New Haven / Hamden have an economic vitality / revenue generation problem. Career politicians like Martin Looney spend more time securing grants to improve the city, which are unsustainable as when the funding runs out the program needs to be funded by taxpayers or another program will be cut. We need to have a strong business climate in Senate 11, which is non-existent. I also feel education, safety and affordability should be a priority. Based on the current state of New Haven where we fail all of the aforementioned metrics it's evident that those are unimportant.

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

Politics although a public sector should be run EXACTLY like the private sector. You have to treat New Haven and Hamden as Corp Entities and we need to focus on how to properly allocate our budget, so that we provide the necessary tools for our residents and their children to thrive. A complete overhaul needs to be done and with both an MBA and MSM, a strong finance background and multiple successful business start-ups I am equipped to lead and manage entities in both the public and private sector.

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

Change doesn't happen when you continue to elect the same officials year-after-year. The metrics do not lie and if we don't make the needed changes, New Haven and Hamden will keep spiraling in the wrong direction. I understand that the majority of the Senate 11 voter base are Democrat, but voting me in will give voters an opportunity to have some sort of bipartisanship in an area that's been under a one-party rule since 1953. Fresh ideas coupled with the forcing of the current administration to answer tough questions from an accountability standpoint for their failures should be paramount in this election. I'm sorry, but 44 years in office with these results regardless of one's party affiliation is egregious in my opinion.