Plainville Educator Announces Run For 22nd House District

By Brian M. Johnson, The Bristol Press

May 19, 2022

Local educator Francis Rexford Cooley has announced that he will run as the Republican candidate for the 22nd House District.

After Rep. Bill Petit, who currently represents the 22nd House District, announced that he would not seek another term.

Cooley said that he was asked to run to represent the people of the district. He said that he is basing his campaign on “common sense solutions” to what he sees as the three of the biggest issues facing Plainville and the state.

“ Connecticut and the United States face a myriad of issues from runaway inflation to the crisis at the border,” he said. “My campaign focuses on what I view as three major issues facing Plainville and all of Connecticut – taxes and the cost of living and doing business in the state, education and rampant crime.”

Cooley said that, half a century ago, Connecticut was the “envy of the Northeast” due to low taxes and a robust business climate. Today, he said, the state is known for “high taxes, crippling regulation and corporations lining up to leave.”

“ GE Moved to Boston, UTC merged with Raytheon with its headquarters in Waltham, MA, Carrier spun off from UTC and is now headquartered in Florida, Aetna is owned by CVS in Rhode Island and many may soon join the list of companies moving their headquarters out of state,” he said. “The exodus of companies is mirrored by the exodus of people. The young seek their fortunes and employment seemingly anywhere but Connecticut and retirees flee the state’s high cost of living and taxes. The last two Governors moved out of Connecticut immediately after leaving office. Jodi Rell moved with her husband to Florida and Dannel Malloy headed to Maine. For businesses and people to thrive in Connecticut, the state must get serious about dealing with the high tax rate, the onerous bureaucratic red tape of excessive regulation and the high cost of doing business in the state.”

Cooley also called out the issues which he says are facing the education system in Connecticut.

Connecticut, Cooley said, was historically known for having an “excellent” education system.

“Noah Webster conceived the Blue Black Speller, revolutionizing American education more than 200 years ago. Connecticut has been known for innovation as well as having a well-trained workforce. That excellence in academic and vocational training helped create what historian Ellsworth Grant called ‘The Miracle of Connecticut.’

However, Cooley said that education in Connecticut and across the country is “not what it once was”, as parental involvement and control has been “ceded to educational administrators.”

“The foundations of a solid education have been ignored,” he said. “Phonics, the bedrock upon which literacy rises, has become passé to the educational establishment. Learning one’s multiplication tables has been replaced by reliance upon a calculator. Basic skills learned for generations are considered unnecessary with the assumption that someone else will be able to do them. We are producing a generation who are not prepared for the work world and often complain about having to partake in ‘adulting’ in their twenties. Those same skills our grandparents acquired by their mid to late teens. A return to teaching the fundamental basics of education will serve students to get jobs and be successful much better than the monetary education fad of the day.”

On crime, Cooley said that society would be served better by “treating criminal behavior as such.”

“ The spike in crime is not an indication of more criminals, but rather an indictment of the ‘catch and release’ mentality currently prevailing in Hartford and other state capitols. They have bought into the progressive view of the criminal as being the creation of society, buying into themes developed by French philosopher Michel Foucault, which have been criticized by leftist intellectual Noam Chomsky. While ‘catch and release’ is great for the sport of fishing, it is a horrible policy regarding criminality, as we see displayed over and over again with career criminals brazenly committing crimes with little fear of consequence.”

Cooley said that “common sense” says what needs to be done in all three cases.

“Bring down the cost of living and doing business by reducing state spending and reducing taxes and mandates on businesses and individuals,” he said. “Prepare our youth for their future by teaching them the skills they need to be successful and an understanding of how the American system works. Put control of education back into their parents’ hands rather than educational theorists. Simply stop releasing criminals back out onto the streets to prey upon law abiding citizens.”

Cooley is a graduate of the University of Hartford with a master’s degree in education. He also holds a master’s degree in history from the University of Maine and a bachelor’s degree in history from the University of Colorado.

Cooley works as a substitute teacher at Kelly Educational Services in Farmington and a proctor at Summit Education in New Canaan. He is also a former Dean of the Paier College of Art in Hamden.

Cooley enjoys photography and has had his work featured in several art exhibitions over the years. He has also contributed letters and essays to many local publications.

Cooley is a member of the Board of Directors for the American Clock and Watch Museum and a member of the Board of Trustees for Plainville Library. He also serves on the Advisory Board for Connecticut History Day.

Brian M. Johnson can be reached at 860-973-1806 or bjohnson@bristolpress.com .