Where the action is...

Last Updated on Wednesday, 09 June 2010 15:35 Written by John Hartwell Wednesday, 09 June 2010 14:33

......right here at Democracy for America – Fairfield County!

June 2^nd MeetUp at the Silver Star Diner in Norwalk

In addition to Jim Himes' campaign manager, several Democratic candidates for State Representative and State Senate spoke to attendees at the June 2nd MeetUp. All canddiates for the State Legislature are seeking funding from the Citizen’s Election Program – which provides campaign money to legislative candidates.  Each candidate is required to raise a certain amount of money – some of which must come from local donors – in order to qualify for funding.

Every one of these candidates for State office is devoting their lives full-time to campaigning and letting voters know what they stand for.  Every one of them is dedicated to efforts in Hartford that better address the disastrous employment, educational, transportation and fiscal problems that face our state.  They deserve our volunteer and financial support – so please be as generous as you can.

JIM HIMES

Connor Pfeifer, Jim Himes campaign manager gave the June 2^nd MeetUp a quick overview of plans for Jim’s re-election campaign. First phase will identify and contact all Democratic voters who have voted consistently in the past few years in municipal, state and federal elections.  Studies show that these are the “base voters” who will most reliably turn out at election time.  The second phase will move on to independent voters who are also regulars at the polls.  A program called CT Van will be used to find this information. 

The Himes’ campaign plans to open several local campaign offices and will need volunteers to staff them as well as volunteers to make phone calls and knock on doors.  Connor noted that campaigning for Jim would, and should, dovetail with campaigns for other Democratic candidates.

Along with the speakers that followed, Connor discussed what can be termed “the enthusiasm gap.”  The greatest danger – and challenge - Democrats face in the coming election is low turnout because so many voters have become angry and disillusioned at what appears to be a continuance of the status quo.  You can contact Connor at: volunteerhimesforcongress.com or Jim Himes in DC at:  (202) 225-5541

MITCH FUCHS – 28^th Senatorial District - Fairfield

Mitch Fuchs is a former member of Fairfield's Representative Town Meeting and longtime chairman of the Democratic Town Committee.  He is running against Senator John McKinney, R-Fairfield. Mitch was realistic about his chances against a popular incumbent but believed that when voters looked at the senator’s record they would find it long on talk and short on actual achievement and be more willing to vote for change. 

The state’s serious problems are not being resolved by the current leadership Mitch said, and mortgaging our future by spending money we don’t have will push the state closer to bankruptcy. 

Mitch said his goals would be to lower the state deficit and encourage job creation. At the risk of stating the obvious, Fuchs noted that right now Connecticut is losing jobs faster than any other state and, despite turning out highly educated people, we have a real “brain drain” that is killing our job market. Fuchs concluded that “This state is a wonderful place to live and we have to get out there, sell it and encourage people to work live here.” 

Contact Mitch at: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

JONATHAN STEINBERG – 136^th District – Westport

Jon Steinberg is deputy moderator of the Representative Town Meeting for Westport and told the audience that he intended to bring his extensive leadership, experience and dedication to the state legislature.  Jon said that he rejects the anti-government trend that currently operates in Hartford but noted that improving how the state operates means implementing a long-term decision making process that cuts waste while causing the least amount of disruption to essential programs and services

Government is necessary to perform certain tasks and it is up to legislators to make sure they perform them well Jon said. “I'm ready and prepared to take on the challenges ahead, to be an agent of significant change in Hartford."

Although already working on his election strategy, John will be ramping up his campaign in August after the primaries when he can be more focused on his opposition. It will be a tough year for Democrats Jon but he is believes that his long record of service to the community will convince voters to support him. Here is John’s e-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

DEBBIE BLANCHARD – 134^th District – Fairfield and Trumbull

Debbie Blanchard knows what it means to juggle kids and home and run a small business; she lives that life as the owner of an accounting resource firm and mother of three children, one of whom is still in grade school.  She is a tireless advocate for education reform and is treasurer of the Executive Board of the Fairfield PTA Council and the Stratfield PTA Council.

Debbie believes that her accounting experience and ability to solve financial problems is her greatest practical asset as a candidate but just as important she said is her commitment to her community’s well being - and that makes her the best candidate to serve the needs of working families and small businesses.  In fact, Debbie said, making it easier for small businesses to locate and work in the state would be a prime objective because growing small business is essential if the state’s economy is to recover.

Debbie has just begun her campaign and is challenging incumbent Tony Hwang and can be reached at: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

ANNA DULEEP – 142^nd  District – Cranbury, Silvermine, Broad River, West Norwalk, Brookside

Harvard graduate, Norwalk native, and public school math teacher Anna Duleep is taking an unusual approach in her challenge to incumbent Republican Larry Cafero. She is asking why the Republican minority leader seems to be spending most of his time in Wilton working to defeat Democrat Peggy Reeves rather than attending to the needs of the constituents of the 142^nd district!  Answering to her own question, Anna told us that Cafero (after an unsuccessful play for the Governor’s nomination) has basically outgrown the district and has bigger fish to fry for his political progress.  After eighteen years as representative for the 142^nd district Cafero obviously feels that he need no longer work for the support and benefit of his voting constituents – and is appears to be treating Anna’s challenge with more than a little distain.

Having a math oriented mind Anna researched the actual financial support Cafero has received for his campaigns and finds that – unlike the hundreds of small contributors to her own campaign – Larry Cafero is very dependent for his financing on substantial donations from a small group of lawyers at the high profile law firm where he himself works.  It is to these donors that he owes his loyalty, not his constituents, and consequently his voting record over the years reflects where his interest lies.

Anna believes she can offer a combination of brains, perspective, integrity and local know-how that have become largely absent from the agenda of the incumbent. She already has her campaign staff in place and has been knocking on doors in her district for nearly two months now. Contact Anna at: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

JOHN HARTWELL – 26th State Senatorial District – Westport

John Hartwell is running against long time politico and present Republican incumbent Toni Boucher who he came very close to beating in the last state elections. 

In his presentation John outlined the three principles that will guide his campaign:

1. Share the pain  2) Protect the weak  3) Invest for the future.

John said that Fairfield County is not “the ATM for taxes” and that the burden for funding state services and offices must be more evenly distributed.  There will be pain if the state is to recover, cuts in services and layoffs for example, but John is dedicated to ensuring that the safety net for those less fortunate is remains as intact as possible.  He remarked that in the 20 years that the Republicans have been in control of the Governor’s mansion and a force in the legislature they have failed completely to look to the future. Indeed, it is during that 20 years that Connecticut has been reduced from a popular and populated state to its present failing condition. Revision of our tax system, our programs to attract business and people to the state and an overhaul of our transportation issues are vital if the state is to regain its financial stability.

John can be reached at: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Next DFA-Fairfield County MeetUp is on July 7

We have some exciting speakers lined up so watch this space!!