Courant Endorsements
These might have slipped past me, were it not for ConnecticutBLOG. On a growing list of endorsements, I see two worthy New Britain Democrats so far: Peter Tercyak and John Geragosian.
Mr. Tercyak, 51, a registered nurse, takes pride in his support of the good campaign finance reform law that passed this year and has specific, carefully thought-out remedies that are valuable in advancing discussion on nagging state issues.
On health care, Mr. Tercyak leans toward further expansion of the Municipal Employees Health Insurance Program and amending state laws on how insurers figure premiums for employers of 50 or fewer workers, to allow more small businesses to join. He believes the promise of health benefits permits those businesses to grow and stabilize their workforces.
Mr. Geragosian has co-sponsored legislation to raise the minimum wage and to protect against excessive auto insurance rate increases. He boasts of bringing significant money to his city, which has been able to cut taxes.
He understands that reliance on property taxes has contributed to sprawl and is responsible for bad zoning decisions. His proposal to raise the income tax to provide relief to towns should be discussed. He’s right, though, that it is a good idea to take a fresh look at the entire tax code. Much has changed regarding sales on the Internet, for example.
Now the senior member of the New Britain delegation, Mr. Geragosian works well in tandem with the other legislators. He recognizes that higher education is a key to jobs growth and should be affordable. Re-elect him.