Candidate for Connecticut Governor in 2018 Connecticut 2018 General Election.
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Get StartedOUR ADMINISTRATION WILL UNEQUIVOCALLY UPHOLD A WOMEN’S RIGHT TO CHOOSE. Abortion should be Safe, Legal, and Rare. Our administration will strongly support education initiatives that teach our youth about the importance of safe sex and postponing pregnancy. Provide easy access to contraceptives. Together we can protect women’s right to choose as well as decrease the number of abortions in our state. Learn more
WE FUNDAMENTALLY SUPPORT THE LGBTQ COMMUNITY AND THE RIGHT OF GAY MARRIAGE IN OUR STATE. Support Gay Marriage Rights. Denounce Discrimination, Bigotry and Hate. Support the right to choose how individuals live their private life. Encourage openness and inclusivity within our organization and government. Learn more
OUR ADMINISTRATION WILL SUPPORT A RESPONSIBLE PATH TO LEGALIZATION. Tax Revenue will be spent on mental health, substance abuse programs and education programs. Legalization and criminal system reform will go hand in hand. Develop age restrictions and driving under the influence standards. Support initiatives for research and development of medicinal marijuana. Strengthen University programs regarding research of medical marijuana. Explore opportunities and benefits of the production of hemp for paper, fabric, plastics and construction materials. Learn more
WE NEED TO REDUCE THE DISPROPORTIONATE RESOURCES ALLOCATED TO EDUCATION IN DIFFERENT REGIONS OF THE STATE. Our education system must include a focus on the development of core (STEAM) skills science, technology, engineering and math. Connecticut has one of the most expensive and segregated education systems in the country. Finding ways to ensure dollars are put into the classroom vs. administrative costs will be a priority. Our administration also believes that supporting the Arts is critical to both learning and a healthy upbringing. Learn more
UR ADMINISTRATION BELIEVES IN INVESTING IN EMERGING ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES TO REDUCE COSTS TO THE CONSUMER WHILE PROTECTING THE ENVIRONMENT OF OUR BEAUTIFUL STATE AND PLANET. Private sector engagement is critical to develop a cohesive and comprehensive energy strategy. Support the development of Wind, Solar, Fuel Cell, and Natural Gas delivery. Ensure competitive energy costs for residents and employers. Develop realistic and sustainable goals for moving steadily and rapidly to renewable sources. Achieve greater security through micro-grids and other distributed energy systems. Implement the appropriate incentives to achieve all of these critical goals. Support initiatives that accelerate job growth in the renewable fuel industry. Continue to significantly reduce Connecticut’s carbon footprint during our administration. Learn more
OUR ADMINISTRATION RECOGNIZES THAT CONNECTICUT’S MAJOR CITIES ARE A GREAT PLACE FOR GROWTH. Revitalize our urban centers and ensure they are vibrant hubs where young people can live, work and play. Consolidate the Departments of Public Works and Information Technology of city and the public schools systems, (currently each has their own separate DPW and DoT). Increase the residential assessment ratio to 70 percent. Convert all state owned office buildings to leaseholds and reclassify those properties as commercial. Additionally, assess property taxes at the city’s mill rate. Secure an agreement with the largest commercial property owners to pay the same amount of property taxes for five years as in FY 2017 regardless of any mill rate decrease. Establish a definitive agreement with the owners of the largest tax-exempt properties to pay an amount commensurate with the major commercial property owners. Privatize trash collection and all other appropriate City services. Negotiate with the city unions to align their work rules, health insurance, and retiree benefits with those in the private sector. Secure a definitive agreement with City bond holders to waive all interest payments for the five-year period. Learn more
AFTER SANDY HOOK, CONNECTICUT ENACTED COMMON SENSE GUN SAFETY LAWS THAT HAVE BECOME A MODEL FOR THE NATION. We stand firmly in support of the Second Amendment right for individuals to own guns for protection, sport and hunting. We stand firmly in support of Federal and State legislation that significantly reduces the likelihood of gun violence in our schools, urban neighborhoods, workplaces, and public spaces. We support legislation that encompasses mandated background checks prior to the purchase of a gun and bans on the purchase of assault weapons and “ghost guns.” Our administration will work with governors in other states to fill the void created by congressional inaction and will engage with mental health professionals to support those agencies that deal with individuals afflicted with substance abuse and related burdens. We will use the leadership power of the Office of Governor and Lt. Governor to encourage neighboring states and the federal government to enact gun safety legislation similar to what has been passed in Connecticut. We are open to new ideas regarding gun reform, with the goal of making our state as safe as possible when it comes to gun ownership. Learn more
he specific recommendations include: Establish a central database to facilitate the sharing of relevant information on a timely basis among all state and private providers. Eliminate or simplify regulations that restrict the treatment of individuals in need of immediate attention, following the Massachusetts example of making NARCAN available over the counter. Accelerate the use of medical marijuana instead of opioids for pain where appropriate and study its' effectiveness in reducing dependance of methadone and/or suboxone use. Highlight the importance of recovery coaches and sober homes in the recovery process. During my tenure at the MetroHartford Allliance, we created the Connecticut Health Council (the “Council”) to develop collaborative leverage of Connecticut’s extraordinary asset base in this sector as evidenced by: robust hospital systems; three prominent medical schools and one prominent dental school; highly regarded entities in the fields of mental health and substance abuse treatment; the headquarters or major presence of four national health insurers; a rapidly growing understanding of the link between social determinants and the cost and quality of health care; nationally renowned doctors and other providers; and international leadership in scientific research at UConn, Yale ,the Smilow Cancer Center, and Jackson Labs. The Griebel-Frank Administration will build on the accomplishments of the Council by working on a disciplined and regular basis with the leaders of these key areas to pursue the goal of Connecticut providing the most affordable, accessible, and highest quality health care anywhere in the world. Learn more
Reestablish the State’s Transportation Strategy Board to engage private sector employers in all regions of the state in the development, funding, and execution of a comprehensive transportation strategy for Connecticut. Learn more
Support and enforce “Constitutional Lockbox” on Special Transportation Fund Revenues. Learn more
Launch barge service to move containers from the Port Authority of New York-New Jersey to the Bridgeport, New Haven, and New London ports to reduce congestion and pollution along the I-95 corridor. Learn more
mplement electronic tolling, first as a pilot program on the Hartford area HOV lanes in order to fund transportation improvements, contingent on passage of “STF Lockbox." Learn more
In the next budget cycle, Griebel-Frank will: Incentivize the state’s COGs to move to regional delivery of municipal services (ex. trash collection) Eliminate or reduce specific taxes that hurt job growth such as the Business Entity Tax. The Griebel-Frank Administration will attack the insidious increases in property taxes caused by reductions in municipal aid and the related reduction in municipal services by incentivizing the regional delivery of education and public safety services and by returning tax-exempt properties to their proper commercial classification through sale-leaseback agreements on State-owned office buildings with commercial property developers. The combination of the two actions will drive down local mill rates while adding to each municipality’s property tax collections. A primary goal of our Administration will be the steady reduction over the next several budget cycles of the personal income tax rate to the 4.50% that was in place when the tax was adopted. Learn more
SECURITIZING STATE ASSETS, CONTRIBUTING LOTTERY PROCEEDS TO PENSION FUNDS AND CHANGES IN STATE EMPLOYEE BENEFITS ARE ALL ON THE TABLE. We must also acknowledge that the dual financial felonies of overpromising retiree benefits and failing to fund them have pitted the needs of retirees against those of the pre-k generation. Contribute the state lottery to either or both of the pension funds. Securitize all state-owned assets, excluding public parks, and contribute the proceeds from that transaction to either or both funds. Achieve a balance between attracting and rewarding talented individuals in government service while being fair to today’s taxpayers as well as the taxpayers of tomorrow. Achieve structural changes during union negotiations in 2020 on base compensation and work rules. Learn more
Every decision in which our administration makes will be through the prism of ensuring we are creating 200,000 net new jobs by 2028. Engage current industry leaders in our state and make sure we understand what they need to grow in our state. Attract new investment and create an attractive business climate for new business. We will lower or eliminate business entity tax rate. Establish an integrated approach for workforce development that includes apprenticeship programs and engages employers to create true 21st century jobs. Learn more
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