Nick Menapace, a Democrat, mentioned his determination to run for State Consultant was a end result of his 11 years as a center faculty social research trainer in Norwich, the place he has taught his college students that it’s necessary to be concerned of their authorities.
Menapace is working for the thirty seventh State Home district, representing East Lyme and components of Salem and Montville, which has been held by his Republican opponent, State Rep. Holly Cheeseman, since 2016.
He’s looking for to win again a district that was held by Democrats Ed Jutila and Gary Orefice for twenty-four years, between 1992 and when Jutila retired in 2016 – and by different Democrats between 1974 and 1990.
Menapace – who mentioned he has at all times been taken with public service, from when he earned the rank of Eagle Scout, to his profession in training – mentioned he needs to be State Consultant to assist the individuals of East Lyme, Salem and Montville in any approach he can, and that he would search to enhance security and psychological well being for college kids and academics, and make cities extra bikeable and walkable.
Inform me about your platform. What are your objectives in case you are elected to the state Home?
The largest aim is to assist the individuals in East Lyme, Salem and Montville in any approach I can. I actually wish to become involved and get my palms soiled.
However I believe the largest subject for me proper now’s affordability. We have to do extra about the price of residing, about the price of housing. We wish to assist seniors, households, younger individuals – all these folks that we wish to be certain that are staying in Connecticut, we must be doing extra to make the state an interesting place for them. I additionally wish to decrease the price of pharmaceuticals and make healthcare extra inexpensive.
Environmental points are large, particularly for a shoreline group. I wish to do extra to protect open area, as a result of that’s actually going to assist our shoreline communities coping with the results of local weather change. I believe individuals generally don’t see that connection within the rush to construct new homes and construct new issues. I believe open area is massively useful to our well being – it retains our communities cooler, and our air cleaner.
I additionally wish to guarantee that we’re doing extra to defend and develop reproductive rights in Connecticut. Now we have codified reproductive freedom, but it surely annoyed me what number of Republicans mentioned that it wasn’t crucial, together with my opponent. That was earlier than the Supreme Court docket ruling that overturned Roe v. Wade, and since then it’s been irritating as a result of the Connecticut GOP is hoping that individuals overlook about this as a result of they know Connecticut believes in entry to reproductive well being.
What do you suppose the state must do to make it extra inexpensive to stay in Connecticut?
Quite a lot of these items that we speak about are short-term options to a long-term drawback. One factor I’d wish to see is extra of an funding in transferring away from a few of the automobile tradition that we’ve. And I don’t imply that I don’t need individuals to personal vehicles, however I wish to present the choice to individuals.
If we had extra sidewalks and bike lanes, I believe individuals would select to try this extra. However individuals I’ve talked to right here inform me they’d wish to stroll extra, however they’ll’t as a result of the sidewalk ends. And it may be actually harmful to bike right here the place there aren’t bike lanes, since you’re principally simply in a lane with vehicles. We’re not going to ask kids to try this in the event that they wish to go journey their bike to see their buddies.
It’s the identical factor with public transportation. If we’ve higher choices, then individuals gained’t have to drive as a lot, and gasoline costs are going to have an effect on us much less. I solely know just a few people who find themselves capable of commute with no automobile, however that’s not at all times a straightforward feat, and a whole lot of instances they should take a journey share to get hope.
What do you suppose is the state’s position in controlling the price of power, and the way has the state carried out balancing renewable power objectives with prices?
The gasoline tax vacation is clearly a short-term assist, but it surely’s not an answer to all of our issues as a result of it can ultimately finish. I do wish to maintain us according to these targets we’ve of lowering carbon emissions – and a few of what I mentioned earlier than about public transportation and making locations extra walkable are methods of making an attempt to cut back that.
I believe that these long run objectives we’ve of transferring to renewable power and lowering our dependence on fossil fuels is necessary, as a result of we’re seeing the results of local weather change. We must be it as an actual risk to our lifestyle, particularly residing in a shoreline group the place we’ve an elevated threat of flooding.
I simply wish to see that we’re utilizing each device in our toolbox to attempt to fight that.
What do you suppose is the state’s position in guaranteeing individuals have entry to inexpensive housing?
I wish to guarantee that individuals know the way inexpensive housing would profit our communities. We’re seeing it right here in East Lyme, and in Montville and Salem, how understaffed a whole lot of locations are. And if we don’t have entry for individuals to stay in these communities, it’s going to stay the identical.
Now we have to verify there’s sufficient individuals to work a few of these jobs, and it doesn’t matter in the event that they stay in different cities if they’ll’t get right here. I simply suppose that when you work full time in a city, you must in all probability be capable to afford to stay there.
I believe the state mustn’t simply provide incentives for individuals to construct the sort of housing, but in addition to coach the communities, as a result of they’ve these fears about issues prefer it decreasing the price of different housing and different issues which are simply not true based mostly on each examine. I do know the city’s usually are not going to reply properly if the state is available in and tries to power them to do one thing, so I need them to concentrate on why that is going to learn them, and I need there to be an incentive for them to do it.
What does the state have to do to make healthcare extra inexpensive and accessible?
I believe we’ve actually seen that this larger market for medical insurance has not labored to tremendously cut back our healthcare prices, as we ust noticed medical insurance corporations increase their charges dramatically regardless of how a lot cash they’ve made.
They selected to jack up these charges as a result of that’s what an organization does, and that’s what a well being insuance firm is more likely to do. I believe one of many first issues that we actually want to contemplate is the general public choice.
I wish to see that again on the desk. I’m not saying it’s the tip all be all that may repair all our issues, however it can give us an choice that’s not a for-profit choice. I believe it will be cheaper not simply because the federal government is providing it, however as a result of we’re going to see financial savings from shared pharmaceutical plans.
I believe we have to roll out each choice we are able to consider on the state stage. I’d wish to see Connecticut and a few neighboring states take into account what California has carried out, making an attempt to place cash into producing its personal insulin. And might we push this to start out manufacturing a few of our personal low-cost generics? Perhaps that’s an concept that we have to put on the market and take into account if that is going to avoid wasting us cash long run. We must be making an attempt each single choice and seeing if it will assist cut back these prices.
What would your key objectives be for enhancing instructional outcomes in Connecticut?
It’s so necessary proper now to acknowledge how a lot we’ve to place into serving to the psychological well being of our college students, but in addition our academics. I noticed final yr simply how a lot children have been coping with, and the way unprepared a whole lot of them felt for coping with a few of these points.
I see this yr that the colleges have carried out lots to assist out, and that’s positively improved. However it’s not simply one thing we are able to snap our fingers and repair. We have to maintain engaged on it, as a result of in the event that they graduate they usually’re nonetheless coping with this trauma and these points, they’re going to have that have in society as properly. So the extra we spend money on it now, the higher our society might be for it.
It’s the identical for our academics. All of us see the information, we see what persons are saying, and a lot of it’s us being advised as academics that we’re the dangerous guys. I simply suppose it’s a daft concept that Bob Stefanowski is aware of higher than our Board of Schooling, superintendents and academics do.
I wish to be certain that we’re doing all the pieces we are able to to guard our youngsters, and maintain our academics in class. And we are able to’t try this if we’re saying these academics are on the market to get your children and train them belongings you don’t need them to know. They’re making an attempt the very best they’ll, and we must be doing extra to assist them within the classroom.
I’d additionally wish to see us make investments extra in a few of our applications to assist make up for this hole we’re having with out there academics. I do know a whole lot of academics who’ve left the sector as a result of they felt like they have been getting used as a political device and a tradition struggle subject. And that was even earlier than COVID, but it surely’s turning into much more. So we must be doing extra to help the academics who’re there and get extra academics concerned.
We additionally want to verify college students are feeling protected from violence in class. They see what’s taking place in faculties across the nation, and I simply discover it robust that our resolution has been to show kids find out how to disguise within the classroom if a gunman is available in.
It’s additionally defending our college students from being victimized. We’ve seen trans college students used as some sort of boogeyman. I perceive that the concept of the LGBT group makes individuals uncomfortable, however that’s simply one thing they’re going to should take care of, as a result of our college students who’re trans or homosexual are simply as a lot one in all our college students as anybody else.
One other half is simply the bodily infrastructure of our faculties. Ensuring we’ve a greater scenario with our buses so college students don’t should be on the bus so lengthy. We’re making an attempt to verify our faculties are higher insulated and have higher entry to air-con, and that air high quality is best in order that they’re not coping with well being points.
How efficient do you suppose the police accountability laws is, and are there any modifications that must be made?
I actually wish to see that we’re doing extra to have police arrange for disaster intervention. We wouldn’t ship police to combat a fireplace, so we shouldn’t ship them to a scenario they aren’t skilled for, like psychological well being crises that may be higher served by a social employee.
Law enforcement officials have a really tough job, and I wish to be certain that we’re placing in additional help to verify they can concentrate on public security as an alternative of coping with crises they aren’t skilled for.
Faculty useful resource officers have been an enormous subject, and I’ll say that all I’ve identified has been a beautiful particular person and has been somebody individuals really feel like they’ll discuss to. However I don’t know if it’s essentially an efficient program.
I’ve seen points in different faculties the place you see kids arrested for points that ought to not have been elevated to that stage, and will have simply been dealt with in faculties. I wish to see us do extra with these sources, and I don’t know if the SRO program is as efficient as a social employee could be in lots of instances.
However I believe it’s necessary that our authorities is held accountable, and I wish to be certain that our sources are used correctly. I don’t suppose that East Lyme wants army {hardware} for our police. I believe our police do a terrific job, and I might a lot reasonably they’ve sufficient sources for public security. So I don’t wish to hear they don’t have sufficient personnel to take care of a problem, after which we discover out the division has an armored personnel service.
What do you concentrate on marijuana legalization, and are there any modifications that must be made to how that’s rolled out?
I believe it’s fairly apparent that the complete nation is transferring towards marijuana legalization, and that’s one thing that is sensible.
After I first heard in regards to the invoice, I had some hesitation as a result of I wasn’t positive if the best way we have been issuing these licenses was the very best technique. I wish to guarantee that we’re having fairness. And the communities which have been damage probably the most by the drug struggle are poor communities and communities of colour, and I needed them to have the ability to profit. I don’t know if having a license payment as excessive as they’d was one of the simplest ways to advertise fairness.
There have been considerations from individuals about how it will change their communities, however I are inclined to suppose that in just a few years, we might be used to them. However I wish to guarantee that this cash goes again into our communities and isn’t simply leaving the state. That’s my essential concern.
The place do you see your self within the Democratic Occasion?
I consider myself as a fairly progressive particular person. I’ve been advised repeatedly that I’m fairly younger, however my college students did suppose I used to be 60 in the beginning of the yr, in order that was wild.
I’m a realistic particular person. I wish to view this by each lens and scope that we are able to. I don’t have all of the solutions, I don’t know many academics who suppose they’ve all of the solutions. I’d like to have the ability to communicate on training points within the legislature, but when I’m not on that committee, I’m able to do no matter I have to .
I need this job to have the ability to assist individuals, and that’s the largest factor is that I’m going to do all the pieces I can to assist individuals.
