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Fawcett, a Fairfield Democrat, and Hwang, a Fairfield Republican, both serve in the state House of Representatives. They are running for the District 28 seat in the state Senate, representing Fairfield, Easton, Weston, Newtown and Westport. The seat is currently held by Fairfield Republican John McKinney, who is not seeking re-election.
Wednesday's forum at the Pequot Library was hosted by the Fairfield Chamber of Commerce and the Connecticut Business and Industry Association. It focused on how government can support business growth in the state.
Both candidates pointed to their work in the House as examples of how they have strived to support business and improve the state’s transportation infrastructure.
“Economic uncertainty, high governmental cost and restrictive bureaucracy that we’ve all encountered in dealing with government are the biggest prohibitive obstacles for our businesses in the private sector,” said Hwang. “And one of the things I have made a mission to do is to empower our businesses. We need to eliminate these obstacles to empower them to succeed.”
Hwang said recent work he supported in the House helped eliminate more than a thousand pages of unnecessary business regulations. He said the work was bipartisan and an example of how he was able to accomplish something and make a difference for businesses.
Fawcett said she would continue to advocate for policies that support job growth and small businesses.
“And really what a lot of people may not know is, a lot of these policies have already been put in place,” she said. Fawcett was referring to a jobs bill passed in 2011 that she said provided access to capital for businesses that wanted to grow and hire in the state and focused on growing the state’s workforce for the future. “Implementing that bill is continuing today and will continue for the next several years,” she said.
Fawcett said the state needs a plan to improve its transportation infrastructure, which is vital to economic health.
“If we continue on the path we are on today, 30 years from now we will have the exact same transportation infrastructure we have now,” she said. Fawcett said the Transform CT program, which creates a strategic plan to address the state's transportation problems, includes $3.8 billion to modernize Metro-North trains with new lines, tracks and bridges. “If we modernize our transportation infrastructure, you’re looking at a reduced travel time between New Haven and New York City of about an hour.”
Hwang said he advocated for a lock box policy that would ensure money was set aside for transportation.
“I proposed a bill to have that money secured specifically for transportation purposes. Here’s the problem: It was never acted upon by the General Assembly,” he said. He also said the state government needed to be more bipartisan and work together for the best interest of the voters.
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