PRIORITIES
The issues we're talking about this election couldn't be more important. Here's what Wes will be fighting for when he's elected!
As the chair of the Marlborough Board of Education, Wes deeply understands and values the importance of our children’s education. Wes has also seen first hand the current challenges our schools are facing in the wake of the pandemic. Wes is focused on addressing the mental health crisis facing our children, improving nutrition, and providing our students with the best teachers and curriculum available. We owe a debt of gratitude to the teachers who stepped up and worked under unpredictable conditions during the pandemic. Wes stands with our teachers and is committed to providing the kinds of support they need in the classroom to help address the many current and future challenges in education.
So many of this current generation's successes can be traced back to the people that raised them, which is why Wes is laser focused on looking out for our elderly population. Connecticut has passed some fantastic legislation offering protection to our senior citizens from fraud, and Wes is committed to building on that momentum to look out for those who looked out for us.
Our veterans bravely served our country, and it is critical we look out for them when they return home to Connecticut. Wes is supportive of every measure that expands veterans benefits and makes it easier for them to access the care they need to make transitioning back into civilian life as easy as possible.
With the recent Supreme Court ruling that overturned Roe v. Wade, the right to safe and legal abortions is no longer a certainty for women throughout the country. While Connecticut has some of the strongest protections in the country for women’s reproductive rights, having codified Roe V. Wade in 1990, action must be taken to ensure that these rights remain. Wes supports a woman’s right to make her own decisions about her reproductive health and will, alongside all elected CT Democrats, keep fighting to ensure abortion remains safe and legal for all women in Connecticut.
Affordable healthcare continues to be a serious financial burden for many families in Connecticut. Prescription drug prices continue to rise faster than inflation rates, making it even harder for families to afford medications they need in order to be healthy. It is a travesty that, in a country with so many resources available, American citizens cannot buy safe and necessary medications because the price is just too high. In 2004, Wes was involved in a federal case in which he helped physicians to import medications in order to help make them more affordable for their patients. In the end, Wes was required to pay a $1000 fine as a result. As Representative of the 55th district, Wes will work to make healthcare more affordable for our constituency by working towards enacting legislation that will bring down prescription drug costs. Wes applauds the efforts already underway in the state senate to bring down prescription drug costs, and will contribute to those efforts in the House.
There’s something special about our small-town communities in Connecticut. Each have their own traditions and ways of coming together to solve problems in their town’s best interest. Wes believes that our unique, small towns should continue to celebrate our local flavor and way of doing things. As such, school regionalization and zoning decisions should continue to be made at the local level where our unique needs can be met.
Wes believes in making Connecticut’s tax dollars work for our communities. Our state is currently experiencing the largest tax surplus the state has ever witnessed. Wes knows that now, more than ever, we should use these financial resources to invest in our families and provide critical tax-relief measures for working-class members of our communities. Our tax dollars must support new and struggling local businesses working to regain their footing in these critical years as we move beyond the economic impacts of the pandemic that have affected so many in our state.
President Obama famously warned that “we are the first generation to feel the effect of climate change and the last generation who can do something about it." The time has come to face this challenge with the seriousness it deserves. We can no longer leave this crisis for future generations to solve, climate change is here today. As representative of the 55th district, Wes will fight to bring the type of innovative policy necessary to meet the challenges of our changing climate. He will do this by working to build a climate resilient economy that supports innovation and prepares our state for the climate change challenges of today and the future.
As an avid hiker and mountain biker, Wes enjoys the many beautiful trails and forests that Connecticut has to offer. As such, he is a strong advocate for environmental conservation policies that will protect our beautiful forest ecosystems and agricultural lands that are so deeply important to our state’s history and economy. Wes will work with fellow lawmakers across the political spectrum who are committed to building strong economic policies to support Connecticut farmers. We will do this by providing financial incentives to encourage and support both rural and urban farmers in their efforts to build climate resilient food systems through the use of climate smart agriculture.
This issue becomes ever more important as climate change projections for both our country and our state accelerates our need for immediate action on environmental policy. Wes stands with Connecticut Democrats as they work to reduce carbon by making renewable energy options accessible and affordable. And, as our state continues to see the impacts of severe storms and flooding, immediate action is needed to not only restore damaged infrastructure but to invest in emerging technologies that will make us better prepared to face these climate threats in the future. Wes is committed to investing in critical infrastructure to support climate resilient water management systems- including the restoration of wetlands and protection of watersheds.