{"id":2818,"date":"2022-10-17T19:26:50","date_gmt":"2022-10-17T19:26:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.shermandems.org\/?p=2818"},"modified":"2024-01-18T23:59:57","modified_gmt":"2024-01-18T23:59:57","slug":"2818-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.shermandems.org\/2818-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Callahan and Ginsburg, running for 108th District, share Candlewood Lake as priority but little else"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Callahan and Ginsburg, running for 108th District, share Candlewood Lake as priority but little else<\/h2>\n

by Kendra Baker, Oct 7, 2022<\/a><\/h6>\n

<\/p>\n

Patrick Callahan and Jeff Ginsburg have little in common, aside from their love of Candlewood Lake.<\/p>\n

As they seek to be elected state representative of Connecticut\u2019s 108th House District this November, the candidates present distinctive perspectives on how to improve the state and cite different priorities from addressing youth crime to supporting senior citizens.<\/p>\n

Callahan is\u00a0a longtime New Fairfield resident,\u00a0seeking a second term<\/a>\u00a0in the seat he\u2019s held since defeating Democrat Dannette Onofrio in the 2020 election.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m looking forward to how productive I can be with the relationships I\u2019ve taken the past two years to develop,\u201d said the Republican incumbent, who has served on the legislature\u2019s Education, Environment, Judiciary and Juvenile Justice Policy & Oversight committees.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re getting your feet wet your freshman first two years,\u201d Callahan said, \u201cand I feel like I\u2019ve made some really great connections and working relationships with both sides of the aisle.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ginsburg\u00a0\u2014\u00a0a Democrat who\u2019s lived in Sherman for nearly 20 years \u2014 said he decided to run for the 108th House District seat for several reasons.<\/p>\n

\u201cI realized that the towns have a number of common interests, and I\u2019ve gotten to a point in my life where I like advocating for those interests,\u201d he said. \u201cI have a threshold of experience working in and with local organizations, and I think it\u2019s time that I start giving back.\u201d<\/p>\n

In addition to serving as chair of the Sherman Democratic Town Committee, Ginsburg is a founding member of both the Sherman Artists Association and the Great Hollow Photographers Club. He\u2019s also a member of the board of directors for the Candlewood Yacht Club in New Fairfield and chairs the organization\u2019s finance committee.<\/p>\n

Whoever is elected in November will represent a slightly different 108th House District. As a result of\u00a0recent changes to Connecticut\u2019s voting district lines<\/a>, the 108th will include a larger number of New Fairfield constituents as of 2023.<\/p>\n

The town\u2019s southwestern corner \u2014 which currently belongs to the 138th House District \u2014 will become part of the 108th, joining all of Sherman, a section of western New Milford and part of northern Danbury.<\/p>\n

Candlewood Lake<\/h2>\n

Both candidates said Candlewood Lake would be among their top priorities if elected or re-elected representative of the 108th House District.<\/p>\n

The issues they say they would focus on, though, are different.<\/p>\n

Ginsburg said serving on the Candlewood Yacht Club\u2019s board of directors for the last 10 years has given him a greater understanding of the lake, as well as the impact it has \u2014 and could have \u2014 on the area.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe five towns on the lake \u2014 four of which are in the 108th District \u2014 do not have a commission where they work together to enhance the economy as the lake contributes to that,\u201d he said. \u201cThat would be something \u2026 that I would advocate for from my position.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ginsburg said such a commission would differ from the Candlewood Lake Authority in that its primary focus would be the \u201ceconomic aspect\u201d of the lake.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe lake is very important to me. I live on the lake, I recreate on the lake and I know that it\u2019s a critical economic force for our area\u2019s economy,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Callahan \u2014\u00a0who served as chairman of the Candlewood Lake Authority for 10 years \u2014 said Candlewood Lake is \u201calways a top priority,\u201d and he also has concerns about Squantz Pond State Park in New Fairfield.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe issues we\u2019re having at Squantz with the influx of out-of-staters through the summer months on the weekends have to be addressed,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m also really concerned about people parking their cars wherever they want and walking with children down Route 39 to Squantz Pond when it\u2019s full.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s been a safety concern for years and town officials have tried to restrict people walking along the road to get to the park \u2014 either by\u00a0asking the state to restrict walk-ins<\/a>\u00a0or\u00a0cracking down on illegal parking in town<\/a>\u00a0\u2014 but the problem persists.<\/p>\n

Callahan: Affordability and juvenile crime<\/h2>\n

If re-elected, Callahan said some of his other priorities would be affordability and juvenile crime.<\/p>\n

\u201cAffordability is the top one,\u201d he said. \u201cIn the past two years, Democrats have passed a couple of new gas taxes that are going to cost us a lot of money on the highway use tax and the diesel tax.\u201d<\/p>\n

Driven by wholesale fuel prices that more than doubled over the past year, the tax on diesel saw a\u00a09.1 cent increase in July<\/a>\u00a0\u2014\u00a0six months before the imposition of Connecticut\u2019s new highway use tax on large commercial trucks, which is expected to cost the industry millions of dollars per year.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe use diesel to heat our homes and any tax you put on a truck delivering goods is going to get passed down onto the consumer,\u201d Callahan said. \u201cWe continue to tax people that serve us and it continues to drive up the cost of living in Connecticut \u2014\u00a0even more so than inflation.\u201d<\/p>\n

Callahan \u2014\u00a0who worked in law enforcement for almost 30 years\u00a0\u2014\u00a0said juvenile crime is still a problem, and one he would keep fighting to address if re-elected.<\/p>\n

He said part of the ongoing juvenile crime problem is that the courts go too easy on youthful offenders.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn the pre-trial process, there\u2019s no accountability. There\u2019s nothing being done to curb it,\u201d Callahan said. \u201cThere has to be consequences, and right now there aren\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n

Even though Republicans presented \u201cseveral different solutions\u201d in the past two sessions that all got voted down, Callahan said he\u2019s determined to continue trying.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve worked with so many different groups of people and kids to turn their lives around,\u201d he said. \u201cIf they\u2019re not getting disciplined and not seeing consequences early on, they think they can keep doing this forever and it escalates into larger crimes \u2014\u00a0and then they wind up in jail.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ginsburg: Senior citizens and zoning<\/h2>\n

If elected, Ginsburg said one of his other priorities would be \u201censuring that senior residents have good options for staying and enjoying the area.\u201d<\/p>\n

He said he would focus on what can be done financially and organizationally at the state level to \u201cimprove what\u2019s going on for the seniors.\u201d<\/p>\n

When asked if housing would be part of his focus, Ginsburg said he would work with the towns \u201cto see what resources are available from the state level,\u201d but the decision would ultimately be up to them.<\/p>\n

\u201cI would certainly be in the mix, asking questions and making sure people are making decisions very explicitly \u2014 but the towns would have to drive it and decide to what extent,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Ginsburg said he knows several older residents who had to move out of the area due to a lack of alternative, smaller-scale housing options. He also knows the topic of housing development can be controversial.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith some people, there\u2019s that not-in-my-backyard kind of syndrome \u2014\u00a0and others say, \u2018Look, people are moving out,\u2019\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s going to be a compromise, but I think the platform of being a state representative might help bring attention to that, and I think it\u2019s something worth looking at.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ginsburg \u2014 who\u00a0manages residential apartments in the Danbury area and has helped tenants obtain emergency rental and other types of assistance over the years \u2014\u00a0said he gets his passion to help people from his dad.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy father had the biggest drug store in Danbury,\u00a0and he always went out of his way to provide outstanding service and help customers,\u201d he said. \u201cThat has inspired me to do that with my tenants and in my career.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ginsburg said keeping zoning regulations within the control of the towns would be another priority of his as a state representative.<\/p>\n

\u201cEach town is different, so I want to make sure they have the autonomy to determine their own zoning regulations because that affects the quality of life in a town,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Callahan said that is something he, too, feels strongly about.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want to make sure that control over zoning remains local, and I always vote that way \u2014\u00a0to protect our communities and our ability to handle our own zoning,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

2022 election<\/h2>\n

Callahan said he believes he\u2019s done a good job representing the 108th district and hopes voters re-elect him in November.<\/p>\n

The above article was copied from the newstimes website,\u00a0https:\/\/www.newstimes.com\/news\/article\/Candlewood-zoning-priorities-of-108th-candidates-17482953.php<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Callahan and Ginsburg, running for 108th District, share Candlewood Lake as priority but little else by Kendra Baker, Oct 7, 2022 Patrick Callahan and Jeff Ginsburg have little in common, … Continue reading Callahan and Ginsburg, running for 108th District, share Candlewood Lake as priority but little else<\/span> →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[24,5,6,14],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.shermandems.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2818"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.shermandems.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.shermandems.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.shermandems.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.shermandems.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2818"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"http:\/\/www.shermandems.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2818\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2823,"href":"http:\/\/www.shermandems.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2818\/revisions\/2823"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.shermandems.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2818"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.shermandems.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2818"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.shermandems.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2818"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}