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Representing Our Collective Interests
By Kevin Witkos, Canton
I want to be the State Representative for Avon and Canton. I will represent your interests by working hand-in-hand with you to manage growth, diversify the tax base, and provide quality education.
Increasing property taxes are crippling even when town budgets are reduced. Connecticut’s property tax exceeds the national average. The per capita property tax burden in Connecticut is $1,501 as compared to the national average of $817. One reason is unfunded state mandates. While the State of Connecticut increases its spending, the cost of those unfunded state mandates becomes a budget item in your local taxes. I believe it is my responsibility to stand up and demand legislation that addresses this issue. I am prepared to do just that.
Quality education is of primary importance to all Avon and Canton residents. We enjoy excellent school systems, and we want to preserve them. Offering a comprehensive instructional program to our students costs millions of dollars. I want to see that legislation that is passed helps rather than hurts our communities. Unfortunately, last year, legislation passed that actually reduced Avon’s and Canton’s share from statutory formula grants. My opponent voted for such legislation.
Statutory formula grants allowed Connecticut’s three largest cities (Bridgeport, Hartford and New Haven) to receive disproportionately large amounts from such grants. These three cities contribute just over 3% of the total income tax collected by the state, yet they receive over 30% of the total funds distributed in state aid and over 38% of the Mohegan/ Pequot funds.
Interestingly, legislation was introduced to take some of the Mohegan/ Pequot money from each of the three cities and reallocate the funds to the remaining 166 towns for special education funding. (Even with this reallocation, Hartford would still have received $16 million.) But my opponent voted to keep that money in the cities. I want to work for Avon and Canton.
My record speaks for itself. I have dedicated myself to service and the good of my community. I want to share my skills, enthusiasm and abilities with my fellow residents. I want to represent our collective interests as your State Representative.
Please support my campaign—Vote Witkos in November—and help me to help you. Please visit my website at <www.witkos.us>. If you have questions or concerns or if you would like one of my signs for your lawn, please call me at 860-841-3359.
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