December 2019

The loss of jobs in our district during the decline of the 1980s has erased population and cost too many towns the critical mass of population and commerce needed to create new jobs and make existing ones more secure. Real-world solutions require real-world, private-sector jobs to spur growth. From additional vocational and skilled labor, educational training programs in our schools, …

Local governments, private sector employers, and consumers are all being hammered by rising health care costs, largely driven by Obamacare mandates. Briefly put, older workforces are costing more to insure. This drives up costs, holds down development, and overlooks the extraordinary value of a seasoned, experience workforce. A benefits consortium of municipal governments can help drive down these costs, but …

Real estate, school taxes, and public education. Public education is in profound jeopardy because of a combination of unfunded state mandates on districts and a declining tax base. Taxpayers aren’t getting their money’s worth and students aren’t getting the education to which they are constitutionally entitled. The 33 rd District has a number of underperforming districts as a result of …