'May the best man win' philosophy prevails in GOP bid for House seat - TheDay |
| 'May the best man win' philosophy prevails in GOP bid for House seat - TheDay Posted: 07 Aug 2010 01:03 AM PDT The two men vying to become the Republican candidate for the 45th House District seat aren't too far apart when it comes to their goals, and they don't vary greatly on the issues they think are most important for future state legislators to consider. Helmut Reinholtz, 70, of Griswold, and Michael Zelasky, 46, of Lisbon, each say they have something to offer in the way of getting the state's finances under control. The men promise they will bring a fresh perspective to issues, enabling them to point out the flaws in how government agencies operate and the need to fund services without continually increasing taxes. They think the state should live within its means and not borrow money to balance its budget. They both have a "may the best man win" attitude, each having pledged to support the other in November's general election, if necessary. "We're pretty much going after the same things," said Reinholtz, the GOP-endorsed candidate. "We're looking forward to getting past the primary and giving Steve Mikutel a race come November." The 45th District encompasses Lisbon, Griswold, Voluntown and a portion of Plainfield. The winner of the primary will challenge longtime incumbent Democrat Steven Mikutel of Griswold. Zelasky, the Lisbon finance board chairman who petitioned to force the primary, is running for his second shot at the seat, having unsuccessfully tried to oust Mikutel in 2002. It is Reinholtz's first time running for state office. A retired computer engineer, Reinholtz said he evaluates situations and tries to find the simplest answer to complex questions. If he sees something he considers to be absurd, such as how until recently the Griswold school district did not have a business manager to oversee its finances, he is not shy about sharing his opinion. As a former member of the now defunct Griswold Regional Visiting Nurses Association, Reinholtz said he is also keenly aware of the cost of providing community services and what happens when funding for such services is curtailed. He said more must be done to find ways to pay for these costs without increasing taxes. He said the state must become more business-friendly so that revenue generated by businesses can help support the services. He also said the four towns within the 45th District should consider doing more together to make them more cost-efficient. Zelasky also plans to pursue greater cost-effectiveness but would have no qualms about reducing the state's budget, at least in the short term. He fully supports initiatives outlined by the Connecticut Municipal Consortium for Fiscal Responsibility, a group of municipal officials from throughout the state that is trying to reform prevailing wage and binding-arbitration laws. State budget issues and the state's borrowing to balance its budget gnaw at Zelasky. He believes the coming years may be more troublesome than the past and the outlook for state funding more dire. Zelasky said he has the background to help to fix the budget and the state's financial situation. He suggests the governor and the General Assembly should not be involved in deciding what spending to cut. Instead, he recommends that the politicians tell the department commissioners to reduce their budgets by a certain amount and allow the "experts" to decide what to eliminate. "It's no different than how companies do it and it takes the politics out of it," he said. Although their platforms might be similar, Zelasky and Reinholtz have taken vastly different approaches to Tuesday's primary. Zelasky has taken out online and print advertisements and planted signs on lawns throughout the district. By Tuesday morning, he will have visited about 550 of the 2,200 households where a registered Republican resides. In contrast, Reinholtz has done little. Because of personal obligations, the low-key, party-endorsed candidate chose not to launch a full-fledged campaign before the primary. He said he's saving his energy for the election. Five Filters featured article: "Peace Envoy" Blair Gets an Easy Ride in the Independent. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction. |
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