Fairfield LWV Hosts Legislative Delegation at Forum

FAIRFIELD — A broad range of state and local issues were discussed Saturday as the Fairfield delegation came together for a legislative breakfast hosted by the League of Women Voters of Fairfield.

From Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s proposed biennial budget and transportation, on to mental health, election reform, housing, education and the economy, the delegates — state Sen. Tony Hwang (R-28), and state Reps. Brenda Kupchick (R-132), Laura Devlin (R-134) and Cristin McCarthy Vahey (R-133) — gave attendees insight into their perspectives and prospective legislative outcomes.

The forum took place at the Fairfield Museum and History Center, three days after Gov. Malloy presented his proposed budget in an address to the Connecticut General Assembly. The 2015 legislative session got underway on Jan. 7 and runs to June 3.

The discussion was prompted by questions from forum moderator Bryce Perry, who is vice president of the LWV of Fairfield, as well as questions from the audience.

Residents can watch a video recording of the forum thanks to FairTV. That recording can be accessed at any time on FairTV’s On Demand site.

“The League of Women Voters of Fairfield is to be commended for providing residents of Fairfield with opportunities like this forum to engage with elected representatives and for facilitating civil conversations on issues that are important to our community,” Senator Hwang said. “I’m looking forward to working with our state delegation and other leaders from both parties to tackle the very difficult and critically important work ahead of us this session. I welcome constituent input at every step of the process, and encourage folks to reach out through my website, www.senatorhwang.com.”

“I was really pleased to have this opportunity to share the latest issues at the State Capitol with Fairfielders. I also enjoyed listening to the concerns and opinions of interested residents and will keep them in mind as the session moves forward,” Rep. Devlin said.

Rep. Kupchick said, “I appreciate the Fairfield League of Women Voters hosting the public forum. The legislature is facing many challenges that will require a lot of hard work and input from residents. I try very hard to keep Fairfield informed through newsletters, social media and our local papers. I’m hopeful residents will continue to share their thoughts with me on the issues that are important to them.”

“I thank the Fairfield League of Women Voters for hosting this event which covered various issues including campaign financing, gun control and mental health,” Rep. McCarthy Vahey said. “I look forward to working with the League as we seek to address important issues in Hartford.”