CT Patch Candidate Profile: Joe Kelly For State Senator

GREENWICH, CT — Election Day on Nov. 3 is fast approaching, and there are a number of key races on the ballot.

Patch reached out to candidates for office to get more information on their campaigns and the issues that are facing the state and town.

Joe Kelly is running for the 36th State Senate District, which covers all of Greenwich and portions of Stamford and New Canaan.

Candidate's Name:

Joe Kelly

What office are you seeking?

Connecticut State Senate 36 District

Age:

63

District:

36th

Party:

Republican

Campaign website:

https://joekellyforsenate.com

Occupation:

CEO

Family:

My wife Jill Kelly and my four children Kristi, Brittani, Joe Jr and Kaitlin

Does anyone in your family work in government?

Jill Kelly Greenwich RTM

Previous public office:

RTM District Chairman, BOE Chairman and BET. CMS, Cardinal Stadium and JC building committees.

Why are you seeking this office?

Connecticut is losing businesses, jobs, and workers, and families are being squeezed by some of the highest electricity costs, taxes, and housing prices in the country. For 25 years I have owned and run businesses in Connecticut as an employer and home builder, so I know what businesses need to stay here and what it takes to get new ones to move here.

I have also spent years serving Greenwich on the BET, the Board of Education, the RTM, and several school building committees, where I delivered projects like Cardinal Stadium from planning through construction. Across all of it, I have a record of working together with people across the table and doing what is right, even when it is not easy. I show up, I do the work, and I deliver results.

I'm running for the 36th District to bring that experience to Hartford, carry on Senator Fazio's work, and help make Connecticut a top 10 state for doing business.

What do you believe is the No. 1 issue facing Connecticut, and how do you plan to address it?

I believe the No. 1 issue facing Connecticut is affordability, and one of the biggest threats to our towns right now is Hartford taking zoning decisions away from the people who live here. Under HB 8002, regional councils now set housing targets for each town, the state limits local parking rules, and funding for schools and infrastructure is tied to following Hartford's housing plans.

In the Senate I will work to repeal those mandates and return planning and zoning authority to local commissions and the residents who elect them. I will also push to reform the 8-30g affordable housing statute so developers cannot use it to override local zoning, and so towns get full credit for the affordable and workforce housing they already have. Every town should build more housing we can afford, but local boards that know their roads, schools, sewers, and neighborhoods should decide where and how it happens.

I have served on the BET, the Board of Education, and several building committees, and I know that decisions made closest to home are the ones that work best.

Energy costs have been soaring in Connecticut. What are your plans to help address this issue?

Connecticut families and businesses pay some of the highest electricity rates in the country, and fixing that is one of my top priorities. I have worked in the power generation business for almost 20 years, so I understand how power is produced, bought, and priced, and where the waste is.

My first step will be to remove the public benefits charges from our electric bills, because state programs and mandates should be paid for openly through the budget, not hidden in every ratepayer's monthly bill. Next, I will push to develop more nuclear power, including new advanced reactors, to build on Millstone and give Connecticut reliable, carbon-free baseload power at a stable price. I will also work to bring more hydropower into our energy mix, both in-state and through expanded transmission from our neighbors in the north.

Lower energy costs mean lower costs for every household and every business, and that is how we make Connecticut affordable and competitive again.

Affordability has been a major topic across the country and here in Connecticut. How do you plan to address this issue?

Affordability is the issue I hear about most, and in Connecticut it starts with a tax burden that pushes families and employers to other states. I will fight to lower the state income tax rate, because most of our small and mid-sized businesses pay their taxes through the personal income tax, and every dollar they save can go back into hiring, wages, and growth.

I have owned and run businesses in Connecticut for 25 years, and I have watched too many owners and employers leave for Florida, Texas, and other states that compete harder for them. A lower, more competitive income tax will help us keep the businesses we have and give new companies a reason to move here instead of passing us by. We can pay for it the way any well-run business would: by controlling spending, cutting waste, and growing the economy so the tax base expands instead of shrinking.

More businesses and more jobs mean more opportunity and lower costs for everyone, and that is how we make Connecticut affordable again and a top 10 state for doing business.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

For 25 years I have built and run businesses in Connecticut, as CEO of Uranium Markets and President of Forestland Development, after a career in fixed income in New York, Tokyo, and London that taught me how to manage budgets, meet a payroll, and make tough decisions.

My wife Jill and I raised our four children here in Connecticut, and we also welcomed three more children into our home as foster parents and legal guardians. In Greenwich I served on the RTM and then four years on the Board of Education, including a year as Chairman, chair of its Labor Negotiations Committee, and service on its Budget, EMAC, and Policy Committees and as Parks and Recreation liaison.

Today I serve on the Board of Estimate and Taxation and its Budget Committee, and I helped take the new Central Middle School from the first engineer's report through completion across more than 550 meetings. I chaired the Cardinal Stadium Building Committee and served on its Feasibility Committee, served on the Julian Curtiss Building and Feasibility Committees and the Central Middle School Building Committee, and serve as a Havemeyer Building trustee after serving on its Feasibility, Reimagine, and RFP Committees.

In the community I serve on the boards of the Greenwich Chamber of Commerce, the Greenwich Old Timers Athletic Association, and the Greenwich Lions Club, and as President of the Windrose Way and Mead Point Associations, and I have served on the boards of Iona University, the Red Cross, the Greenwich Soccer Association, and the Greenwich Basketball Association, in addition to ten years as a volunteer firefighter and coaching GHS rugby to nine championships.

Across all of it, I have a record of working together, doing what is right, showing up, and delivering, and that is exactly what I will bring to Hartford.

Is there anything else you would like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

I'm not running because I need a job or a title, but because I think I can help. I was born and raised in Queens, built a career in New York, Tokyo, and London, and chose Greenwich as the place to raise our family, and Connecticut has given my family so much that I want to give back. My priorities are simple: lower energy costs through more nuclear and hydropower, lower income taxes to keep businesses here and bring new ones in, and return zoning decisions to our towns.

I want Connecticut to be a top 10 state for doing business, because more businesses mean more jobs, more opportunity, and a more affordable life for every family. I will listen to people across the district, work with anyone who wants to get things done, and always do what I believe is right for the people I represent. I would be honored to have your vote, and I promise to show up, work hard, and deliver for you in Hartford.