30 Ideas for the 30th District – Government Reform
By Jim Sargent | July 17, 2010
It is no secret that issue number one for the next state legislature is jobs. In order to correct the problems that politicians have gotten into, though, we must reform the way that we do government. The old approach is what got us into this mess, and we need to see real change before we’ll get Connecticut back on track.
So that we can have a government more worried about results than politics, and one that represents the people instead of special interests, these are my proposals for reforming the way that our government works:
Term Limits
Our state legislature is intended to be a part time government body made up of regular citizens. When they can be elected indefinitely, though, they begin to worry more about their own political ambition than serving the people at home. Our state representatives and state senators are constantly in campaign mode, worrying about getting re-elected instead of serving. The solution to this is term limits.
There are an infinite number of combinations of term limits and term lengths. The politicians who would like to be re-elected, however, continually fail to support any efforts that might put their positions of power in jeopardy. I propose a limit of ONE term – 4 years for state representatives and 6 years for state senators. No lawmaker in Connecticut will ever have to worry about re-election instead of serving the people, and Connecticut will have a legislature focused on making bold progress and doing the right thing, instead of pandering to special interests.
Redistricting Reform
The next state legislature will be required to redraw the lines for our state legislative and Congressional districts. If history repeats itself, party leaders will insert themselves into the process and attempt to create districts more favorable to one party or the other. The result is that our elections are all but rigged. Some districts are for Democrats, others for Republicans. The people who will redraw these districts are exactly the people who will benefit from a corrupt and gerrymandered system. It is a flagrant conflict of interest and it needs to stop.
When district lines are redrawn during the term of the next legislature, it should be done by a transparent bipartisan panel, and they should be strictly forbidden from considering political party affiliation when creating those districts. Partisan gerrymandering is nothing short of corruption, and when Connecticut voters get their way, it will be a thing of the past.
Open Primaries
This August, Democrats and Republicans will be determining their nominees for office with a closed primary. Effectively, Connecticut takes away half the right to vote for those who are not enrolled in a political party. This is constitutionally questionable and morally wrong, but it also forces voters to choose from candidates who usually represent both political extremes. Voters know that neither Democrats nor Republicans are always right, but they are asked to choose between candidates who were nominated because of their extreme views, party loyalty, or ability to persuade partisan leaders behind closed doors. Connecticut needs to give independent voters the full right to vote, and increase the quality of our nominees for office, by joining the states with open primaries.
Clean Elections
I support Connecticut’s Citizens Election Program. Nowhere else in the United States has made the progress on clean elections that we have in Connecticut. Not only does the public financing of elections clean up our campaigns, but also saves Connecticut money. With lobbyist money banned, our elected officials are no longer indebted to the special interests who previously funded political campaigns. As state representative, I will fight for the Citizens Election Program and work to strengthen it and expand its scope.
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