Community Corner

State Representative Incumbent Steve Fontana Discusses Platform

The Democratic State Representative candidate talks about the importance of experience, and the virtues of political patience.

Running this year in his ninth election for State Representative for North Haven, Steve Fontana, who has served the 87th District for seven terms, is candid about what experience in government has taught him.

"Over time you develop a strong sense of where your town stands on certain issues," says the incumbent. "I know my constituency better than I did 16 years ago, and I think the reason I've been reelected is that I listen to what the voters have to say."

Republican opponent David Yaccarino, competing in his first race this year, has presented himself as a newcomer to state government unburdened by the political status quo; but Fontana, while an advocate for progressive policies regarding job creation and legislative accountability, is quick to point out the value of consistency and alliance-building in the capital, a process that, he admits, does not happen overnight. 

Find out what's happening in North Havenwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

"Building good legislation requires patience," explains Fontana. "My goals for the future are to keep working on policies that we were developing before the election, such as ways of closing the budget deficit, the protection of municipal aid for education."

Pointing to the nation-wide recession, Fontana suggests that now is a particularly crucial time for constancy and reliability in government.

Find out what's happening in North Havenwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

A key component of Fontana's position is his insistence that the legislature adopt a policy called Results-Based Accountability, or RBA, that would require state programs and projects to maintain detailed, publically-available records of their dealings, budgets, and accomplishments.

"It's a simple system of asking, in statistical terms, 'How much are we spending, how well are we performing, and who is better off as a result of our policies?'," explains Fontana. "When resources are tight like they are now, it's important to reduce government waste and irresponsibility."

While efforts to implement RBA have been blocked by Republican Governor Rell, Fontana is optimistic that a Democratic win this November would result in a more widespread adoption of the program.

Still, although Fontana says that he is proud to be a member of the Democratic Party, he maintains that bipartisanship, at least at the local level, is vital in representing North Haven voters in Hartford.

"I've found that it has helped get things done for North Haven with the bipartisan team of myself and [Republican State Senator] Len Fasano," says Fontana. "You need, on the one hand, someone who is with the majority in the legislature, and on the other, someone who can have calls from the Governor returned."

"People in North Haven are very independent," adds the candidate, alluding to the town's variable voting records in state and national elections. "Some of my constituents have said that I'm the only Democrat they vote for, and I try and do my job in a measured, non-inflammatory way."

Fontana alludes to the fact that he has always left his Democratic affiliation off of his campaign materials, contending that locally, party matters less than the person running for office.

"At the end of the day," he says. "I try and represent those who vote for me, those who don't, and those who don't vote at all."

Given the state of the economy, Fontana holds that the need for  jobs is an issue that transcends factionalism and party allegiance; among the Representative's suggestions for improving the climate for workers are a measure to lower the cost of healthcare for small businesses by 18%, as well as encouraging the development of innovative and emerging industries, such as alternative energy.

Reducing the tax burden on citizens is another priority, continues Fontana. The candidate says that he will endorse a bill to lower energy costs, as well as encourage programs to pool public medical resources, a measure he argues will save the state tens of millions of dollars.

"It's a period of time when we're doing our best as a state to withstand what's happening at a national and international level," says the current Representative. "We need to maintain our investment in critical services while at the same time pursuing policies that will help us going forward for the next ten, twenty, thirty years."

Polls will open on November 2.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here