William Halliday, Photo Editor

On Monday, Action Together Connecticut held a question and answer session in the Allbritton Center with Mayor of Middletown and Democratic hopeful for the 2018 gubernatorial nomination, Dan Drew. Drew appeared with his running mate, Liz Linehan, a first-year state representative from Cheshire.

The mayor announced his campaign in July and the selection of his running mate in early September. When he spoke on Monday, he discussed the political climate of Connecticut.

William Halliday, Photo Editor

“We believe that the vast majority of our problems are an outgrowth from the deep systemic economic inequality that we have in the state of Connecticut and across the country right now,” Drew said. “That’s of the utmost priority for us to address and we’ll never have social justice, we’ll never have environmental justice, we’ll never have the right kind of infrastructure, the right availability of education, [and] equal rights for everyone if we do not address the wide disparity between the haves and have-nots.”

Specifically, Drew dove into the potential positive outcomes that could come from changing the economic dynamic within Connecticut.

William Halliday, Photo Editor

“That means we have to make sure everyone has universal healthcare coverage, everyone has access to and a right to a high-quality education from kindergarten on through their bachelor’s degree,” Drew said. “It means that we have vocational and technical training available…it means that we invest in infrastructure significantly.”

Drew elaborated on his thoughts regarding Connecticut’s economy and the causes of the state’s fiscal woes.

“There’s a lot of evidence that the rich are not leaving Connecticut….” Drew said. “There are a dozen more billionaires in Connecticut then there were six years ago…. We need a more fair and equitable tax system. We need to tax the wealthy their fair share. We need to close the carried interest loophole….We need to legalize and tax recreational marijuana.”

The host of this discussion, Action Together Connecticut, tends to focus on local and state elections and legislation, which is in line with Drew’s campaign for governor. Their website states their mission.

“Our vision is that the fundamental American values of equity, justice, and opportunity are firmly embedded in our Connecticut laws, policies, and institutions,” the Action CT website reads. “Our mission is to mobilize, amplify and educate Connecticut residents to support causes aligned with American ideals of equity, opportunity, and justice for all.”

Camille De Beus and William Halliday can be reached by email at cdebeus@wesleyan.edu and whalliday@wesleyan.edu, and on Twitter @cdebeus and @whalliday97.