As a preview to The Newtown Bee’s annual Candidates Forum on Tuesday, October 21, Newtown Action Alliance held a scaled down session that featured four individuals running for state offices in districts that include or overlap the community.

The 90-minute forum served as a promotional event for NAA, formed in the weeks following the tragedy at Sandy Hook School, as well as a showcase for participating political veterans and newcomers to articulate their feelings on issues from gun safety and common core standards for educators, to taxation and same-sex marriage. At several points during the event, moderator and Newtown High School history teacher Jason Edwards broke from the questions and answers to read material about several aspects of the Alliance, including its foundation and Junior Alliance, many of whose members attended.

While the event offered 106th District challenger Matt Cole, and District 2 challenger Candace Fay a good opportunity to introduce themselves and react to impromptu questions, interchanges between the 28th Senate District challengers — veteran State Representatives Tony Hwang and Kim Fawcett — were most provocative.

On several occasions Rep Fawcett, a Democrat, called on her Republican challenger to defend or clarify his position on certain votes, as well as the hiring of a paid political aide who she said was arrested on domestic violence charges, and who she said subsequently violated a protective order related to the incident.

Neither of the 112th District candidates — Democrat Jen Aguilar or GOP challenger J.P. Sredzinski — were present because of a previously scheduled forum being held at the same time in Monroe, which encompasses the majority of district voters. Newtown’s first-term Republican Representative Mitch Bolinsky announced earlier in the week that he was withdrawing from the event, and District 2 Republican incumbent Dan Carter told The Bee that he made a previous commitment to attend a competing forum scheduled prior to the NAA setting the date for their event.

A need to appear at that out-of-town event also prompted Ms Fay to depart the NAA forum near the end of the first of three rounds of questioning.

All six Legislative candidates have confirmed, however, that they will attend The Newtown Bee’s upcoming forum Tuesday, October 21, at Edmond Town Hall, 45 Main Street. A meet-and-greet session will begin in the town hall lobby at 7 pm, and the forum will then run in the theater from 7:30 to 9 pm.

This forum is free and the public is welcome to attend.

Any reader or Newtown resident is invited to e-mail or post questions to the newspaper or its Facebook page; just reference the upcoming Candidates Forum along with your query. E-mail questions to editor@thebee.com.

Questions can also be mailed to Editor Curtiss Clark – Candidates Forum, The Newtown Bee, 5 Church Hill Road, Newtown CT 06470. The deadline to submit questions is Monday, October 20, at noon.

The Bee plans to profile 28th Senate District challengers ahead of November 4 polling, but the NAA event was apparently the only opportunity for Reps Hwang and Fawcett to respond to questions in a local public forum.

Gun Storage Laws

Since NAA espouses a mission dedicated to reversing the escalating gun violence epidemic in this nation through the introduction of smarter, safer gun laws and broader cultural change, the first set of questions solicited responses on the state’s restraining order loophole, gun storage laws, and Connecticut’s new, strongest in the nation firearms legislation.

Mr Cole was the first to respond, stating that firearms owners “need to know where [their guns] are at all times.” The 116th District challenger said all guns should be locked up when in the home, as well as during transportation, and said he would favor “spot checks” to ensure gun owners are complying with safe storage laws.

Rep Fawcett responded saying state residents are “fed up with politicians” who promote a position, “but don’t have any backup.” She then accused Rep Hwang of hiring a campaign worker who was “convicted of a domestic violence crime,” and who subsequently “violated a protective order.”

Rep Hwang responded first, saying that state gun storage laws need to be strengthened, before responding to what he called “innuendos, bullying, and cheap shots” by his opponent. He then noted that the individual being referred to “has issues,” including drug addiction and mental health concerns, and that he favors giving those who have made mistakes a “second chance.”

Ms Fay said she would always be concerned when her children visit friends whose parents might have firearms in their homes, and that she favors gun owners storing ammunition separately from firearms, which should be locked in a gun safe

“If you own a gun and can afford a gun, you need to lock it up,” the District 2 challenger stated.

Listen to audio of the entire forum by clicking here.