112th Candidates Spar Over The Style

Of Local Representation In Hartford

By Steve Bigham

Republican Pat Shea seeks a return to Hartford after a successful first term as state representative for the 112th district. The Democratic challenger is newcomer Joe Ziehl, who believes Newtown and Monroe need a more aggressive voice to ensure that the 112th does not get passed over.

“Right now, our current representative is a kind and considerate person and she and I agree on most issues, but what we need is someone in Hartford who will kick and scream,” Mr Ziehl said. “We are in competition for limited resources with other districts.”

An attorney, Mr Ziehl says he has the knowledge and tenacity to “swim with the sharks” in Hartford. In addition, Mr Ziehl also believes his affiliation with the Democratic Party will enable him to get more done since it is the Democrats who dominate both houses of the legislature.

Mrs Shea, 61, says she knows of no “shark pool” in Hartford. Instead, the incumbent has found a situation where everyone works together regardless of his or her party affiliation. This year, however, many candidates, including the 48-year-old Joe Ziehl, have said they should be elected based on the fact that they are Democrats.

Mrs Shea, a Monroe resident, says that is preposterous. “Being a member of the majority party does not give you any special benefit. You still have to stand on your own.”

Of course, anytime you are a member of the minority party, the odds are against you, Mrs Shea says, but the most successful state reps effectively traverse both sides of the aisle. Republican Julia Wasserman of the 106th District is a perfect example, and Mrs Shea believes she is gaining a similar reputation.

Rather than focusing on who is from what political party, Mrs Shea asks that voters consider her 100 percent voting record and that she managed to pass her first piece of legislation, which had to do with improving the way the state educates its blind and visually impaired citizens.

Mr Ziehl, who also lives in Monroe, said he applauds Mrs Shea’s efforts to make Connecticut a better place to live. However, in his opinion, residents of the area do not need a “legislator” as much as they need a “representative” for the interests of the 112th District.

“She’s involved in a lot of the business of the state. The state can take care of itself. She’s not concentrating on the issues of this district,” he alleged.

One of the biggest issues on the minds of both candidates is education and the need for towns like Monroe and Newtown to start receiving a larger piece of the pie. Currently, the two towns receive just 17.5 percent of their school budget money from state funding as compared to 80 percent or more for the larger cities. Both candidates agree that the current ECS “sliding scale” formula for determining who gets what needs to be changed. Where they differ goes back to the original question: who is better suited to make it happen?

Mr Ziehl says he is, pointing out that an aggressive Democrat with kids in school, who is also a lawyer, will be a more effective lobbyist in getting the formula changed. In the past two years, he said, ECS funding has increased zero percent in the 112th District, while the student population has gone up 10 percent. So you’re worse off under Mrs Shea, he said.

“The cities do well because they are represented by Democrats. If you’re going to pull a lever based on party affiliation, you’ve got to pull the Democratic one,” he said. “If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em.”

Mrs Shea says she is among those in Hartford who are working to change things. She voted in favor of the “hold harmless” bill which managed to keep ECS funding from decreasing any further. She hopes to return to Hartford to continue her efforts in this area.

“A lot is being proposed. I’m already doing all of this,” she said. “We’ve been working to improve the ECS formula and I need to go back to fight for our fair share.”

Shea’s Background

A 30-year Monroe resident, Mrs Shea, took over the 112th seat two years ago after soundly defeating Democrat Andrew Nunn. She also had to defeat Republican Ed Callo in a primary. All three were seeking to take over the seat vacated by Bill Varese, who resigned after a well-publicized DWI arrest.

Mrs Shea is the wife of Brendan Shea, who was a longtime chairman of the town council in Monroe. They have three grown children and live in a historic house at 716 Wheeler Road.

Prior to joining the General Assembly, Mrs Shea was a corporate relocation consultant. She holds a master’s degree in counseling and has a background in psychology.

Ziehl’s Background

Largely apolitical up until a year ago, Mr Ziehl joined the fray after becoming involved in a fight to stop a developer in his neighborhood of Webb Circle. Soon after, he was asked by the Democrats to sit on the Monroe Planning & Zoning Commission.

An attorney working out of his home, Mr Ziehl is married to Cynthia and the couple has four children, 14, 10 and 6.