Raghib Allie-Brennan has been working to foster inclusion and collaboration for much of the past decade, and he believes his ability to see beyond political affiliations to help individuals succeed will help him excel serving the state and constituents of Connecticut's Second District in Hartford if elected this November. Mr Allie-Brennan, a Democrat, is seeking the Second District assembly seat being vacated by Republican Dan Carter, which encompasses Bethel, parts of Redding and Danbury, as well as several western neighborhoods in the Dodgingtown section of Newtown.

Mr Allie-Brennan sat down with The Newtown Bee on October 12 to talk about his ideas and reasoning behind why he has chosen 2016 as the year he hopes to transition from his past and current work assisting political leaders, to becoming one himself.

According to his biography, he has his father to thank for his name, which he admits, "In a post 9/11 world…its been interesting, to say the least."

"You may remember the American football player Raghib "the Rocket" Ismail; as a 20-year-old first-time father and immigrant from Guyana, my dad thought that would be a cool name for his son," Mr Allie-Brennan relates.

One of three children, he grew up in Bethel after his family relocated from Queens, N.Y. Mr Allie-Brennan graduated from Bethel High School, and attended Marymount Manhattan College, where he developed a keen interest in policy and wanting to make real change.

After graduating college, Mr Allie-Brennan was elected to Bethel Democratic Town Committee, worked on First Selectman Matt Knickerbocker's 2013 re-election campaign, and was elected to the Inland Wetlands Commission.

"In that role, I learned how important it is to strike a balance between land development and economic growth on the one hand, and appropriate protections for the environment and homeowners on the other," he states.

He has since worked for several Democratic members of Congress - as a district aide assistant for Elizabeth Esty, and for Congresswoman Alma Adams from North Carolina where he managed a portfolio of issues from energy and environmental issues to LGBT rights, and advised the congresswoman on several controversial issues ranging from gun safety to the Syrian refugee crisis.

He also interned for Congressman Cedric Richmond's office, where he got a firsthand look at how the fed was responding to the Katrina disaster in Richmond's Second District of New Orleans.

Mr Allie-Brennan told The Newtown Bee that he is a firm supporter of Connecticut's firearms legislation, and he was particularly concerned when Rep Carter sided against Governor Dannel Malloy's push to fortify the state's firearms laws after the shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School.

If elected this month, Mr Allie-Brennan pledges to focus on five key issues: economic development, reinvesting in the state's transportation infrastructure, supporting a renewable energy future, tackling the opioid crisis, and making education a priority.

When asked to provide specific ideas about how he would work to fund, or influence state legislation to support his five-point agenda, Mr Allie-Brennan offered little in the way of detailed strategies. But he indicated that if has learned anything from serving in government - from his home town to the nation's capital - he will need to begin his first General Assembly term listening, learning, and eventually developing both the connections and path to achieve success in his pursuits, as well as on behalf of the diverse socioeconomic base he hopes will support him on Election Day.

"The Bethel Town Committee saw me as a young guy with a passion for policy, and finding issues that don't have a big voice," he said. "And I always knew I wanted to come home and bring that passion back, whether it was working locally or in the legislature in some way. Like everyone else, I'm just upset about the way things are going in the state, and while I think Dan Carter is a great guy to have a drink with, I don't think he did a good job representing the people of Newtown or the Second District."

Today, Mr Allie-Brennan works as a legal aide with former Secretary of the State Susan Bysiewicz, assisting private businesses apply and seek grants from the state. He is hoping to apply his experience advocating for environmental and energy issues.

"We know the formula for funding education in the state right now isn't working," Mr Allie-Brennan said, "and I think some look at communities like Newtown and assume they don't need [state] money to fund its education. But Newtown has great schools, which attract people to the community, so the limited funding you're already getting is spread thin. Now they're talking about taking more away from it, which means the [town] will just have to tax, tax, tax to keep paying for it. I want to be an advocate to make sure Newtown is getting its fair share."

Mr Allie-Brennan said he believes the state needs policies to retain young professional like himself when they are faced with finding affordable places to live once they graduate from college.

"It's a broad issue that involves things like transportation. So developing good transportation networks could play a role in attracting and retaining young people," he said. He also favors supporting programs to draw a more diverse range of businesses to communities like Newtown, including supporting enterprise zones and business parks that tend to draw smaller and more progressive industry.

Turning his attention to the opposite end of the chronological spectrum, Mr Allie-Brennan said he sees great value in sustaining Connecticut's growing senior population.

"Is there something like a tax freeze we can look at as costs continue to go up and up, so these seniors can be better protected? I would fight to be sure we don't see a major increase in taxes that would negatively impact our older residents," he said.

Ultimately, Mr Allie-Brennan wants to see Connecticut develop a 21st Century identity that rivals or exceeds the position it held as a national leader in the past, versus just being satisfied with being a pass-through "between two great cities."

Learn more about the Second District Democratic candidate at raghibforct.com or on his Facebook page.