Former City Council and Board of Education member, Ald. Aram Ayalon (D-3) has qualified for an August 13th Democratic primary, challenging for the nomination for State Representative in the 26th Assembly District.
Former Mayor and Democratic Registrar of Voters Lucian Pawlak confirmed that Ayalon received enough petition signatures to qualify to run today.
Ayalon is challenging former City Council member, Ald. Dave DeFronzo (D-AL), who was endorsed by the Democratic Town Committee in May. In the primary, Democratic registered voters in the 26th District will chose their party’s nominee, between DeFronzo and Ayalon in the November general election.
The Republican candidate for the seat is Board of Education member Barbara Marino (R).
The 26th Assembly District election is an open seat race this year, after Rep. Peter Tercyak (D-26) announced his retirement, after serving the district for 21 years.
Ayalon’s campaign has said that, as a candidate, “He pledges to advocate for more equitable education funding across the state and to diminish reliance on real estate taxes to fund schools, promoting a fairer distribution of resources.”
On property taxes, Ayalon is proposing, “a threshold circuit breaker system for Connecticut’s property tax, modeled after successful implementations in states like New York,” adding, “This system would cap property taxes at a certain percentage of income and provide credits to taxpayers based on their income level, offering much-needed relief to struggling homeowners and renters alike.”
Ayalon, who is a retired CCSU education professor and former Board of Education member, said, “investing in higher education is not just an investment in our students’ futures; it’s an investment in the prosperity of our communities,” saying he wants to increase state funding for public higher education institutions, like CCSU.
“I will tirelessly advocate for increased state funding to reduce student tuition and borrowing, ensuring that all students have access to quality education without the crushing weight of debt,” said Ayalon.
On the issue of skyrocketing rents, Ayalon says that he, “supports a plan to establish a 2.5% annual cap on rent increases, mirroring pre-pandemic trends and ensuring that rent hikes remain in line with inflation.” He says the plan would exempt, “owner-occupied 1-4 family homes,” and have, “a local, administrative process for landlords to request higher rent increases on a case-by-case basis.”
The primary promises to be a vigorous campaign. In May, DeFronzo said that, “I have knocked on over two thousand doors so far, and the people of this district have said loud and clear that they want leaders who can work together to make a difference for the city.”
DeFronzo said in May that he is, “dedicated to continuing the legacy of Rep. Tercyak and being the leader our community needs.” Tercyak has endorsed DeFronzo. He said he feels honored to be endorsed by the Democratic Town Committee in the 26th District, saying, “Our campaign is about reaching out to people, listening to their concerns and building relationships so we can get things done for residents.”
A New Britain High School graduate who went on to teach for 18 years at Jefferson School, DeFronzo, “worked tirelessly with community members and elected officials to protect AW Stanley Park and has been a vocal supporter of addressing neighborhood concerns, such as snow removal, infrastructure improvements, road paving, and park revitalization,” his campaign has said.
“His dedication to fairness and community well-being is further evidenced by his opposition to large tax breaks for corporations and out-of-town developers,” DeFronzo’s campaign added, “championing instead the interests of local residents and small businesses.”
DeFronzo has announced that he has enough qualifying contributions to participate in the state’s Citizen Election Program, sometimes called the “clean election program,” in his run for the 26th District State Representative seat.
The 26th District includes the Little Poland, Farmingdale, Little Warsaw, Batterson Pond, Stanley Parks and western Belvedere neighborhoods.
