Republican Richard DiNardo is running for election to the 98th District State House of Representatives. DiNardo is seeking the seat vacated by incumbent Democrat Sean Scanlon. On Tuesay, Nov. 8, DiNardo will challenge Democratic candidate Moira Rader.

DiNardo holds several degrees, including history and international relations. He also earned a law degree from UConn while attending night school and ran a plastics converting business in New Milford.

According to DiNardo, he has been involved with town committees including the Harbor Management Commission and has also served for more than two decades on the Guilford Republican Town Committee (RTC). He described himself as a “…common-sense, problem-solving Republican who understands the struggles of working families and small businesses.”

“I have lived here since I was 12 and, over time, I started seeing Connecticut change. I see people leaving the state. I see an increasingly unfriendly business environment, as well. State government has increased over time, as well. When I am knocking on doors many people tell me they are being over-taxed and over regulated. Crime is increasing and people are starting to leave Connecticut now, in contrast to when I came here in 1972 when people were flooding to the state,” DiNardo said. “So, I became very concerned with that and when the seat became open and there was no Republican challenger, I thought that was just not right. We are not going to get debate and not going to get good polices if we have uncontested seats.”

DiNardo said that despite his lack of experience in government his small business and legal background will provide an excellent skill set to draw from.

“I think because I have been a businessman, an attorney, and I also taught history for a number of years, that I have a breath of experience of what is happening in the state and how to address it,” said DiNardo. “I have the basic tools of analysis that we would need to get us out of the situation we are in. So, that is why I decided to run. As an attorney, obviously, you are trained to read legislation and to be sensitive to both what the intended and unintended effects of legislation might be. Also, because the devil is always in the details of legislation. There’s a reason it’s compared to sausage making — you don’t necessarily want to know what’s in there. In terms of business experience, I went from being a Ph.D. candidate in history to owning and running a small plastics factory. I think, especially when it comes to understanding the needs of small business and their employees — I had six employees at one point and they and their families were dependent on that income — I think I understand what small businesses in particular are going through.”

According to DiNardo, his ability to reach across party lines and form a consensus is a factor voters should consider on Election Day.

“Sometimes business people, lawyers and academics speak different languages and they just can’t communicate with each other,” DiNardo said. “But I think I am able to do that, by my experience. I think I can speak to people from many walks of life and reach some common ground. And right now, that will be a very useful skill to bring to the state legislature. To be able to bring people together by understanding what their motives, their language, and priorities are is essential. I am not at all prone to pigeon-holing people. I am very much an individualist, and I very much want to hear what they, as individuals, have to say and what their concerns are. I’m not the sort of person who’s likely to say, ‘Well, because this person is a Democrat or a Republican or this person is a member of this group or that group. ’I’m not likely to deduce what their positions and attitudes might be. I think that is just my training as a person who has known many different people in many different walks of life and I think that has got to be useful in representing a diverse population.”

DiNardo said the feedback he is hearing from constituents concerns him about the state’s ability to nurture business and the economy.

“I’ve knocked on maybe 1,500 doors so far in this district, and I can tell you, surprisingly, for a district that is relatively prosperous in our state, there are a lot of people hurting,” DiNardo said. “There are a lot of people, especially in small business, who have lost their jobs during the pandemic. I really do think we need to offer relief to these people, not in the form of government handouts or subsidies because many of these people do not want to become wards of the state. They just want a business-friendly environment that allows them to get back on their own feet and become independent again. There are so many people who are hurting. I think people are over-taxed so I would want some kind of tax reform, and I would want a more small business-friendly environment. Being such a diverse state presents challenges. The issues in Bridgeport are obviously not the same as they are for people in Guilford or Branford.”

Some of the other issues that the candidate would prioritize if he won office are, encouraging more local control for municipalities, ensuring parental rights in education, reform taxes and to bring more accountability to Hartford in the form of audits. DiNardo also said lowering the sales tax and the income tax would be a priority, that would include cutting “waste” in departmental agencies in order to save money.