On Oct. 18, candidates for the District 12 State Senate seat and the House of Representatives candidates for the 86th, 98th,and 101st district seats came together for a debate at Temple Beth Tikvah in Madison.

The two candidates for the District 12 state senate seat, Republican Adam Greenberg and Democrat Christine Cohen, took the floor first. Candidates were given two minutes to answer questions generated by the moderators and audience members with no rebuttal period.

Questions covered a wide range of issues from the environment to tolls. Considering the state’s current fiscal health, numerous questions also focused on the budget and the current business environment. Both candidates are business owners and offered various ideas to revitalize the state.

“Our budget is the number-one priority in the state of Connecticut,” said Greenberg. “It’s in crisis mode and it’s in deficit and there has been waste, fraud, and abuse that has gone on up in Hartford for far too long. If that is not addressed, any other conversation outside this first question doesn’t matter…I know what it’s like to mange divisions, hold people accountable, and it starts with a zero-based budget that must be implemented on day one.”

“Just as I experience deficits in my business, we are experiencing a deficit in the state,” said Cohen. “What we need to do—just as I do in my business—is we need to look to increase market share and we need to look to growth in the state. We cannot tax our way out of this, we must grow our way out of this. We do that by attracting businesses back into the state and removing barriers to entry and growth for small businesses.”

This season, the prospect of tolls has generally been the hot-button issue, but for the two State Senate candidates in this debate, it was a question on gun control that sparked passionate responses. Greenberg and Cohen were asked if they supported Connecticut’s gun laws and to share their position on gun control in general.

Both candidates spoke of a desire to protect their young children from violence. Greenberg focused on the need to address the mental health side of gun violence and Cohen spoke to the need to maintain Connecticut’s current gun laws, stating that while she is an endorsed common sense gun safety candidate, Greenberg has received an endorsement from the Connecticut Citizens Defense League (CCDL), a group focused on the rights of gun owners and loosening current regulations.

Following the State Senate debate, the house 101st District candidates, incumbent Noreen Kokordua (R) and challenger John-Michael Parker (D); the sole 98th District candidate incumbent Sean Scanlon (D); and two of the three 86th District candidates, incumbent Vincent Candelora (R) and challenger Vincent Mase. Jr. (D) took the stage to answer similar questions. The debate is available to watch in full at YouTube (search “Madison 101st District Debate 2”).