Lori Nicholson is the endorsed Republican candidate for state representative of the 102nd Assembly District representing Branford.

Nicholson served a two-year internship (2010-’11) with Connecticut General Assembly (Environment Committee, Select Committee on Children, Appropriations). A self-employed musician with a BS in political science, Nicholson currently chairs the Dan Cosgrove Animal Shelter Commission. She volunteers with BECC Education Committee, Take a Vet Fishing, Canoe Brook Senior Center, and Community Dining Room. Nicholson is married to Tim and has two step-sons, Mike and Matt.

At her campaign website, nicholson2012.com, Nicholson outlines plans addressing three needed fixes at the state level: reining in taxes, fixing Connecticut’s economy, and lessening the financial burden on seniors.

In response to our survey, Nicholson offers several options to help get Connecticut’s budget under control, including adherence to GAAP (Generally Accepted Accounting Principles), “which, unbelievably, is a new practice in Hartford,” she said.

She also recommends setting a spending cap, because “government should live within its means just as we must in our own households.” Chasing down fraud and waste, making public pay increases commensurate with cost-of-living adjustments and performance, adhering to results-based accountability and eliminating programs not producing desired results are other options. A defender of the environment, Nicholson also proposes legislators send fewer mailers and “go green” when possible.

As for the most significant environmental issue impacting Branford, Nicholson feels its pharmaceutical effluents entering Branford River (and Long Island Sound, at 44 locations on the Connecticut coast). She notes current waste water treatment facilities aren’t equipped to remove pharmaceutical waste.

“For the sake of our Sound and our drinking water, data collection and an impact study is well advised,” said Nicholson, who completed her own impact study (request it at info@nicholson2012.com).

In her study, Nicholson said she found “some very disturbing material,” including chemotherapy agents in well water of towns with poor septic/leeching fields, and “certain over-the-counter drugs” mimicking methoprene, an endocrine-disrupting chemical blamed in part for local lobster population demise.

Asked how she’d help Branford better prepare and deal with natural disasters like Tropical Storm Irene, Nicholson answered, “There was a communication black-out after Irene [and] uncoordinated repair and clean up by the power companies. Since that time, they have been put on notice and hopefully will have learned from previous mistakes.”

She feels it’s imperative to have disaster plans readied for family, parents, and neighbors and assistance in place for “those who cannot afford basic items.” Seniors and disabled individuals should be visited by social service departments and continuously available cell-phone charging stations should be arranged well in advance, she believes.

Branford’s natural environment can also be a boon to its economy through eco-tourism, such as developing guided river tours and a nature center facility, said Nicholson.

“As a boater, I’ve noticed that Branford has done little to draw this demographic to our town. Sag Harbor , Port Jefferson, and Mystic are boating destinations which bring in revenue to those towns and local businesses. I would like those people to bring their money here and spend it at our festivals, local shops, and restaurants.”

Nicholson also sees an opportunity to position Branford as a “major nano-technology player.”

“The wrinkle-free shirt you are wearing is a nano-tex product, and we could be sitting on a gold mine if we paid attention and nurtured this technology [currently] taught at Southern Connecticut State University, in partnership with Yale University. The possibilities are endless.”

The top three state-level challenges Nicholson sees facing Branford are failure to assist both the young (including 24 to 34 year olds, leaving Connecticut faster than those in 47 other states) and the old (with increasing demands for senior services); creating a business environment in step with labor projections and growth industries while reducing regulations, mandates and legislation; and addressing the achievement gap between children of lesser means and those of average means.

Nicholson said a fundamental change or current policy she’d support, to best assist Branford school district in improving educational opportunities, is ensuring a pre-K experience. In addition, “children need financial education, and I believe this should be started in middle school.

“I also believe that early exposure to various fields and professions is the best way [to] connect the dots with math, science, reading, and writing. I’d like to see mock business start-ups as a summer educational experience. Let kids compete for the best business plan, and in the process, use the skills they have learned and see why they are so important to future success,” she said. “I see a disconnect between learned skills and making a living. Let’s bridge that gap.”