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06/18/2012 12:00 AMUnlike many races in which a newcomer challenges a seasoned incumbent, in the race for the 34th District Senate seat, both candidates can point to an extensive record in the legislature. Incumbent Republican Leonard Fasano and Democrat Steve Fontana, both attorneys, both have a formidable opponent in this November's election.
Fasano is the five-term incumbent in the 34th District Senate, which serves East Haven, North Haven, Durham, and Wallingford.
Fontana served as the state representative for the 87th District (North Haven) from 1997 to 2011 and was a member of North Haven's Board of Selectmen as well as the Board of Finance and Conservation Commission. Fontana holds a B.A. from Oberlin College, an MBA from Cornell University, and a J.D. from UConn.
Fasano has been a member of the Senate since 2003. He is a ranking member on the General Assembly's Planning and Development Committee and Executive Nominations Committee. Fasano is also a member of the Legislative Management and Reapportionment Committee.
Fasano received a B.A. from Yale University, a J.D. from Quinnipiac Law School, and an LLM in taxation from Boston University Law School. He is also president and founder of Fasano, Ippolito, and Lee, a New Haven-based law firm.
Fasano, who has run unopposed in recent elections, said campaigning for this year's race will be just like any other.
"I love what I do. I love helping people," said Fasano. "I do what I always do, election year or not. When I didn't have an opponent, I was still shaking hands and going to events and I'll be doing that. I don't run every two years. I run every year."
This year, Fontana is already busy meeting residents of the four-town district. He has strong name recognition in North Haven and is working to become familiar with residents in the other towns.
Fontana said he has learned a lot from residents already.
"There is a continuous frustration with the slow pace of the economic recovery," said Fontana. "They don't see a whole lot of progress being made. There is a sense of disappointment and frustration."
Fontana said, if elected, his focus is going to be on rebuilding the middle class.
"People are concerned there won't be a middle class anymore," he said.
Fontana added that residents are overpaying for electricity and health insurance and he wants to work to control those costs.
Finances are also on the mind of Fasano. He said he didn't vote for a tax increase and emphasized that the state "needs to stop spending. We can't keep raising taxes. We need to stop raising taxes and put ourselves back in the black."
Fasano said he's committed to helping veterans and continues his work related to cord blood. He also said he has helped East Haven residents as they continue to recover from the devastation wrought by Tropical Storm Irene last year. He worked on Bill 376 (an act concerning the coastal management act and shoreline flood and erosion control structures) to protect the rights of property owners and help them move forward after the storm damage.