Democrat Steve Fontana has served in many political roles, from state representative to North Haven selectman, for more than 10 years. He said that residents tell him they feel the middle class is disappearing, and his goal is to help rebuild it.

To accomplish that, Fontana wants to make higher education more affordable, promote small-business job growth and rein in energy and healthcare costs, support family life and healthy communities, and ensure seniors a more secure retirement.

“Too many hardworking families and seniors are struggling to stay in the middle class, or make it into the middle class in the first place, and they don’t see their elected leaders doing enough to address this problem,” said Fontana in the Courier’s online voter guide.

For older residents, Fontana noted the challenges seniors face. He suggested four remedies: enact a discounted electricity rate for seniors, reduce their cost of prescription drugs, increase their state-sponsored senior property tax relief, and support more senior-friendly affordable housing development.

Regarding education and how to help the district’s youngest residents, Fontana suggested finding ways in which school districts can share best practices with each other.

While Tropical Storm Irene hit more than one year ago, constituents are still concerned about how the state will help them deal with devastating storms and their aftermath. Fontana said he heard residents who suffered storm damage complain at a post-storm forum about a long insurance reimbursement process. He’d like to help them navigate the insurance process more successfully.

“When I served as chairman of the General Assembly’s Insurance and Real Estate Committee, I used my working relationships with insurance representatives to get answers and results for people in certain circumstances who weren’t getting what they needed from their companies,” he said.

Fontana served as the state representative for the 87th District from 1997 to 2011. He has also served on the North Haven Conservation Commission, the North Haven Board of Finance, and the North Haven Board of Selectmen, but lost his 2010 bid to retain the 87th District seat.

“I felt I have something more to offer...a larger constituency,” said Fontana of his campaign.