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Kokoruda: Working for Small Towns and Residents

Republican Noreen Kokoruda has spent 20 months working in the legislature as a state representative from the 101st district. She is running for re-election, and she knows her greatest strength. Before Hartford, Kokoruda spent decades working in local government as a volunteer and elected official. She knows how towns—particularly small towns—work and she carries that message to the legislature.

Two years ago, when she was campaigning door-to-door, residents in the district, which now includes Madison and part of Durham, wanted to talk about several issues. In this campaign, she is hearing questions about just two issues—jobs and the economy.

“I heard it two years ago, but there were other issues as well,” she said. “Now it’s 20 months later, there has been no improvement, and people are worried.”

She tells voters about the state legislature’s bi-partisan jobs bill passed last session.

“We are working on these issues. The jobs bill, although hardly perfect, is a good first step,” she said, and noted she is pleased to have worked with legislators across the aisle to get it done. “Yes, we realize state over-regulation is adversely affecting business, and the good news is that we have started the bi-partisan conversation to improve it.”

Kokoruda said in this campaign she is talking with voters “who are aware of the cuts they are making in their personal lives” because of economic pressures they feel. “They also know that the state has not cut its spending in this economy, and until the state is prepared to listen and cut costs, we have a problem.”

She is an advocate for reducing the state mandates imposed on towns because she has seen firsthand the increased costs they bring to local property tax payers, particularly in small towns.

“I represent towns that balance their budgets, maintain their pension funds, meet their education costs, plan for future expenses, and don’t run deficits,” she said. “The state does none of that,” yet it is willing to create more and more mandates for municipalities, she said.

Kokoruda sits on the Education Committee and said that during the last legislative session, “We finally have a true education reform bill. It is a great first step.”

The hotly debated bill went through many different versions before its final approval.

“In the end, I believe the vote was unanimous in the House,” stated Kokoruda, who once again said she is proud of the bi-partisan support it received.

“I work with my Democratic colleagues to pass major legislation…because everyone working together can get things done,” she said.

There was no bi-partisan effort on the state’s budget and she found it frustrating, she said.

“I did 14 budgets in Madison. Everyone comes to the table with a different opinion; you listen, you negotiate, and eventually you have something everyone can support. That happens every day in Madison and Durham,” she said.

It did not happen with the state budget, she said. The Republican budget proposal was rejected by the Democratic leadership, she said, “and the opportunity to take the best parts of both budgets never happened.”

If she returns to Hartford, Kokoruda will continue to work on an expanded jobs bill.

“I ran a small business. I know fixing this business climate begins in Hartford. We passed several bills that helped small business, but we also passed bills that hurt them,” she said. “We have to fix that.”