Incumbent 35th District State Representative Jesse MacLachlan (R) views Connecticut’s budget woes as one of its biggest issues.

“We saw deep cuts to Medicaid, we saw deep cuts to [the Department of Developmental Services] funds, we saw deep cuts to the Department of Mental Health and Addiction,” MacLachlan said at the Oct. 5 Council of Beaches forum. “If we don’t get our fiscal house in order and start passing balanced budgets and creating surpluses, it’s going to be very difficult to look out for those who need our help the most and preserve the social safety net.”

Stimulating job growth, he believes, is the path out of the state budget crisis.

“The State of Connecticut is in constant fiscal crisis,” he said. “We’re seeing an exodus of taxpayers, of businesses from the state of Connecticut—brain drain, as well. We need jobs of the future in genomics, in physics, in energy—and I’m going to keep advocating for that.”

According to MacLachlan, the state is facing a pension crisis with $50 billion of unfunded retirement liability and $20 billion of unfunded longterm debt.

“You deserve a state representative who will talk about the elephants in the room,” he said at the forum. “There is a pension crisis in the State of Connecticut. We need to look at creating a longterm, sustainable, defined contribution retirement plan or hardworking folks that work for the State of Connecticut will be in a very difficult position and we will be looking at tax increases that haven’t yet happened.”

In examining how other states deal with the same problem, MacLachlan has come to the conclusion that structural changes are needed to fix the problem. He would ask for greater contributions to retirement and matching participation in the system. He also stated his support for the longterm GOP plan for state budget reform, and urged constituents to visit www.fiveyearbudget.com for details.

MacLachlan believes that tourism is integral to stimulating job growth in Connecticut. He joined with fellow legislators to create the recently formed Connecticut Tourism Coalition, which advocates for tourism funding in the state budget.

“We cannot overlook the effect that tourism has on our ability to create jobs for people of all walks of life,” he stated at the forum.

Making Connecticut a place where the average family can afford to live is another of his focuses. He doesn’t believe that raising the minimum wage is the solution. Instead, he looks toward stimulating business growth in the state.

“As your state representative, I’ve been very proud to have fought for a more affordable place to live, to make Connecticut more affordable place to raise a family, to find work, to retire,” he said at the forum. “We need to look at capping property assessments for seniors, we need to look at making sure that the cost of living isn’t forcing people out of their home or worse. Our revenues are decreasing because we’re scaring away contributors to the general fund to other states where their dollar lasts longer.”

Overall, MacLachlan, who was raised in Westbrook, views his involvement in state politics as a way to give back to the community that invested in him.

“I consider myself so fortunate and honored to be able to give back to this community that has invested so much in my life and in the lives of my family members,” he said. “I’m running for reelection because I believe you need a state representative who will fight for your small town values, a balanced budget that doesn’t raise taxes, responsible borrowing and spending, support for the small business community, care for those who need our help most, and leadership that listens to you and votes your sentiment.”

MacLachlan did not respond to a request for an interview by press time.