The Westbrook Council of Beaches (COB) has once again organized a candidates’ forum to showcase those seeking election to represent State Senate District 33 and State Assembly districts 23 and 35. The event will be on Monday, Oct. 1, from 7 to 9 p.m. at Westbrook’s Mulvey Municipal Center at 866 Boston Post Road, Westbrook.

Anyone seeking a seat should come early; in past years the forum has been standing-room-only. Those attending are asked by COB to please bring a non-perishable food item or canned good to donate to the Shoreline Soup Kitchens & Pantries.

The event will begin with each candidate offering a brief opening statement. The order in which the candidates will speak will be selected in advance by a drawing.

Moderator Andy Schatz will pose two questions to each candidate; if time permits, a third question will be asked. Candidates will have one to two minutes to respond. COB’s Bill Fish will provide the questions to the candidates in advance to allow them to prepare concise answers.

Following COB’s formal question and answer segment, audience members will be able to pose questions to the candidates, as time permits.

“It’s been very successful in the past and is brought back by popular demand,” said COB President Pat Macarelli, coordinator of this year’s candidates’ forum.

Valley Shore Cable Television plans to film the forum and broadcast it on public access Channel 19; the video will also be posted at www.vsctv.com.

For more information about the event, visit wbkcouncilofbeaches.org.

The CandidatesState Senate District 33

Serving Chester, Clinton, Colchester, East Haddam, East Hampton, Essex, Deep River, Haddam, Lyme, Portland, Westbrook, and part of Old Saybrook

There is no incumbent in this race. The current state senator for District 33, Republican Art Linares, Jr., did not seek re-election to this post.

Norm Needleman-Democrat

Norm Needleman is currently the elected first selectman of the Town of Essex. He previously has served as Essex selectman, on the Essex Zoning Board of Appeals, and on the Essex Economic Development Commission.

He is also the CEO of the pharmaceutical business he founded, Tower Laboratories, which employs 150 people. It has been located in Essex for 30 years. He touts his experience as a businessman who has also served in government.

He cites as his focus and achievements as CEO and as first selectman as job creation, balanced budgets, and low taxes while still making infrastructure improvements. For more information, visit www.normforsenate.com.

Melissa Ziobron-Republican

Melissa Ziobron, a resident of East Haddam, is currently in her third term as the elected state representative for the 34th State Assembly District (Colchester, East Haddam, and East Hampton).

Ziobron is the Assembly’s assistant minority leader, ranking member of the Appropriations Committee, and services on the Environment and General Law Committees. In 2017, she was named State Park Champion by the Connecticut League of Conservation Voters and Legislator of the Year by the Connecticut Defense League. In 2018, she received the Excellence in Land Conservation Award from the Connecticut Land Conservation Council.

Her website says that she enabled phasing out of state taxes on Social Security payments, reinstating Education Cost Sharing grants to the state’s 169 towns, and the constitutional spending cap while preventing proposed increases to sales and income taxes,and the creation of new cell phone and tire taxes. For more information, visit www.melissaziobron.com.

State Assembly District 23

Serving Old Saybrook, Lyme, Old Lyme, and southern Westbrook

Devin Carney-Republican

Devin Carney is serving his second term as state representative. He is the House ranking member of the Transportation Committee and a member of the Environment Committee and of the Finance, Revenue and Bonding Committee. In 2018, Carney for the fourth year in a row achieved a perfect voting record. In 2018, that means he was present for and cast 317 votes.

Carney is active in the Old Saybrook and Lyme-Old Lyme Chambers of Commerce. His background includes starting his own business in voiceover production and current work as a realtor with Coldwell Banker. He has also served as emcee of The Kate’s annual Academy Awards fundraising event. For more information, visit www.facebook.com/repcarney.

Matt Pugliese-Democrat

Matt Pugliese of Old Saybrook is currently the elected chairman of the Old Saybrook Economic Development Commission.

He has served on the Board of Directors of the Community Foundation of Middlesex County’s Live Local Give Local 365 Initiative and on the Board of Director of the Middlesex Chamber of Commerce. In 2012, he was named to Hartford Business Journal’s “40 under 40” list for his professional and civic involvement.

Currently the managing director and executive producer at the Connecticut Repertory Theatre, he cites as his priorities improving the economy, seeking equitable state funding for town schools, making higher education affordable to keep young people in Connecticut, and creating access to affordable health care and paid family leave. For the environment, he champions investment in renewable energy and support advancing the use of electric vehicles. For more information, visit www.mattpugliesect.com.

State Assembly District 35

Serving Clinton, Killingworth, and northern Westbrook

Jesse MacLachlan-Republican

Jesse MacLachlan is in his second term as state representative for State Assembly District 35. He serves on the Transportation, Energy, Technology and Higher Education and Employment Advancement committees. He is cross-endorsed by the Independent Party, he says he has “successfully put politics aside and been an independent legislator throughout my tenure in Hartford.”

For the past two years, he has worked as an asset manager for the solar-electric firm Greenskies. For more information, visit www.jesse2018.com.

Jason Adler-Democrat

Jason Adler of Clinton is school counseling chair in the Waterford Public Schools and serves as president of his union.

His website says he wants a state economy keyed for growth and believes the state should honor its promises while reducing debt. One strategy would be to attach specific income streams like casino revenues to pay toward the pension obligations. He believes the state’s tax structure should be competitive with surrounding states’ and should be made less reliant on local property taxes. Other policy views include that health care is a right, not a privilege; that the state has good common sense gun laws that should be enforced; and that instituting tolls would be a good strategy to have out-of-state drivers help support the state’s transportation needs.

Madeleine Leveille-Green Party

Madeleine Leveille lives in Clinton and is a clinical and forensic psychologist. Her platform calls for fundamental tax reform, environmental protection, and social justice.

According to Leveille, the current Connecticut state budget crisis has been brought on by a failure to fairly tax wealthy individuals and corporations. As a result, local property taxes have been overburdened as a source of basic revenue for local government.

Leveille advocates more aggressive policies to protect the environment, including a conversion to a solar-electric economy and the restoration of funds to environmental uses that Governor Dannel Malloy diverted to the general fund. Recently in Clinton, she was a member of the group organized in opposition to the proposed industrial waste recycling/dump in Clinton. For more information, visit madeleineleveille2018.com.