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10/06/2020 03:20 PMJohn-Michael Parker, the Democrat running for the state representative seat for the 101st Assembly District, is in his second campaign with the same matchup, having just fallen short of an upset victory over longtime incumbent Republican Noreen Kokoruda in 2018.
Now, with voters’ priorities shifting in the face of the pandemic and other social changes, Parker said he is hoping to bring a message and attitude of unity as he seeks a chance to represent Madison and Durham in the capital.
“I got into this in 2018...driven by I think an experience that a lot of folks in the country has, which is that politics feel so broken, so divisive and nasty,” Parker said. “I got involved because I wanted to be a part of the solution.”
A non-profit leader and educator, Parker grew up in Madison and recently purchased his first home here after working a handful of years in New York City. Parker said he wants to define his service to Madison as “being a force to even more strongly stand up for our values.”
These include a dedication to addressing issues of the environment and climate change, advocating for the LGBTQ+ community, affordable health insurance and access to care, gun safety, and senior issues such as tax relief programs.
“I want to help stand for respect, civility, people working together, and believing in their neighbors,” he said. “I hear from so many folks that are excited about turning the page on politics as it is now...so I’m excited to help be a part of a change.”
Police Reform
One of those difficult issues that, at times, has seen a distinct lack of civility, is police reform. A bill passed this past summer and signed into law sparked anger and controversy.
Parker said that the issue was “something that needs to be approached with rationality, and a wide-eyed look on both the enforcement and community side.”
He disputed that the issue was a zero-sum game—that enacting reforms that would protect communities would necessarily put officers in danger or make it harder to do their jobs. He said the police accountability bill “certainly kicked things off” as far as beginning the conversation about reform.
“I think the way that we get there is by leading a process and by advocating for people from our communities to make sure that they are sharing their voices and their experiences when decisions are getting made,” Parker said. “Smart regulation, accountability, and good policy and procedures are essential for them to be able to do their jobs well.”
He acknowledged that the bill and recent pushes for reform have left law enforcement feeling “alienated,” and said as a state representative, he would “bring those folks together to share their experiences and perspectives.”
Parker said he “wanted to give respect” to the difficult job of police who put their lives in danger, and emphasized that he was not an expert on policing, but said he also believed that there was reason to “look at” current use of force practices due to issues “across the country.”
“I think there are opportunities to find stronger, clearer regulations that make the police’s job more safe and more tenable,” Parker said. “And also keep people safe.”
Parker also pointed out the low numbers of use-of-force incidents in Madison.
“In [the] Madison Police Department and in the State Trooper program in Durham, I think people are proud to have public servants...who take care of and protect the community,” Parker said.
Regionalization
Another big issue facing the 101st District is school regionalization. Parker said he didn’t want to jump in and start talking about any dramatic overhauls—things like combining school districts. He said he did not support any sort of “forced regionalization” and that there has been significant misunderstandings and misinformation around the subject.
But with Connecticut’s highly segregated and unequal school system, boasting huge gaps in opportunity and achievement along both racial and geographic lines, Parker said he would support state incentives that feed into the values he saw in Madison and Durham’s residents: Being “an accessible, open, equitable community.”
“I think as that happens, we’ll see more diversity right here in our own schools,” he said.
Part of why Parker said he would oppose state mandates is because the community is willing to take those steps on its own. He cited the leadership of First Selectman Peggy Lyons in Madison and First Selectman Laura Francis in Durham as local leaders in whom he has faith, as far building toward that more diverse and open community.
“Better data and information will help people make good, positive decisions that lead to more equity and justice,” Parker said. “This conversation feels more intense than it has in recent years...I don’t think there was as much outpour from the community...talking about these problems and seeing them in a new way, or at least trying to appreciate them in a new way and wanting to do something about them.”
Citing recent Black Lives Matter rallies and vigils in the area, along with other changes and activism, Parker said he thought the 101st District was ready to translate these things into policies. He specifically cited the state’s Educational Cost Sharing grants, which prioritize lower-income communities for state funds, as a method of reaching these goals of equity.
Parker said that towns could maintain local control and find efficiencies in plenty of areas while simultaneously finding ways to regionalize aspects or services, and that these towns wouldn’t have to sacrifice the quality of these services, or of schools, to do so.
“I don’t think schools need to be treated any differently. If local school boards see that there are opportunities to regionalize and get better services for the people in their communities and more economic efficiency, that’s a thing that should be celebrated,” he said.
The 101st District has a great example of that, Parker said, in Regional District 13, which serves both Middlefield and Durham students.
Zoning Reform
Another area that is likely coming up on the agenda for state legislation is zoning reform, with suburban towns like Madison and Durham offering very few housing options for working-class families, which contributes to the de-facto racial and economic segregation of these towns.
Parker made it clear again that he would want to empower local leaders on zoning boards and economic development committees, but also acknowledged that Madison and Durham have “fallen short” on goals for things like affordable housing, and that the state “should be part of the conversation.”
“Why have we fallen short for so long? What’s in the way of that, maybe the regulation isn’t right, or maybe our local municipalities haven’t see the right path forward or the right incentives to make it work,” Parker said.
While he said local and state leaders should examine these issues, Parker also pushed back against the fear that changes to zoning would somehow damage the area’s character or its appeal.
“If we’re thinking about a statewide community that has more access and equity for all people, then if having a change or progress in terms of housing stock...so that more people can have access to housing, I think that’s something that the majority of people in our community are in support of,” he said.
Budget Concerns
One of the most immediate and long-lasting effects of the pandemic has been the economic outcomes. Parker lauded the state’s protection and use of its $3 billion rainy day fund, which Governor Ned Lamont recently announced would be tapped to overcome the state’s huge deficit.
Parker said that one of the biggest priorities would be revamping the way that businesses and individuals access services, citing the struggles people had in applying for programs or getting answers from state agencies like the Department of Labor.
“It wasn’t designed to actually serve the challenges we had,” Parker said. “People in state government were working very hard and there’s a lot of great public servants...but there just wasn’t the capacity to handle this challenge.”
In the long term, Parker said he would support “changing the narrative” to support more businesses and individuals moving into the state and into the district, citing a recent influx of real estate sales as evidence there was a desire by people to move into the area.
Parker said he also saw “a lot of opportunity” for job growth, and he would support training and education in biotechnology and green energy, along with seeking to diversify the racial makeup and increase the pool of qualified teachers.
“I think if we continue to grow Connecticut in a way that is focused more on communities and...the people that are actually at the center of our communities, that’s part of the steps forward,” he said.