In the battle for the 132nd state House district, the Democrat and Republican contenders have faced off before.
State Rep. Jennifer Leeper, 38, has held the seat since beating former state Rep. Brian Farnen in the 2020 election. Farnen, 47, had won the position in a special election earlier that year meant to fill the vacancy left by now First Selectwoman Brenda Kupchick.
The district is primarily in the southern part of Fairfield, but also branches up toward the Tunxis Hill neighborhood.
Hearst Connecticut Media asked the candidates what they considered the top issues in their district and what they would do about them. Here are their responses:
Brian Farnen
Town of residence: Fairfield
Education: B.A., University of Connecticut; Juris Doctorate and Master of Business Administration, Finance, UConn
Political/civic experience: State representative, 2020-2021; Representative Town Meeting, 2011-2020; Adjunct Professor, Fairfield University and UConn; Fairfield Beach Residents Association, board member; Roger Sherman and Roger Ludlowe Middle School PTA; Recognized Global Leader in Fight Against Climate Change; Fairfield Youth Football, Basketball and Soccer Coach
Top two issues: My top two issues are tax relief for working families and seniors and overdevelopment in Fairfield. The majority of Fairfield residents have been denied the historic tax relief benefits recently celebrated by both the legislature and my opponent. I will always be a vocal advocate for Fairfielders who did not receive tax relief during the 2022 legislative session. I ask this simple question to my fellow residents, did your taxes go down? I have led the fight against out-of-scale development projects, like the recently proposed residential building in our historic downtown district. It is time to reform 8-30g, a state law that enables developers to circumvent local zoning regulations. Despite claims to the contrary, and its initial purpose for enactment, 8-30g does not actually create affordable housing units. Unlike my opponent, I will take action to ensure Fairfield remains a town, not a city.
Jennifer Leeper
Town of residence: Fairfield
Education: Bachelor’s degree from Wellesley College, double majored in Political Science and Religion; Master’s in Public Policy from Harris School of Public Policy at the University of Chicago
Political/civic experience: former member, Fairfield Board of Education; former school administrator in NYC; then data and policy analyst for CT Department of Education.
Top two issues: I plan on continuing my work in growing our economy and making Connecticut more affordable. So often I hear from constituents that the rising cost of housing and inflation is taking a financial toll on their family. This year I was proud to support a balanced budget that cut over $650 million in taxes for middle-class families and seniors, and paid down $10 billion in legacy pension debt saving us $450 million annually over the next decade, all while continuing to invest in our communities and schools. I’m proud of the work we’ve done to incentivize businesses to grow here with our JobsCT program, which provides tax incentives for businesses that expand their high-paying jobs. In 2021, CT had 28 new and expanding headquarters, which is a great sign. I am committed to continuing our positive economic trend by further paying down our debts and relieving financial burdens on working families and seniors. We need to do this work while also protecting our rights to reproductive health care, voting access, protections from gun violence, and ensuring we have clean air to breathe and clean water to drink.
