Meet Dave Nowakowski, Democratic candidate for Conn. District 47 state representative
Election Day in Connecticut is Nov. 8, when dozens of candidates will vie for positions in federal and state offices. Several cities and towns will ask local questions on the ballot in addition to the statewide question about early voting.
The Norwich Bulletin sent questionnaires to candidates running for several state seats in Eastern Connecticut. The Bulletin is publishing the answers with edits only for grammar or if a candidate wrote over the word limit and did not resubmit a shorter version by deadline.
Two candidates are on the ballot for state representative of District 47 - Republican candidate and incumbent Doug Dubitsky and Democratic candidate Dave Nowakowski. District 47 includes Canterbury, Chaplin, Franklin, Hampton, Lebanon, Lisbon, Norwich, Scotland and Sprague. Dubitsky did not return his questionnaire.
Name: Dave Nowakowski
Campaign website: www.davenowa.com
Profession: Small Business Owner (Sunfox Campground in Lisbon)
What makes you the best candidate to represent District 47?
As a life-long resident of Eastern Connecticut, I am familiar with the people and towns of our region. Having been a former teacher and a current member of the Board of Education, as well as a small business owner with a wonderfully supportive wife and four great kids, I hope to offer a wider perspective concerning the needs of not only our state, but also of the 47th district.
What do you think is the biggest issue facing your district, and how would you solve it?
The sprawling 47th district encompasses 8 towns: Canterbury, Scotland, Sprague, Chaplin and parts of Lisbon, Brooklyn, Plainfield and Norwich. While there may be particular issues that vary from town to town, such as funding the new school project in Norwich or providing high speed internet access in the more rural areas, there are also national issues that have suddenly become a tremendous concern at the state level, particularly in protecting women's rights. Here in the 47th, education remains my biggest focus, from universal pre-K, attracting teachers to our district, supporting our public schools, including our regional technical schools, and working to make tuition affordable for Connecticut residents at our state universities. In conjunction, it is important that Connecticut, and especially our part of the state, strives to attract those new members of the workforce to quality jobs, as we lose far too many of our most talented workers to places like Boston and New York. Incentivizing employment in areas of need through forgiveness of student loans based on remaining in CT might be worth exploring.
This article originally appeared on The Bulletin: David Nowakowski Q&A: Democratic candidate for CT House District 47
