A “Purpose Driven State” is how one candidate is beginning to rise above the rhetoric and capture the attention of many moderate, commonsense voters. His name is Paul Crisci, and he is making his second run at the District 12 state senate seat currently occupied by three-time incumbent Christine Cohen. For anyone not familiar with the District 12 area of responsibility, it encompasses the towns of Branford, Madison, North Branford, Killingworth, Durham, and Guilford, with portions of Middlefield and East Haven.

In 2022, Crisci ran on a message of “common sense,” something both Democrats and even some Republicans questioned the substance of. Crisci eventually lost but surprised many with a substantial voter count of over 21,000 votes. Now, in 2024, it seems Crisci has refined his platform with a substantive message he refers to as “Project 18-29 and Beyond,” something the second-time District 12 senate candidate hopes will resonate with voters. When Crisci was asked to define his messaging, he replied, “It’s about creating a purpose-driven state for residents, and it all starts with our young adults.”

Crisci went on to say, “Over the past decade, we have slowly but surely lost our identity as a state.” He continued, “Through repeated failures by Hartford’s majority leadership, the state of Connecticut is now unfortunately known for one thing: being too expensive to live in.”

Crisci was criticized in 2022 when he repeatedly took aim at price increases in gas, food, and even utility bills. Now, two years later, Crisci reminds voters that he wasn’t so wrong after all, referring to the inflation issues seen over the past two years affecting many residents in District 12 towns.

When asked what “Project 18-29 and Beyond” was, he explained, “It is a plan that offers Connecticut young adults between the ages of 18 to 29 (and now 34) high-paying, welltrained jobs in Connecticut.” When asked how he plans to get businesses to agree to his proposed legislation, he said, “That’s the easy part. Project 18-29 and Beyond will incentivize businesses by offering them a stair-step tax relief on their Connecticut state taxes. The higher the salary, the greater the job training, the more the business can enjoy tax discounts in their yearly filings.”

Crisci continued, “And that’s not the only incentive. Young adults ages 18 to 34 will be encouraged to buy homes by offering a range of tax-free opportunities when purchasing their homes, including ‘no tax’ on any upgrades made to the home in the first year of ownership. They will also be free of tax when purchasing furniture or covering other moving expenses.” Crisci furthered his explanation by offering a few other incentives, including but not limited to a tax write-off for first-time automotive buyers and first mortgages.

Crisci’s critics challenged him on how this would work with a generation that has already been labeled as lazy. He answered, “First, they’re not lazy, they’re discouraged. And as for how it works, the math adds up. Like with any plan to rebuild, it requires give and take, but most of all, it requires commitment.” Crisci stated, “If we encourage young people to stay in the state and plant their roots in Connecticut, we will ultimately produce new taxpayers who will hopefully want to stay and raise their families here as well as start businesses. But first, they need to be able to afford it.” Crisci reminded his critics, “This plan is not a handout; it’s a kickstart. The tax discounts are an open door for young people to get started in a state that is unfortunately not friendly to the young adults who have grown up here.”

Many also question why businesses need to receive tax discounts and how that would help Connecticut. Crisci explained, “Unfortunately, Governor Malloy’s administration chased many businesses out of the state, making Connecticut one of the least business-friendly states in the Union. The result of this mass exodus has left Connecticut to bear the burden of state bills; hence the issues residents are experiencing with the added fees unfairly charged on their electric bills.”

Crisci was then asked about the needs of other demographics, including seniors. He answered with a laugh, “Well, that’s where the ‘and beyond’ comes in (referring to Project 18-29 and Beyond). When I was crafting this proposed measure, I realized it could not be one-dimensional. It needed to be something that everyone could experience relief from, which is why I added provisions such as no tax on any income for seniors, no state sales tax on food, and no state tax on any prescription drugs.”

Crisci continued, “And this is how we become a purpose-driven state. If our young people see that our leaders recognize the contributions of those who helped build a better state, then they will be motivated to invest the rest of their lives here in Connecticut.”

Crisci closed by saying, “I believe my plan works because it offers a foundational solution to certain issues that just can’t be solved by throwing money at them. People keep blaming inflation. Inflation is a symptom of the problem; it’s not the actual problem. We have perpetuated how inflation has affected our state through poor business and financial management that, quite honestly, have continued to be kicked down the road and masked by the ARPA Fund windfall, which is a once-in-a-hundred-year occurrence. Now those funds are all but gone, and it’s time for us to create solutions such as Project 18-29 and Beyond to ensure we can be fiscally sound as a state. If not, we will eventually see ourselves in a deficit we may not be able to recover from. Crisci punctuated by saying, “This is not a democrat thing, and it’s not a republican thing. It’s simply the right thing for everyone.”

To learn more about Paul Crisci and his run for the District 12 state senate, you can visit his website at pcforct.com or follow him on Facebook and Instagram.