Editor’s note: The Easton Courier asked candidates running for office representing Easton to submit a bio and platform statement. Tony Scott (R) is running for re-election for Connecticut’s 112th House District.
Tony Scott is currently serving in his second term in the Connecticut General Assembly, seeking a third term in office as a State Representative for the 112th District. He is the Ranking Member of the Housing Committee and a member of the General Law and the Higher Education & Employment Advancement committees. Prior to being elected to the 112th District in 2021, he served as a member of the Monroe Town Council, Chairman of the Council’s Strategic Planning Subcommittee, and EMS Commission for the Council. He served for eight years on the Monroe Parks & Recreation Commission, leading as Chairman for six years. He also previously served on the Monroe Economic Development Commission.
He graduated from Penn State University with a Communications degree in Broadcast Journalism and currently works in Marketing at Edgewell Personal Care in Shelton as a Senior Promotions Manager. He previously had a similar Marketing role with Henkel Corporation in Stamford. Overall, he has 15+ years of Marketing experience in a variety of industries with an additional 5 years of invaluable first-hand Financial Services experience.
He is married to Jennifer (Deak), who was born and raised in Monroe, where they have lived together since 2007. They are parents of twin 15-year-old girls, Lauren and Addison, who are currently sophomores attending Masuk High School. In his free time, he enjoys watching his daughters compete in dance and volleyball, playing golf and enjoying the sand, sun and surf at the beach.
Candidate Statement
I am running to make Connecticut more affordable for our residents, and a more predictable business climate for our job creators. I will fight to keep local control over planning and zoning, to provide relief from unfunded mandates, and advocate for public safety in our communities, on our roads, and for our emergency response personnel.
Issue #1 – Affordability
Affordability is the key issue for my constituents, and that has bubbled up again specifically with the outrageous electricity increases this summer. The Public Benefits portion of the bill is a hidden tax on our residents and businesses because the fees are paying for state mandated programs. We should separate the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) and PURA because their missions don’t align. PURA is supposed to be holding utilities accountable and making decisions that are in the best interest of the ratepayer. DEEP is pushing alternate energy, like wind, which currently is double the rate of current energy sources. A plan to financially cover this mandate was presented during this past session and sadly Democrats rejected it to spend tens of millions of dollars to bailout places like UConn and other state universities.
Issue #2 – Local Control
Towns across Connecticut are under attack from legislators in Hartford and activists from the cities to take away local zoning decisions from towns and instead install a one-size-fits-all approach to zoning regulations. We need housing of all different kinds and sizes, but the market will dictate where and when that gets built. If a large apartment complex does not fit the downtown of a town, they should not be worried about getting sued or having no say because some legislature from New Haven or Norwalk or Stamford says so. As the Ranking Member of the Housing Committee, I can promise I will continue to stand up for our towns and allow our locally elected officials decide how they will be developed.
Issue #3 – Municipal Funding
Since being elected, I have helped bring in millions of dollars in grants and other types of funding for Monroe, Easton & Trumbull. We need to continue to have a voice in Hartford that will fight for towns as hard as others do for the cities. Just because our towns are more financially prudent and smaller in size, does not make them less deserving. Our towns are in need of funding for Education, Public Safety and Infrastructure. Sadly, Democrats love to pass down unfunded mandates to the municipalities and place that burden on local property taxes. I will continue to stand up to the majority party and fight against every single last mandate.
