Editor’s note: The Easton Courier asked candidates running for office representing Easton to submit a bio and platform statement. Christopher Peritore (R) is running for Connecticut’s 135th House District.
Christopher Peritore is a life-long Easton resident who is seeking to represent Weston, Redding, and Easton as the state representative for the 135th District. He has previously served as a constable for the town of Easton and as a member of the town’s Diversity and Inclusion Task Force. In 2024, Peritore served as the assistant clerk on the Appropriations Committee of the Connecticut General Assembly.
Peritore grew up in Easton, attending Easton and Region 9 public schools K-10 and finished his high schooling at Notre-Dame Fairfield, and now is attending classes at Norwalk Community College. Chris believes in local and vocational education, expanding access to trades, and practical skills that will further our workforce and district, as well as providing students who don’t want to attend college an option to begin learning a trade through public education. Chris also believes that we must defend the watershed as well as fight for affordability across the state!
Candidate Statement
Local control of zoning in Connecticut is essential for tackling the housing crisis in Connecticut, but also keeps in mind the unique needs and values of each municipality. It empowers residents to engage in decision-making processes directly affecting theirmneighborhoods, promoting transparency and accountability. Local zoning allows towns to preserve their character, manage land use effectively, and address housing affordability, environmental sustainability, and infrastructure development.
By tailoring regulations to local contexts, municipalities can better balance growth and preservation, ensuring that development aligns with community goals. Additionally, the current affordable housing statute that we are under now is antiquated and would require our town to have the same percentage of affordable housing as municipalities like Bridgeport, New Haven, and Hartford.
I’m running as an independent. I’m a registered independent and when elected I will bring that to Hartford and not focus on party agenda, but focus on how we can solve the problems that we see in the 135th District every day. In recent years this country has become more and more polarized and we have begun to use party affiliation to villainize and label people, I will do everything in my power to fight against that practice. I will go to Hartford with an agenda for the 135th District, not based on either party’s talking points.
Another massive problem we face is how are we going to deal with the enormous affordability problem in this state. While this has been a rising trend, it’s only been exacerbated by the recent hike in our electric bill, specifically, the “public benefit.” This affordability problem goes hand in hand with our housing crisis. We elect our elected officials to come up with true substantive solutions for issues like these, and they haven’t.
While both sides play political theater on this issue, the residents in our state are suffering, and the folks in the 135th are suffering. Once I get elected I will do everything in my power to lessen the financial burden caused by these electric companies and fight for true affordability in our state!
