A brand new Republican party

By Julie Simmons

If you examine the quality of life in Connecticut today, you will see that we are in a state of prosperity. This success can be attributed to the leadership of Governor John G. Rowland.

On Jan. 4, 1995, Rowland became Connecticut's 86th governor at the age of 37. Rowland is the youngest person ever elected to our state's highest office; furthermore, he currently ranks as the youngest governor in the United States. Rowland has lived his entire life in Connecticut and is devoted to his state.

In recognition of his contributions to the state, Rowland has been awarded one of Timothy Dwight College's prized Chubb fellowships. The Wall Street Journal has called Rowland "one of the nation's top 10 emerging government leaders."

Rowland is committed to building a better Connecticut. Under his leadership, Connecticut has run budget surpluses totalling $597 million. Rowland decided that the money should go back to where it belongs, the pockets of the taxpayers. Thus, in the summer of 1998, Connecticut taxpayers received rebate checks for the first time in the state's history.

John Rowland is a far better candidate for governor than Democratic challenger Barbara Kennelly. When asked about his first term accomplishments, Rowland said recently during his campaigning, "Together, we've created over 90,000 jobs, cut taxes by almost $487 per family per year, and lowered taxes on businesses. For our children, we're working to make our schools safer, [we've] increased state aid to education, and are investing in our university system. As we enter the 21st century, we're building a better Connecticut for our families." For his second term in office, Rowland's agenda will focus on the state's urban problems.

On the other hand, The New Haven Advocate, a generally liberal newspaper, displayed a photograph of Barbara Kennelly on its Wed., Jan. 15 cover with an arrow pointing to her head and a headline that read, "Insert Ideas Here." When asked about her motivation for entering the race, Kennelly recently stated that since her husband is dead and her children have grown up, she has all the time in the world to devote to Connecticut. Connecticut needs someone who has answer to its problems, not just someone with time on her hands.

It is quite clear that the Democratic party in Connecticut is locked in the past, and it is equally clear that the Republican party is changing the face of Connecticut. Simply look at the tickets that Rowland and Kennelly have assembled. The Republican ticket is the most diverse that any party has ever put together in the history of the state. The Democrats had to fight through a nasty primary in order to get a single minority on their ticket.

Rowland's candidate for Secretary of State, Ben Andrews, is a former president of the Connecticut chapter of the NAACP and has been a champion of civil rights his entire life. Santa Mendoza, the Republican candidate for Attorney General, is a woman of Mexican descent who has spent much of her time as an attorney helping disadvantaged families. Christopher Scalzo, the Rowland Comptroller candidate, is an Italian with a long history of service in the Connecticut State House. Also, the Republican candidate for U.S. Senate, Gary Franks, could become the first African-American to have been elected to both the House of Representatives and the Senate since Reconstruction.

These are not simply feints at diversity-- it is a move to open Connecticut politics to groups that have long been disenfranchised.

Let us not fall back into the past. We have worked too long and too hard for that to happen. Let us commit to making the difference for all of Connecticut's citizens today. We will never have a better chance and we will never face a clearer choice. Vote for our future. Vote Rowland and the Republican ticket.

Julie Simmons, president of Yale College Republicans, is a junior in Morse.

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