Markley Needs To Deliver
by: Ed Rosenblatt,
Southington Democratic Town Committee Chairman
(This op-ed piece appeared in the May 23, 2014 Southington Observer)
In a recent editorial Senator Markley criticized Corky Mazurek for his characterization of Representative Robert Sampson. In Markley’s editorial he wrote, “He (Sampson) has never favored imposing term limits”. Perhaps before the Senator wrote that he should have checked Sampson’s record.
In a 2012 Political Courage Test – Project Vote Smart, Representative Sampson wrote, “Term Limits – I have proposed that there should be no limit to the total number of terms legislators can serve but that they serve no more than two CONSECUTIVE terms. This will require legislators to return home, be more responsible to their constituents, and have to work harder to earn their way back into office.”
This creates the appearance that Representative Sampson not only favored such legislation, but actually proposed it. Unfortunately, I am unable to find that he proposed any legislation on the subject of term limits. Perhaps it was just an empty campaign promise.
On the other hand, during his terms as our State Representative, Corky Mazurek delivered substantial increases in state funding and grants for education, open space, Calendar House, bulk waste removal, and the YMCA. In fact, state funding increased by more than $13 million while Corky was our Representative. All of that made Southington a less expensive and better town to live in.
Instead of criticizing Corky Mazurek, Senator Markley would do better to deliver more to Southington than rhetoric. In the four years he has served, he delivered no additional state funding for Southington.