Some people have expressed concerns about where the funding comes from for Connecticut's new Citizens' Election Program.  With middle class families really feeling the pinch in this economy, it is quite reasonable for people to worry about yet another potential tax burden.  Fortunately, the smart people who crafted this law already thought of that.  The funding for the Citizens' Election program comes not out of taxpayer dollars, but from the Citizens' Election Fund, which is made solvent by the sale of property from the state's abandoned property fund.  Not only that - if you feel as strongly as I do that Clean Elections will level the playing field and play a part in stopping the influence of money in politics, you can also donate to the fund through the Connecticut Citizens' Election website .

We spend money on public education, teaching high school students about civics.  We need to make sure that money is well spent by providing new voters with good candidates to chose from.  We need to make sure the education doesn't end at the high school doors, but that everyone gets the opportunity to learn from candidates about the issues, funded by a strong Citizens' Election Program.

As someone who ran for office in the past and lost to an extremely well funded incumbent, I know first hand how difficult it is for a relatively unknown candidate to raise funds and get people to hear about the issues. There is a great pool of talented people here in Connecticut who could contribute a great deal as a legislator but who won't run because they can't conceive of dialing for the number of dollars it takes to run a successful campaign.  Now any qualified candidate who can meet the threshold of small dollar support from their district can run.  It is my hope and expectation that this will go a long way to broaden our pool of candidates in Connecticut and enable people from a wider variety of backgrounds and walks of life to represent us at the State House.