Jeff Duigou was born in Waterbury CT, raised in public schools in East Hartford and was always a strong student being named to the National Honor Society in high school. Jeff graduated from UConn in Storrs with a Bachelor’s degree in Biology/Marine Science and later attended graduate school studying in the field of Environmental Biotechnology. Jeff has been married for 40 years to his wife Cari. Jeff’s volunteering has encompassed being a Scoutmaster for the Boy Scouts of America as well as coaching youth sports. Jeff is a conservationist and enjoys the outdoors with his family and friends.
What is the most serious problem currently facing the state of Connecticut? What proposal(s) would you make to alleviate the problem?
Currently, the most serious problem affecting working and middle class families and seniors on fixed incomes in the 33rd District and state-wide are the excessive electric bills that the residents are currently being burdened with. My opponent Norm Needleman, Chairman of the Energy and Technology Committee does not have a clear solution to remedy the excessive Public Benefit taxation on your electric bill. He voted against using ARPA monies to pay down the 4-Year cumulative debt caused by the Electric Shutoff Mandate by Governor Lamont during the Covid pandemic. CT was one of only two states in the entire country to have a 4 yr. moratorium on the shut off for non-payment of electric bills. Norm Needleman voted against a Special Session to address this issue. When elected, I will work with the State Senate Republican Caucus and colleagues across the aisle to develop a bipartisan approach to solving this issue which may include using left over ARPA funds to pay down the electric bill debt caused by the shutoff notice mandate and negotiating a phased in approach to use some rainy day funds and left over debt to be placed into the state biennial budget. This approach will not completely remove fees associated with hidden taxes due to the mandates associated with the CT Green New Deal that will remain on your electric bill as a “Public Benefit”. As responsible legislators, we need to readdress the fiscal sustainability of renewable energy and a more responsible approach to phase these projects into our State Energy portfolio without creating excessive financial burdens on the taxpayers/ratepayers of Connecticut.
Book-banning’ has been a significant issue in the community—where do you stand on the matter?
In my humble opinion, I don’t believe in “Book-banning” but do want to see the placement of books in the appropriate section of a public school or community library. We have FCC rules associated with rating publicly viewed videos/movies on television or in theaters for example, why aren’t we using similar ratings to protect our children from inappropriate literature in public schools and community libraries? Something for us as a society to debate and address.
Why are you running for this position?
For 30 years, I spent my professional career serving the communities in which I have lived and worked. I enjoy seeing the completion of policies and projects that come to completion for the benefit of our communities. I take the fiduciary responsibilities of completing taxpayer funded policies and projects very seriously. I have learned “one size does not fill all” when developing and enforcing regulatory processes or scope of work to complete legislative approaches to the betterment of our society. CT residents need more of a balance in the State General Assembly to drive bipartisan debate and policies that will benefit all of us. For decades the Democrats have had majority control of the State House and Senate. This stagnates good policies that come forth from the minority party often overcome by special interests which harm taxpayers and affordability in CT. I am a 30-year veteran consulting in the field of Energy (oil, natural gas, nuclear), worked for many of the 169 towns in CT on municipal projects, cleaned up Brownfield sites in Bridgeport, Hartford, New Britain, New Haven, Stamford and surrounding communities to build public schools, successfully improved campus infrastructure at UCONN, was involved in affordable public housing projects, and safety services for over 12 school districts in CT since 2003. I have provided leadership in these accomplishments resulting in countless good paying jobs for construction workers, retail workers, commercial and financial institutions, K-12 schoolteachers, administrators, and maintenance/cafeteria workers, and major energy development and utility companies including AES Corporation, National Grid, Eversource, United Illuminating and Dominion Energy. I have always been a “fixer” taking on challenges placed before me to make life in the communities I served better for the common good. I will bring this leadership to Hartford to make life in the 33rd Senate District and Connecticut affordable for everyone by lowering our energy and electric bills. I will fight to improve affordability for individuals and families. It’s no longer about Right vs Left, it’s about Right and Wrong. I am the right candidate for State Senator of the 33rd District and to serve Connecticut.