Mary Sanders

Born in New Britain and living in the South end of Hartford for 27 years. At Capital Community and Central CT State University I majored in Spanish, Sociology and Management. My life has been about service and the greater good. Working in charities and non-profits for thirty-five years helped me appreciate the life struggles of individuals and families around the state. At the YWCA for 9 years, I created workforce development programs that put people to work. As E.D. of the Spanish Speaking Center for 18 years I developed programming for a diverse clientele seeking food, education, housing, and other assistance. With limited staffing, I trained subsidized workers, interns and volunteers to maximize impact. Worked collaboratively with other agencies to eliminate duplication and increase access to services. Often at the Capitol advocating for clients or on the street, adding my voice to those protesting injustices in criminal justice and immigration. An advocate for environmental justice and criminal justice reforms. I was part of Occupy Hartford and was arrested for protesting war during Bush administration. I consider myself a Social Progressive and Fiscal Moderate; we can do more with less if we get rid of fraud and duplication.

• Grassroots Democracy - get money out of politics. Elected officials should be accessible and accountable to their individual constituents, not just the big donors.
• Social, Environmental and Economic Justice for all. Such severe income disparity, even in CT is shameful.
• Climate Change is real - we need a Green New Deal now before it's too late. Our grandchildren deserve our immediate action on this.

I am committed to seeing a real Green New Deal, that works to mitigate Climate Change and creates Green Jobs. I am committed to seeing equitable investments in marginalized communities that include healthy living environments, quality education and workforce development, employment, and other economic opportunities. I am committed to criminal justice reforms that include overhauling policing, corrections, and drug laws that disproportionately affect people of color and low-income neighborhoods. I am committed to Healthcare for All, including vision and dental. These can all be funded without necessarily raising taxes although I would work for a more progressive tax structure and a millionaires' tax. But, before we ask anyone to pay additional taxes, we need to eliminate waste, fraud and duplication in state funded services. We need to protect small businesses from unexpected crisis and develop ways to prevent job loss when these occur. Legalizing cannabis would create jobs and bring in additional revenue as would State Banks and Public Utilities. I do not believe we should cooperate with ICE's policy of separating families.

The most important characteristic of an elected official is honesty and transparency, and their principals should put people before profit. One must be diplomatic and able to negotiate and balance the needs of a diverse constituency, legislating in a nonpartisan manner. One must educate themselves about the issues at hand and be able to see all sides of an argument. We must consider the needs of all stakeholders, ultimately working towards solutions acceptable to all. It is also important to remain accessible and accountable to the communities one represents and to be present when needed.

The most important quality in a good leader is honesty and transparency. Without these, your constituents cannot trust you or your judgement regarding the laws you may enact. If you don't know something, admit that you need time to research before answering and don't make promises you have no power to deliver. Part of our job is to make sure residents, and businesses, have what they need to live and thrive in CT. While I consider myself a determined problem solver, a successful officeholder must engage the constituents and communities in developing solutions. Client centered communication skills were crucial whether working with individuals in crisis, developing programming and grant applications or negotiating funding contracts. Another quality I possess is reducing waste, repurposing and recycling in my personal life which translates to identifying waste, fraud, duplication and streamlining both procedures and budgets. As a social progressive but fiscal moderate, I think we can do more with less and still put people and planet before profit.

After a couple years of Summer Youth Employment I worked a short time in a factory cafeteria. My first real job was at the Spanish Speaking Center of New Britain. Hired as a part-time receptionist, I later moved into the Executive Secretary position and a year later was moved into the Adult Education department. There I tutored ESL and GED classes and provided Case Management helping students develop self-sufficiency plans and move into employment. I was only there 3 1/2 years but returned after 15 years at other non-profits and schools and became the Executive Director for 17 years. We provided the community with access to a Food Pantry, ESL, GED and Computer classes, a business startup program, social services and youth programs.

Not as much time for reading as an adult as I did when I was a child and preteen. I read constantly then and something that I read over and over was the story of Helen Keller. Without much thought I'd have to say that was my favorite. Never thought about why, but looking back it was all about overcoming struggles and not giving up. That must have been a source of inspiration to me, more than once.

When I was working full-time, raising family and active in the community I had little time for self-care. I a little older and wiser now; striving to keep better balance between saving the world and my grandchildren and caring for myself.

I believe good state legislators can get better with time as their experience helps them maneuver the system and hopefully, has shown them how to best serve the needs of their constituents. The opposite can also hold true. Career politicians often lose touch with their constituents, take their votes for granted, and may be out of touch with the current reality. More set in their ways and philosophies, they begin to legislate with a, "this is how it's always been done" mentality, with little thinking outside the box. Newly elected legislators coming from different professions, can often provide fresh and innovative solutions with their wider perspective and practical experiences. So yes, it could be beneficial, but not particularly necessary.

Here are 3 on my list: According to the United Way's latest ALICE report, 40% of our state and 66% of Hartford residents do not have enough monthly income to meet their needs. During Governor Rowland's administration, CT enacted the strictest version of Welfare Reform in the nation, leaving the most vulnerable with only food and medical assistance, no cash assistance at all. I believe in a guaranteed basic income to supplement the difference between actual monthly household income and a livable wage at 40 hours. CT is a rich state with a high cost of living and growing income disparity; I would begin work on raising the minimum wage to $20 and on preparing our workforce for those higher wage jobs.

Housing insecurity and Homelessness are growing. Only a fraction of the need is being met for affordable housing. We need housing subsidies while we invest in public housing in our cities. We must incentivize towns all around CT to do the same. Scattered sites and smaller developments would be best and should be located near transportation and possible work hubs. Unemployed residents in subsidized housing should be provided with training opportunities.

CT must do more to address the climate crisis. Stop investing in nuclear energy and fracking; we need more investments in solar and wind. Our water supply has been compromised in the name of capitalism, with disregard for future generations and no plan to mitigate. I want a Green New Deal for CT, which would create sustainable energy sources, a healthy environment and thousands of jobs. Environmental Justice for me also means getting rid of the waste processing facility in Hartford that takes in a third of the state's garbage and recyclables and has polluted towns in our region for decades. While the Governor's related commissions and task forces are doing a tremendous job they may not be as aggressive and influential in actually getting someone to do the necessary work. We need more eyes on the prize.

I am interested in numerous committees. I would be most able to contribute to the areas of Health and Human Services and Labor because of my 35 years in social service and workforce development related nonprofits. I have also been active around criminal justice and corrections issues for many years and would like to serve on the Judiciary Committee. As a candidate on the Green Party line, addressing the climate crisis and environmental justice are also a priority for me, so I would ask to be part of any committees related to the environment, and public health and safety.