Crisci Gives Back To Branford While Speaking To Democrats, Independents, And Unaffiliated Comey “No-Show” To Fundraise For Her Campaign Instead

A few weeks ago, I double dog-dared the Democrats, independents, and unaffiliated voters of Branford to have pizza with a Republican. On Wednesday night, they took me up on it

They came. They grabbed a slice, sat down, and asked me hard questions for two hours. Nobody yelled. People disagreed with me and told me so, and I thanked them for it. That is what this town used to look like, and it can look like that again.

Not everybody could be in that room, so here is what we talked about.

Who I am, and what this job is

I told people who I am. I am a moderate Republican, raised in a mostly Democratic family back when Democrats and Republicans were different people than they are today. I believe in common sense, and I believe in facts.

I am not running for Congress or the U.S. Senate. I am running to represent Branford. We have to stop letting Washington rent space in our heads. My job is what is at our front door. Start in the bullseye and work your way out.

Someone asked how my conservative values would affect the town. They wouldn’t. When you’re hired for a job, your party and your faith should not change how you do it, whether you’re building widgets or representing a town in Hartford. I am a servant leader. I’m there to represent people, not impose my feelings on them.

On day one, I would meet with the Democratic Town Committee, the Republican Town Committee, the First Selectman, our district state senator, and anyone else who needs a voice in Hartford, learn what matters to them, and get to work.

Housing and local control

We spent a lot of time on zoning. Branford sits around 3 percent on the state’s affordable housing count, far short of the 10 percent that Section 8-30g, a 1989 law, holds over our heads. Until we get there, developers can go around our Planning and Zoning Commission in court. The new state housing law doesn’t fix that. It adds to it.

Branford can reach its goals without overpopulating the town. But the seniors and veterans who have paid taxes here for decades, and the young people who grew up here, should be able to afford to stay before we build for everyone else.

One person asked about seniors losing their homes because they can’t afford them. That is unacceptable. Our seniors need real help with property taxes, and I would go to Hartford and propose a senior plan to provide it. Propose it, not just vote on somebody else’s. We also talked about flooding and our shoreline. When we ask Hartford for help, we need case studies and evidence, not wishes.

“Why do you keep saying she hasn’t done enough?”

That question came up more than once, and it’s fair. Representative Robin Comey has had eight years. She has done real work in her lane, including Birth to Three and programs that help feed children. Those are good things, and I will keep supporting them.

But what about the rest of Branford? The family whose tax bill went up again. The senior who can’t afford to stay. The graduate who is packing up for another state. Voting for bills is part of the job. Writing and championing bills for the whole town, not just a few causes, is the rest of it.

I don't know everything

Someone asked about sewage going into our waters. I told the truth: I didn’t know enough about it, but I would find out. That’s the job. Much of what a representative handles hasn’t happened yet. So, the real question is whether I’m the right person for whatever comes. Put Robin Comey and me side by side. Who listens, negotiates, and communicates better? If the answer is me, the choice is simple.

Maybe it’s just someone else’s turn. Vote for the person, not the letter next to their name.

Our kids, AI and the trades

I explained Project 1829 and Beyond, and why we need to stop hunting for gotcha moments over a word like “project” and listen to what people actually propose.

AI literacy would be one of my top priorities. We let social media go unchecked, and our kids paid for it with bullying and worse. If schools had taught the good, the bad, and the ugly of it, we might have saved some of them. We cannot make that mistake twice. Our kids need to learn how to use AI, what it gets right and wrong, and how to think for themselves instead of letting it think for them.

I also want to bring back the trades and basic life skills, from home economics to job training. I want a curriculum that teaches, not one that only suggests.

A good cause, and an empty chair

The night raised money for the Branford Community Dining Room, the Branford Food Pantry, and the Dan Cosgrove Animal Shelter. As promised, $25 was pledged to each organization for every person in attendance. Forty people came, which meant $1,000 for each foundation. I matched it and then some, bringing each organization’s total to $5,000. That’s $15,000 in all, out the door and poured into our town of Branford. That was not a political act. It was neighbors from different parties doing something good together.

I also invited Representative Comey to sit beside me and answer the same questions. Unfortunately, she chose to attend a fundraiser for her own campaign that night instead. I understand candidates have obligations, but there is always time to raise money for ourselves. I wish voters could have heard from both of us. Nevertheless, by the end of the night, a lot of people told me I had given them something to think about. Some said they’d vote for me. That meant a great deal. What mattered more was that they came, listened, asked questions, and allowed the spirit of the evening to be about communication and giving back to our community.

We can’t run a town on apathy or low information. We have to talk to each other, one person at a time. That’s my commitment to all of you.