Daniel Santorso
Daniel Santorso was a 2014 Democratic candidate for District 78 of the Connecticut House of Representatives. He ran unsuccessfully for the same seat in 2012 Democratic candidate for of the Connecticut House of Representatives.
Since 2009, Santorso has been a member of the Plymouth Board of Education, where he serves on the Curriculum, Policy, and Safety & Transportation Committees. He was elected to the Terryville Library Board of Trustees in November 2007.
Biography
Santorso is a graduate of the Terryville school system, and earned his B.A. in psychology and political science cum laude, concentrating in public administration, from Central Connecticut State University in 2007. His professional experience includes working in the General Assembly as a full-time legislative intern for Representatives Ernest Hewett and Jason Bartlett, as well as the House Democratic caucus assistant.
Organizations Santorso has worked with include the CT Association of Board of Education, Plymouth Democratic Town Committee, Northwest CT Young Politicians, United Way Young Professionals, and The Friends of the Terryville Public Library.[1]
Issues
Philosophy
In a biographical submission to Ballotpedia, Santorso said the following:[1]
In any elected position that I hold, I will remember that I am a public servant. This means that if I meet a member of the public who disagrees with the institutional, bureaucratic, or governmental environment that currently exists; I will listen hard to the complaint and sincerely search for the simplest logical solution. From my experiences in constituent service (and even customer service), I know that the established policies often have unintended consequences. The power in any leadership position comes with a responsibility to ease the stresses created by the establishment. Also as a policy maker, it must be a priority to use each vote as an opportunity to minimize those unintended consequences. I think that many politicians tend to get comfortable with the system they represent, and then often learn to aggressively defend it – even against reason and evidence. Politicians sometimes grow numb to real problems and solutions because peer pressure, political image, power, or money all serve as distractions from harsh realities of our town, state, and country.
It is vital for a public representative to be self-aware enough to recognize their own ego inflation, to dodge their own conflicts of interest, even in the face of personal inconvenience, and to recognize that the best information does not always come from lobbyists or other politicians.
I see that the Tea-Party movement is an assertion that the government has too much power. Likewise, the Occupy movement is an assertion that corporations have too much power.
While ignorant people may involve themselves in either organization, both of the assertions are legitimate. Can a politician learn to curb their own government’s powers? Can a politician or corporation create policies and laws that are better for societal stability, while sacrificing immediate financial profit? As individuals, humility is often more useful than excess. This also holds true for government and corporations, whether they know it or not. It is my intent to persistently apply these thoughts to each opportunity throughout my lifetime within public administration. The changes don’t come easy and they don’t come fast, but they come.
Elections
2014
Elections for the Connecticut House of Representatives consisted of a primary election on August 12, 2014, and a general election on November 4, 2014. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was June 10, 2014. Dan Santorso was unopposed in the Democratic primary, while incumbent Whit Betts was unopposed in the Republican primary. Betts defeated Santorso in the general election.[2][3]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican |  Whit Betts Incumbent |
61.6% | 4,754 | |
| Democratic | Dan Santorso | 31% | 2,393 | |
| Independent | Whit Betts Incumbent |
4.2% | 327 | |
| Working Families | Dan Santorso | 3.1% | 242 | |
| Total Votes | 7,716 | |||
2012
Santorso ran in the 2012 election for Connecticut House of Representatives District 78. Santorso ran unopposed in the Democratic primary on August 14 and was defeated by Whit Betts (R) and also faced George Langer (WF) in the general election on November 6, 2012.[4][5][6]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Whit Betts Incumbent |
60% | 5,908 | |
| Democratic | Daniel Santorso | 36.4% | 3,582 | |
| Working Families | George Langer | 3.7% | 360 | |
| Total Votes | 9,850 | |||
Recent news
This section links to a Google news search for the term "Daniel + Santorso + Connecticut + House"
See also
- Connecticut House of Representatives
- Connecticut House of Representatives District 78
- Connecticut House of Representatives elections, 2014
- Connecticut State Legislature
External links
- Official campaign website
- Legislative Profile from Project Vote Smart
- Biography from Project Vote Smart
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Biographical submission to Ballotpedia, received February 21, 2013.
- ↑ Connecticut Secretary of State, "Official candidate list," accessed July 15, 2014
- ↑ Connecticut Secretary of State, "Official primary and general election results," accessed November 26, 2014
- ↑ Connecticut Secretary of State, "Candidate list," accessed June 19, 2012
- ↑ CBS Connecticut, "2012 Primary Results," August 14, 2012
- ↑ Connecticut Secretary of State, "Election Results 2012," accessed November 21, 2012
