LEDYARD — Three candidates vying for the seat of long-time State Rep. Kevin Ryan took audience questions at a public forum on Monday night on topics stretching from affordable housing and mental health to homeschooling and transgender rights.
Dozens of residents from Norwich, Montville and Ledyard gathered for a town hall held at Ledyard Middle School to ask questions of the three candidates — Republican Brandon Sabbag, Democrat Larry Pemberton and Independent Party write-in candidate Mark Adams — running for the 139th State House District seat.
Gov. Ned Lamont ordered a special election for the seat to be held on Jan. 13 after Democratic State Rep. Kevin Ryan, who served in the seat for more than 30 years, died in November.
Residents pitched a number of spirited questions to candidates at the town hall on Monday, which included contentious exchanges between Sabbag and residents over his past social media posts about transgender issues and parental rights in schools.
The first question of the night was about the wide-ranging housing bill passed during a special session. The resident asked how the candidates would help their district regarding the issue.
Sabbag, a local small business owner and landlord, criticized how the bill was passed without a public hearing and without support from Republicans in the legislature. He also criticized the provision of the bill that allows commercial property to be turned into residential housing.
“I don’t think it’s a good idea,” Sabbag said. “If I get to Hartford, I will fight to repeal that and replace it with something much better.”
Pemberton, who currently serves as a member of the Eastern Pequot Tribal Council, said that while he was not familiar with all the measures of the bill, he was in support of increasing affordable housing.
“Without affordable housing, a lot of people can’t afford things like some of us can,” Pemberton said. “Housing would be something that would definitely be different for the area. It’s something you guys have to grow with.”
Adams, who has run for the district seat three prior times, emphasized the bill can be changed and that he was open to learning how it would impact the district.
“My personal agenda is going to have to be to do what’s best for the communities that I’m representing, and that’s getting both sides of the story, finding out what’s best for my constituents and what is best needed for that area,” Adams said.
One resident directly questioned Sabbag about his past social media posts. The resident claimed that Sabbag reposted videos stating that women should be subservient to men and that transgender people were “demonic.”
Sabbag denied both these claims.
“I never said that transgender people were demonic,” he said.
“You really did,” the resident said back.
“Transgenderism is demonic,” Sabbag replied, quoting from Genesis 1:26.
“It says that God made man and woman in His image. If you’re transgender, that’s okay. I support you having a right to be what you want to be, but I’ll tell you right now, that is not how God created you. It is not who you are. The newspapers can post this. I don’t care, because I’m unapologetically me,” he said.
Pemberton and Adams, given the opportunity to respond to the exchange, declined.
One woman asked how candidates would address the mental health crisis, sharing a story about how she had a difficult time finding a mental health care provider for her child.
Adams attributed the crisis, in part, to affordability. When both parents have to work all the time, he said, a child might not be getting enough support at home during a mental health crisis.
He also called for adding more mental health resources in schools.
Pemberton acknowledged that the mental health care crisis was very difficult for families and that he would be interested in serving on a committee to advocate for more resources.
Sabbag said a lot of mental health problems stem from a “crisis of identity.”
“I also think if we get God back in our schools, if we start praying more, and if we get back to what worked before the mental health crisis became what it is today, things would change,” he said.
Sabbag said he would also fight for more resources for mental health care.
A number of residents at the town hall spoke about issues related to the local homeschooling community. One woman asked how each candidate would balance protections of homeschool parents while holding the Department of Children and Families accountable.
Sabbag said that a majority of parents homeschool their children “to instill the morals, values and the educational principles that they feel are important for their children to know,” and that he would stand against bills that propose more regulation for homeschool families.
Adams said that homeschooled children should be allowed to participate in public school sports and have access to science labs. He criticized the state for not addressing issues with public schools while attempting to “micromanage” homeschooling.
Pemberton said that he was still learning about home school families and that he was interested in learning more from parents.
A resident asked what ideas candidates had grow business in the state and create more jobs.
Sabbag said the state needs to make it easier to open small businesses and to lower taxes. He said he was in favor of a proposal to triple the current property tax credit — a measure he claims would help good landlords from raising rents.
Adams said that small businesses benefit communities, and emphasized the need to teach students trades.
Pemberton agreed that teaching trades would help students secure jobs fresh outside of the school system.
Early voting for the special election begins on Jan. 8-11. The election will be held on Jan. 13.