Christine Stuart Photo
WALLINGFORD — Not everyone in the room for Republican Bob Stefanowski’s get-out-the-vote rally Sunday voted for President Donald Trump. At least two of more than 400 in attendance are members of the Democratic Party.
The first, Rev. Boise Kimber of New Haven had supported Guy Smith earlier this year and then when Smith failed to get enough support to primary, Kimber supported Bridgeport Mayor Joe Ganim, but now he’s supporting Stefanowski.
Kimber, a Democrat and a controversial minister who supported Gov. Dannel P. Malloy in 2010, said he’s supporting Stefanowski because “I think Connecticut needs a change.”
Stefanowski has promised to eliminate the income tax over eight years, but Connecticut has a balanced budget amendment so he would have to eliminate an equal amount of spending. He has refused to give any details about how he would tackle the task aside from promises of “zero-based budgeting.” A task that’s even harder considering there’s a no-layoff clause in place for the first two years.
Kimber said Stefanowski has been honest in his campaigning on the issue. He said no one knows where they’re going to cut spending until they get elected.
How will those budget cuts impact New Haven where Kimber has his ministry?
“We’re surviving now,” Kimber said.
He said they can’t label people anymore as Democrat or Republican. He said they need to ask themselves who is going to be better for their community. For Kimber, that’s Stefanowski.
Kimber gave the opening prayer at Stefanowski’s rally Sunday.
The other Democratic Party member to take the stage Sunday was Jim Grasso, son of the late-Gov. Ella Grasso.
Click here to continue reading the rest of Christine Stuart’s account of the rally.