Jay Kaye is running for mayor as a Republican in a Democratic town — and he argues that his focus on reining in taxes and government spending can propel him to victory.
Kaye made that case during a visit to WNHH FM’s “Dateline Hamden” program in advance of Tuesday’s Hamden mayoral election, in which he is running against incumbent Democrat Curt Leng.
Kaye, who is 55 and and works for a painting and restoration company, has had four children going through the Hamden schools. He said he’s looking to order across-the-board 10 percent budget cuts to deal with the town’s high taxes and debts. He said he needs to get into the office before seeing exactly what cuts he’d make.
He also said he would transfer money to boost the town’s economic development planning and zoning, and IT departments. (Click here for a previous story about his candidacy.) He argued that voters who lean Democratic in national elections are open to supporting a fiscally conservative Republican in a local Hamden race.
State GOP Chair J.R. Romano, who joined Kaye on the program, said that in addition to Hamden, the party is looking to pick up mayor or first selectman seats in Middletown, Fairfield and Sterling.
Click on the video at the top of this story to watch the full discussion with Kaye and Romano on “Dateline Hamden.”