Republicans Endorse Hoyt, Figlar For Hamden State House Seats

At a virtual convention Tuesday evening, Hamden Republicans endorsed two political newcomers to run against two of the town’s three Democratic state representatives.

Republicans met over the Zoom teleconferencing app Tuesday to officially endorse Kathy Hoyt and Tom Figlar. Hoyt will challenge incumbent Democrat Josh Elliott, who represents the 88th state House district. Figlar will challenge incumbent Democrat Mike D’Agostino, who represents the 91st House district. No other candidates sought the party’s endorsement for those seats Tuesday.

Hoyt announced her run at a Hamden Republican Town Committee (RTC) meeting in February. She is a real estate agent; this is her first run for office. She said she registered as a Republican for the first time in January, having been an independent until then. She has been an advocate for residents of northern Hamden, where she lives. Last year she pressed town officials to reflect tornado damage in home assessments in the area.

She has recently spoken out against a proposed solar farm in the neighborhood that would involve clear-cutting 15 acres of forest.

Hamden’s 88th district needs a change, she said after the RTC members had endorsed her. The town needs ​“someone who will go to Hartford and fight for the best interest of Hamden without personal agendas,” she said. ​“I will be that person.”

“I look forward to a competitive race based on the issues,” Elliott wrote to the Independent. ​“I wish Kathy the best of luck — running for office is a great privilege, and I’m sure she will bring great ideas to her campaign.”

Though Figlar has run for office before, he is a newer entrant into the current race. This fall, he ran for Hamden’s 7th Legislative Council District seat against Mike Colaiacovo and lost. He didn’t agree to run for the state House until a few hours before Tuesday’s convention, when RTC Chair Frank LaDore asked him to.

Figlar is finance manager at SARAH, Inc., which provides services for people with disabilities. In 2018, he led parents at the Wintergreen Inter-District Magnet School in opposing the town’s plans to take back the school’s building after a 20-year lease.

Hoyt said she would like to make Connecticut more business friendly.

“I think that we need to create jobs through business,” she said. ​“I think we need more fiscal responsibility. I think we need a more common sense approach to government.” A ​“common sense approach to government,” she said, means running a tighter ship, more accountability, and making better choices with people’s tax dollars.

“I think that we need to be more responsible in spending money in Connecticut instead of constantly taxing and more taxing and more taxing. Why don’t we talk about cutting?” she asked. ​“If I get to the capital, I will not vote, not once, to increase spending or to increase taxes.”

Figlar echoed Hoyt. ​“People feel like we have the platinum credit card with no credit limit,” he said.

Last week, Elliott and D’Agostino secured the Democratic party’s endorsements.

“The main focus quite frankly over the next term is going to be budget related both for the state and for the town,” said D’Agostino. ​“I’m very concerned about making sure that the town is held as harmless as possible from a state aid perspective.”

He said he would challenge his and his colleagues’ Republican challengers to make actual suggestions of where to cut.

“OK, what do you want to cut?” he said, responding to Hoyt. He said the legislature has already cut state employees by 20 percent, and has cut their benefits. Now departments are underfunded and understaffed, and that has become a problem as state agencies like the Department of Labor try to respond to the pandemic, he said.

“What else is there to cut? State aid for municipalities? That’s millions less for Hamden,” he said. 

With candidates running in the 91st and 88th House districts, Republicans have nearly a full slate of candidates in Hamden’s General Assembly districts this fall. In what may be one of the hardest-fought races of the cycle, incumbent Republican George Logan will face either Jorge Cabrera or Justin Farmer in the 17th senate district. Jameson White, a New Haven-based republican, will face State Sen. Martin Looney for the 11th District. In the 94th House District, which includes parts of New Haven and Hamden, Republicans do not have anyone to challenge incumbent Democrat Robyn Porter, said New Haven RTC Chair John Carlson.