Candidate Name
Amiel Goldberg
Campaign Website
https://goldberg4ct149.us/
Campaign Email
amiel@goldberg4ct149.us
Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/goldberg4ct149/
Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/Goldberg4CT149/
Hello, I’m Amiel Goldberg. I’m a lifelong Democrat, a voice for the sensible center, working to pull both parties towards moderate, evidence-based solutions to our problems.
I have served on the Stamford Board of Representatives where my tenure has been defined by a commitment to affordability, fiscal responsibility, and constituent service. My background is in financial risk management, and I have worked at BNY Mellon, IBM, GE, and UBS.
I am married to Kirsten Hohmann, a practicing physician, and we have two daughters, Emma and Zoe, who are proud graduates of our local public schools.
The two most important issues facing our district are affordability and financial responsibility. The 149th is a lovely place to grow up, raise a family, and retire, but our high cost of living makes that difficult—young families should be able to build a life here just as retirees should be allowed to age in place.
As your representative, I will be committed to using my influence in Hartford to lower your cost of living. On one end, that means keeping costs down—fighting Eversource’s outrageous utility charges—but it also means keeping taxes low and spending within our means. As a member of the Stamford Board of Representatives, a priority was ensuring that property tax increases didn’t exceed the rate of inflation, and, if elected, I will bring that same steady, fiscally responsible approach to Hartford.
In Stamford, I have served on the Fiscal Committee, Personnel Committee, State & Commerce Committee, Housing, Community Development & Social Services Committee, and the Redistricting Committee—in all of these roles I have sought to bring seriousness, integrity, and compassion to all of my decisions.
Should I be elected, I would hope to serve on the Finance, Revenue, and Bonding Committee, where I can bring my experience as a financial risk manager to bear helping safeguard our state’s finances. I would also hope to serve on the Housing Committee, so I can help bring the 149th district’s perspective to Hartford’s debates around housing. Lastly, I would like to serve on the Public Health Committee—as the spouse of a physician, I know how pressing of an issue healthcare is in Connecticut: we have one of the best healthcare systems in the country, we should strive to also make it one of the most accessible.
While serving on the Board of Representatives, I worked hard to bring back state money for our school construction projects, so I am familiar with the process of how state grants are awarded and where they can be the most impactful. If elected, I will take my local experience and bring it to Hartford, advocating that the 149th always gets its fair share of funding in the biennial budget. Because of my local experience, I also know which areas of our district need funding the most. If elected to Hartford, I will be able to use my experience on the local level to ensure that when we receive money for capital projects those funds are put to use in the most efficient way possible.
Every community deserves a strong voice in shaping its future, but communities differ in their risks and opportunities—Greenwich and Stamford included. We must also be honest about Connecticut’s framework: the state holds zoning authority, and Title 8 gives towns local control only because the legislature delegates it. Slogans about “local control” are not solutions. The real work is earning Hartford’s trust so lawmakers respect our judgment. When representatives antagonize colleagues, we lose influence; when we collaborate and demonstrate our challenges and successes, legislators are more likely to preserve local discretion. I’m committed to partnership, not posturing—because that is how we protect our community’s voice and ability to shape its future.
Connecticut’s high electricity prices stem from several factors, including generation costs, transmission expenses, utility compensation, and the public benefits charge. The best long-term strategy is to reduce the total cost of producing and delivering electricity. I would support extending the life of the Millstone Power Plant when it benefits ratepayers, competitively adding wind and solar power, modernizing the grid, and strengthening oversight of utility spending and state-mandated charges.
It is easy to point fingers over high energy costs; the harder task is building an affordable, reliable energy system. As your state representative, I will make expanding cost-effective supply, improving grid efficiency, and holding utilities and state programs accountable top priorities.
Candidate Name
Tina Courpas
You Tube Video
Campaign Website
tinacourpas.com
Campaign Email
info@tinacourpas.com
Campaign Phone
203-814-7750
Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/tinacourpas
Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/electtinacourpas
Twitter
https://twitter.com/TinaCourpas
I am the daughter of Greek immigrants who came to this country with nothing and lived the American dream. I earned my undergraduate degree from Princeton and law degree from Columbia. I then worked for over two decades as a corporate lawyer and investment banker. I also headed a bipartisan non-profit which advocated for women and girls' rights in CT. I first ran for office in 2024 and have completed my first term in office. I love this community, where I have lived for over 20 years, raised my four children and built my life.
1) Lack of Affordability.
CT is unaffordable because of government overspending and failed policies. I was named an “Affordability Champion” by the CBIA in my first term. Next legislative session, I will a) oppose the statewide property tax, the capital gains surcharge, and tax increases on high earners, b) defend CT’s Fiscal Guardrails, c) fight to remove tax on social security and lower professional fees, d) introduce a child income tax credit, and e) fight for removal of public benefits charges from electric bills.
2) State mandates against local zoning control.
HB 8002 (2025) which passed into law, was the most significant assault on local control since 8-30g. I was a leading opponent. Next term, I will support (a) counting of naturally occurring housing (ADUs) towards 8-30g,(b) reforming the percentage-based 8-30g to a fixed number, and (c) scale-backs of HB 8002 (e.g., onerous parking provision).
I serve on the Appropriations, Housing and Education Committees, and was Ranking Member of the Select Committee on Special Education. I will seek re-appointment as these committees directly reflect the priorities of the district. On Appropriations, I am a leading voice defending CT’s Fiscal Guardrails, responsibly managing pension obligations, and increasing transparency, co-sponsoring a bill (passed unanimously) which increased CT’s reporting of legislative earmarks. On Housing, I have been a creative voice for housing solutions and strong advocate for local control. In education, I led passage of a unanimous bipartisan bill to reform Special Education in CT, allocating an historic $110 million and also serve on the Governor’s Blue-Ribbon Commission for Educational reform. To each role, I bring a strong financial and legal background, practical problem-solving, and conviction to take hard votes.
I am proud of my record of securing funding for education, one of the most important investments we can make for Greenwich’s future. I led passage of a unanimous Special Education Reform bill, which added a record $110 million of funding for special education statewide. I was a strong advocate of an alternative to the State’s 2026 Budget Adjustment which would have secured MORE funds for Greenwich’s education budget than what passed and would have done so in a fiscally responsible manner. Finally, as a strong defender of CT’s Fiscal Guardrails, I oppose overspending in state government, which falls disproportionately on the taxpayers of Greenwich. The Budget Adjustment of 2026 represented $814 million of overspending, 24% of which was borne by the taxpayers of Greenwich alone. Defending against these state excesses at Greenwich’s expense is a significant tool for bringing funds back to Greenwich.
CT needs more affordable housing, but state-mandated one-size-fits all approaches have not worked for CT. Nonetheless, these flawed policies continue to expand. I am a creative voice for housing and a strong advocate for local control. I proposed 14 bills defending local control, including 1) counting naturally occurring housing (ADUs, workforce housing), as “affordable housing” for 8-30g, 2) scaling back the unfettered ability for the state to develop on state owned lands (a new provision of HB 8002), and 3) making it easier for towns like Greenwich to secure a moratorium on 8-30g. In the coming term, I will add to these efforts by focusing on 1) lowering costs of building (e.g., licensing and permit fees), and restrictions on building trade workers, and 2) rolling back state unfunded mandates which have led to increased property taxes.
CT taxes more aspects of life, and at an incrementally higher level than other states. This proverbial “death by 1,000 cuts” adds up. CT has the third highest electric rates in the country. I co-sponsored a bill (passed unanimously) to remove 12.5% of the public benefits charge from electric bills and authored a bill to remove it entirely. I support efforts to expand CT’s diversification into different energy sources, without addition additional public benefits charges. Other specific actions I will take include 1) lowering CT’s professional fees, 2) reforming CT’s onerous bottle bill, 3) opposing the proposed statewide property tax, capital gains surcharge and income tax increases. Finally, I support the minority's proposed GAS TAX SUSPENSION. CT drivers pay a 25c/gallon gas tax. The GAS TAX SUSPENSION would be effective immediately through 12/31/26 and give immediate relief.
