Debate Theme: Workers’ Fighter vs. Generation Change Agent

Jorge Cabrera invoked his 25 years as a labor leader, saying he would fight for working families if elected. Justin Farmer vowed to bring a new generation to politics that will fix problems created by previous ones.

Those were the core messages from the two candidates competing in a Democratic primary for state senator as they faced off in a campaign debate.

Farmer, a Hamden Council member and fixture at police-accountability and social justice rallies, and Cabrera, a lead organizer in the recent strike by Stop & Shop workers, are vying to represent Connecituct’s 17th Senate district, which includes Derby, Ansonia, Beacon Falls, Bethany, and parts of Hamden, Woodbridge, and Naugatuck. They face off in an Aug. 11 primary.

They met Tuesday evening for a debate over the Zoom teleconferencing app. The debate was hosted by the Valley Independent Sentinel, the New Haven Independent, and WNHH FM.

The debate did not feature any tense exchanges or striking policy differences. On many topics, the candidates agreed, or at least, did not disagree.

Both said they support the police reform bill that state senators debated and passed Tuesday evening at the same time that Farmer and Cabrera faced off. Specifically, they said they support reforming governmental immunity (read more about that here) and allowing civilian review boards with subpoena power. (Incumbent Republican State S3n. George Logan, whom the primary winner will face on Nov. 3, voted against the bill and led the charge against it.)

Both Cabrera and Farmer said they are uncomfortable sending kids back to school right now amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

“Absolutely not,” Farmer said when asked whether he thinks it’s fair to make teachers risk their health to go back to the classroom. ​“I don’t feel at this time that it is appropriate to open back up our schools when we don’t have a plan and we’re a month away from our kids going back to school.”

Cabrera gave a more cautious answer. ​“I think every community is different, but the most important thing for me is that teachers are at the table and parents are at the table,” he said. He said that based on what he sees now, he ​“wouldn’t personally feel comfortable” sending kids back to school,” though he added the caveat that every district is different.

Both candidates said they would not ask state employee unions for concessions to help the state get its fiscal house in order. ​“I would be the last person to ask to do anything that hurts families, or workers,” Cabrera replied when asked whether he would ask unions for concessions if it was in the best interest of the state or towns he represented.

“It’s simple. No,” replied Farmer to the same question. ​“If we’re coming to the negotiating table in good faith, you can’t say every 2 – 5 years we need money back when we’re not paying our other bills.”

Both candidates said the state moratorium on rent should be extended. Cabrera said the state should consider forgiving rent and mortgage payments for some renters, while Farmer took a slightly stronger stance, saying ​“We need to cancel rent, that’s clear.”

Neither candidate said they would support forcing regionalization of municipal services like school boards, though for different reasons.

Cabrera said he would be uncomfortable forcing towns to regionalize because it should be up to the towns themselves, though he said it would depend on the legislation.

Farmer said the answer to under-funded municipalities is that the state should fund them more, not regionalize their services.

He did, however, say he would support regionalizing police departments. When asked whether he believes police departments should be defunded, he replied that he would support a regionalized approach to policing. ​“We need to be smart about how we’re deploying police officers and where they are,” he said. Having more police is not the answer, he said.

Cabrera said the state should take a ​“comprehensive approach” to fixing its policing system. ​“There’s definitely a case to be made that we should be spending more in communities, especially underserved communities,” he said, adding that that would mean investing in mental health and schools.

The candidates did have a few points of minor disagreement. They were asked whether state law should change so that police unions don’t have the power to determine discipline rules and rules of conduct for police officers, and the legislature should determine those rules instead. Cabrera said that he thinks collective bargaining is important, and that there should be a ​“partnership approach” with police unions. He said, though, that ​“you don’t want things in collective bargaining units that shield bad actors, and you want transparency.”

Farmer replied that there does need to be legislative oversight of police. He said police oversight should start with the community, and that the state should step in to oversee systemic issues.

The candidates also defended the reputations they have gained over the years, Farmer as an idealist who doesn’t hide his positions, Cabrera as a pragmatist who understands that legislation takes compromise and careful vetting.

“I’m unapologetic about my truth,” Farmer replied when asked how he would attract voters in Derby and Ansonia who think he is too far to the left. ​“I’m never going to lie to people, I’m never going to double talk.”

When asked to respond to the critique that he does not take strong stances on policy issues, Cabrera replied that ​“legislation and policy are constantly changing.” A bill can start one way, and then change and become something entirely different. You have to be careful and responsible, he said, and you have to learn to build coalitions.

Throughout the debate, Farmer, a Hamden Council member and social activist, referred to the ​“generational” issues like underfunded communities and housing discrimination that the state needs to solve. He called his organization a ​“grassroots campaign” where he, a 25 year old, is the fourth oldest person.

“We can’t keep doing the same thing we’ve been doing for 25 years and expect different solutions,” he said. ​“Voting for me is voting for those solutions.”

Cabrera, on the other hand, referred to his work as a union organizer with United Food and Commercial Workers. He vowed to protect working people, as he has done throughout the campaign. His answers to specific questions reflected it, as did his closing remarks. ​“The values that I have, the values of my father, of my parents, are the values of this district,” he said. He said he would fight to make sure schools are funded, people have access to healthcare, food, and a well-paying job.

Watch the full debate below.