Matthew Knickerbocker

Matthew Knickerbocker earned a high school diploma from Fenton High School. He went on to earn a bachelor's degree from Eastern Michigan University in 1976 and a graduate degree from Post University in 2015. Knickerbocker has served as a first selectman, Board of Education chair, and treasurer for the Town of Bethel.[1]

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I am a former First Selectman and Board of Education chair for the Town of Bethel. I served on the BOE for ten years, seven as chair. Following that role, I was elected to seven terms as Bethel's First Selectman, leaving that role in 2022. I currently continue to serve that town as its Town Treasurer.

In these roles, I have become accutely aware of the many difficult budget decisions that Connecticut municpalities must solve every year. In general, the State of Connectict does not provide adequate for funding essential services, particularly education, which translates directly into higher local property taxes for homeowners and businesses.

Additionally, Connectict is currently facing one of the most severe housing shortages in the nation. Home costs and rents have exploded in recent years, accelerating at rates far above the normal rate of inflation.

These issues have been greatly magnfied by the draconian Federal cuts to food assistance, health care, agriculural support and much, much more, making it necessary for Connecticut to shoulder more of these costs to protect our most vulnerable citizens.

If I am elected to the State Senate, I will use my deep knowledge of local needs and vulnerabilities to bring as much relief as possible to families and businesses across the state.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

Local property taxes are generally far too high, as the state relies too heavily on local taxes to fund essential services. Especially with regard to public education, the cost sharing forumla has not been updated or indexed to inflation for more than a decade. This essentially amounts to a transfer of cost from the state to local property taxes as the costs of operating our public schools increase each year due to inflation. I plan to address the out of date funding formulas for public school assistance to ease the upward pressure on local property taxes. Additionally, this must not be a "one time" fix. The system must be made sustainable to that town officials can rely on state funding with certainty.The small business sector is one of the most productive generators of new jobs in the State of Connecticut. One of the greatest challenges for Connecticut's small businesses is the unaffordability of health care coverage. The lack of health insurance is also the single biggest reason why talented entrepreneurs choose not to take the risk to pusue a new business opportunity.

Related to this issue is the recent elimination of credits and subsidies to help Connecticut families obtain health insurance through the Affordable Care Act, and cutbacks in Medicaid funding. These factors alone have effectively eliminated insurance for tens of thousands of Connecticut citizens who can no longer afford their insurance. This must be addressed.Connecticut must do more to preserve its long heritage of family owned farms. Farmers are under severe financial pressure, made exponentially worse by the shortage of fertizers and high cost of fuel due to the closure of the Middle Eastern shipping lanes. Farms that have been in operation for generations are under pressure to sell to developers because of these factors, and Connecticut cannot afford to permanently lose these valuable farms. Later this year, crop yeilds could see a decline due to the factors above, and "locally grown" produce will be more important than ever.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Public education; Environment; Energy; Health Care