Four Years Is Long Enough to Ask What Changed
By Michael Mason
Four years is a long time in Hartford.
It is long enough to introduce legislation, build relationships, fight for your district and demonstrate what kind of representative you are.
So, I think it is fair to ask: What did you actually change?
Not how many bills you voted on or meetings you attended. What did you fight for? What did you fix? And what is better for Greenwich because you were there?
Rep. Arzeno‘s own legislative updates provide an answer. They highlight millions of dollars in state funding for Greenwich schools and community projects, expanded education and childcare funding, tax credits and efforts to address certain costs on electric bills.
But the bigger question remains: What broader legislative agenda has he advanced for Greenwich?
A state representative’s job is not simply to vote on bills or secure funding for individual projects. It is to identify problems, write legislation, challenge misguided mandates, protect local control and hold Hartford accountable for spending taxpayers’ money.
Housing is a prime example.
Connecticut needs more affordable housing, and Greenwich should do its part. But I don’t believe the answer is imposing the same formula on every community and then allowing developers to use it to challenge local zoning decisions.
If Hartford wants more affordable housing, let’s build it intelligently. Count existing affordable units accurately, remove the 40-year restriction on the property, and reward communities that actually produce housing. Direct and control development where roads, sewers, schools and other infrastructure can support it. And if the state imposes new requirements, it should help pay for the infrastructure they demand.
We must also reform 8-30g to encourage the housing Connecticut needs without unnecessarily undermining local planning.
That is not an argument against affordable housing. It’s a demand for better policy and practical results.
In 2026, the legislature considered HB 5369, which examined the state’s 10% affordable-housing threshold. That is precisely the kind of fundamental policy question our representative should help lead.
I don’t want to go to Hartford simply to vote on someone else’s proposal. I want to help write a better one.
And then there is the most basic responsibility of being a legislator: Show Up.
During the November 2025 special session, the House passed HB 8002, the Housing Growth Act, by a vote of 90–56. Arzeno was absent for the critical House votes, including the final vote. This HB 2002 has by far more effect on our community than 830g.
Legislators can have legitimate reasons to miss votes. But when Hartford makes consequential decisions about housing and local control, Greenwich deserves a representative who is at the table.
I intend to be there—not just to explain what happened afterward, but to help shape legislation before it becomes law.
I will pursue 8-30g and HB 2002 reform, challenge mandates that don’t make sense for Greenwich, and defend decisions that belong with our town. I will work across party lines whenever doing so produces better results.
The same accountability must apply to state spending.
Fiscal responsibility means setting priorities, planning capital projects carefully, eliminating unnecessary spending and demanding value for every taxpayer dollar. It also means respecting non-partisan Budget Guard rails. Greenwich residents work hard for their money. They deserve a representative who remembers that every dollar Hartford spends comes from someone.
When Greenwich needs legitimate state assistance, I will fight for it. But I don’t want my definition of success to be how much money can I bring home after Hartford has already taken it.
My goal is to change the system that keeps asking taxpayers for more.
I love Greenwich. This is where I live, work and raise my family. I know this community and understand the responsibility that comes with asking its residents for their trust.
If elected, I will show up, do the homework, write legislation, defend local control and work with anyone—Republican or Democrat—to deliver results.
Four years is long enough to ask what has changed. I am running to make the next four years count.