Greenwich Post
Stamford attorney seeks to replace Nickerson

May 23, 2008

Greenwich Democrats have thrown their enthusiastic support behind Stamford resident Mark Diamond in his race for the 36th District’s state senate seat.

Mr. Diamond, an attorney, will be looking to replace Republican incumbent Sen. William Nickerson, who is not running for another term representing the district that covers Greenwich and parts of Stamford and New Canaan. When he spoke to the Post on Friday, Mr. Diamond said he believes that only by being elected and serving the district in the heavily Democratic majority in the legislature could there be progress on the issues he’s passionate about. He also wants to make sure there was a Democrat on the ballot in the fall.

“I think I can do a good job and serve the people of this district well,” Mr. Diamond said. “It’s bad for democracy for the voters not to have a choice and only have one person running. There are things I want to see accomplished that won’t be unless a Democrat is elected.”

Mr. Diamond said he has a number of priorities he wants to see discussed in the debate to come, including his plan to provide tax incentives for alternative energy companies to come to Fairfield County. He said this is the right kind of plan because it would help ease energy concerns as well as boost the economy in the area. Mr. Diamond said these would be “the right kind of businesses for Connecticut.”

Taxes will also be an issue in Mr. Diamond’s campaign. He said he favors a cap on real estate taxes, which he said isn’t a big problem in Greenwich, but is in Stamford, where people are hit with big increases every year.

While Republicans have advocated for the estate tax to be eliminated, Mr. Diamond disagrees. He does advocate for changes, though. Like Mr. Nickerson, Mr. Diamond opposes the “cliff” where once someone reaches a certain income level they are automatically on the hook for the tax, but instead of eliminating the tax, Mr. Diamond said he favors more of a slope where people are eased into the tax at certain income levels “instead of falling right off the cliff.”

“I’ve always believed that the government is going to take what it needs one way or the other,” Mr. Diamond said. “They’re either going to get it from you when you’re alive or when you’re dead and I would rather have the tax come when I’m dead.”
Transportation is another key issue. Mr. Diamond is proposing first steps such as eliminating the weigh station on Interstate 95 near Greenwich and replacing it with an automated system that will move trucks along quicker. He is also advocating for rapid response accident teams to be set up in key spots to respond to I-95 accidents. These would get the vehicles off the road quickly so traffic can flow normally.

“We need a big fix, but big fixes are expensive,” Mr. Diamond said. “We would need to make sure any plan makes good economic sense first.”

Frank Farricker, who ran against Mr. Nickerson in 2006, was in charge of recruitment for the town’s Democratic Town Committee and praised Mr. Diamond’s ability as a candidate.

“He’s been extremely dedicated to the community and the region as a whole, not just Stamford,” Mr. Farricker said. “He’s an extremely hard working guy who’s down to Earth. Not only does he understand the issues in the district, he understands the people in the district.”

Mr. Diamond will be facing off against Republican L. Scott Frantz, a Riverside resident and the president and chairman of a private investment firm in town. Democrats have not elected a state senator from the 36th District since before World War II. However, Mr. Farricker rejected the idea that this is in any way a long-shot race despite the clear advantage in the raw numbers of registered Republicans versus registered Democrats.

Mr. Farricker said declaring Mr. Frantz the winner before any race was run was “hubris” and pointed to recent races such as Democrat Edward Krumeich II coming close to defeating State Rep. Claudia “Dolly” Powers (R-151) in 2006 and Democratic Selectwoman Lin Lavery besting Republican Selectman Peter Crumbine last year as a sign that the district no longer grants an automatic Republican victory.

He added that Mr. Diamond will have the advantage of being from Stamford, which he predicted would motivate voters in the more Democratic part of the 36th District to come out to the polls. As opposed to the heavily Republican Greenwich, Mr. Diamond said the portion of his district in Stamford was “evenly split” between Democrats, Republicans and independent voters.

“I believe this is going to be a big Democratic year with the presidential election and the congressional race,” Mr. Diamond said. “I’m hoping that will carry over to my election. This is going to be an uphill battle obviously, but I’m ready to face it.”

Mr. Frantz said he was taking nothing for granted in his race. He said he is excited to have an opponent and looking forward to debating Mr. Diamond on the issues.

“I think that having an opponent is very good for the democratic process,” Mr. Frantz said on Wednesday. “This will insure that all the issues will be discussed in the campaign and not just the majority of the issues. It’s good for the candidates and it’s good for the voters.”

Mr. Farricker has no official role in the campaign but said he would be helping Mr. Diamond get launched. He said the best advice he could offer the new candidate was that people vote for the person, not for the party.

“Don’t be political,” Mr. Farricker advised. “Say what you stand for and be up front with the people.”