Press Release

January 12, 2011

Contact:
Rolf Maurer
Candidate for State Senate District 27, (203)327-6464, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

David Bedell
Secretary, Fairfield County Green Party, (203)581-3193, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Stamford, CT--Rolf Maurer has announced his intention to run as the Green Party candidate in the February 22 special election for State Senate. The seat, representing District 27 in Darien and Stamford, will be vacant following the appointment of state senator Andrew McDonald as Governor Dannel Malloy's general counsel.

Maurer previously represented the Green Party when he ran for Stamford Mayor in 2009 and for State Representative in 2010, focusing on environmental and social justice issues.

A former associate editor with Folio: magazine, Maurer has spent eight years working in trade and directory publishing. As former co-chair of the Unitarian Universalist Society in Stamford's Civil Liberties Action Committee, he organized a series of lectures and panel discussions on the PATRIOT Act and related topics.

He has relied completely on mass and minor transit since 1999. His campaign will promote more alternative transportation options, including mini-vans, bicycle paths and more pedestrian-friendly infrastructure.

His economic agenda includes the establishment of a Public Bank for Connecticut, modeled on the Bank of North Dakota. A public bank would generate much needed revenue which could be used toward balancing the state budget, while preserving already underfunded social services.

"People are tired of bank bailouts, layoffs, and a decaying infrastructure. We need a state government that serves ordinary people, not corporations," said Maurer. "Connecticut would be on a more vibrant economic footing if it focused on family businesses and entrepreneurs, who pump money back into the state instead of sending money to multinational shareholders."

In order to get on the ballot, Maurer will have to collect 251 voter signatures by January 18. Asked if this is feasible, David Bedell, local secretary for the Green Party, remarked, "State election law raises a lot of obstacles to minor party candidates, but we're going to give it a try. You can't win if you don't play."

More information about Maurer and his platform can be found on his website, www.vote-rolf.org

###

TPL_BEEZ2_ADDITIONAL_INFORMATION