Spring Break
Candidate for state representative speaks to class
Republican Sean Sullivan discusses Iraq war, McCain with students
Meagan Seacor
Issue date: 9/25/08 Section: News
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A graduate of the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md., Sullivan served as a Navy captain, patrolling the world in submarines for over two decades. He served as the commander on both the USS Jefferson City and at the naval base in Groton. He now serves as a member of the Ledyard Board of Education and the Economic Diversification Commission. While his work keeps him busy, he still finds the time to spend with his wife of 26 years and four children.
After giving a brief biography, Sullivan outlined his reasons for running for office.
"I believe that each and every one of us should try and give back to the community in some way," Sullivan said.
Sullivan said that his stance as a Republican is derived from the belief that there needs to be more opportunities to solve conflicts at a state and local level. He would rather see social issues solved by individual states through trial and error.
His example was the creation of the second largest insurance in the United States, workers' compensation. Since 1904, after workers' compensation was first instituted in New York, all 50 states adopted similar guidelines. Any speed bumps along the way were disentangled locally, and made for less complicated alterations, while policies like Social Security and the No Child Left Behind Act, are difficult to fix at a federal level despite the changing times and circumstances when each was passed.
Student hands shot up immediately when Sullivan opened the room up to questions. During the question and answer session, he outlined his goals for addressing the energy crisis, which included opening domestic drilling sites, boosting refining capacity, and increasing nuclear power as the only plant in Connecticut provides over half of the state's electricity.
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