CT governor's race: What do voters want?

If you live here in Connecticut, you already know you have some of the highest property taxes and utility costs in the entire country. You also have some of the best public schools. All of those top concerns for voters as they go to the polls and try to pick a new governor. My concerns are rising utility costs. It's out of hand in Connecticut. It really is. Utility bills at $500 plus, and that's not living in extravagant. Connecticut voters thinking about the high cost of living as they decide who should be the next governor. 72-year-old Democrat Governor Ned Lamont is hoping to hold on to power and get a third term in office. His Republican challenger is 36-year-old Republican State Senator Ryan Fazio. Fazio faces a tough challenge in this deep blue state as Connecticut voters last elected a Republican governor 20 years ago. I want to be a governor for all people, Democrats and Republicans and everyone in between. Property taxes here are the third highest in the country. Let's talk property taxes. Is there anything you could do if you were to be elected governor to lower property taxes? Absolutely. Connecticut property taxes are determined by the local municipalities and based on assessed value and the town's mill rate. I have a plan for property tax reform and a property tax cap. So what I'll do is eliminate hundreds of the unfunded mandates on our towns and cities, which are driving up the cost of property taxes. That will provide relief in the short term and then cap property taxes in the long run. Here's how Governor Lamont says he would lower property taxes. We help an awful lot in terms of education, funding and municipal aid. We've increased the property tax credit. So we're doing things to help out our mayors hold down really the high cost of living. High utility costs also bothering residents. We've doubled down on nuclear power, which I think was a good thing for us, especially given the very high price of natural gas. I would eliminate every hidden tax and fee in our electric bill. So there's over a billion dollars of hidden taxes and fees, including the public benefits charge in our electric bill. That doesn't pay for electricity to come to your home. but our state programs and taxes imposed by the governor and the legislature that inflate the cost of our electric bill roughly 20%. Connecticut public schools are some of the best in the country, and yet the achievement gap between suburban students and those in cities is still significant. I know that with the right leadership, high standards, investment in what works like high dosage tutoring and the right curriculum, and doubling down on the schools that are the most successful, in our inner cities, that we can deliver a high-quality education for everybody. We're doing after-school reading programs to give them extra help. We're going to have universal pre-K at nursery school so the kids get on track earlier. A new issue making its way into voters' minds is the rapid rise of artificial intelligence and its giant data centers. And would you be open to having data centers in the state of Connecticut? They have to pay taxes. We've got to take away the special benefit Lamont gave them. There needs to be local control and local decision making. The towns of the city should have input in whether one of them exists at all. Where do you stand on data centers being built in Connecticut? We haven't allowed any of those big data centers to be built here in Connecticut. You know, there are dozens being built in Virginia and Texas and Pennsylvania, not in Connecticut. And Sharon, I'll tell you why. They are big energy sucks. Early voting is already underway here in Connecticut. And of course, Election Day is November 3rd. Sharon Crowley, Fox 5 News. And with Election Day quickly approaching, many college students are facing a voting dilemma. Do they cast their ballot in their hometown or where they go to school? Well, they need to decide fast. Saturday is the last day to register in New York.