It seems as if the state legislature is in the fast lane to toll land.  Tolls were a way of life for decades in Connecticut, as you can see in the picture above.  That was a toll bridge near where the Bulkeley Bridge now stands in Hartford, simply called the “toll bridge.” Tolls became more sophisticated over the years but were shuttered in 1985, after a deadly crash at the Stratford toll plaza.  Now, with the advent of cameras and EZ Pass, some state lawmakers are seeing tolls as a way to bring in some much needed revenue. This Sunday on Face the State we were joined by two lawmakers who are passionately for and against tolls.  State senator Toni Boucher, Republican of Wilton,  is fighting the resurrection of tolls,  Democrat State Representative Tony Guerrera of Rocky Hill favors their return.

The two proud Italians are admittedly good friends, and love talking about food and the old country.  Guerrera’s mother is from the same town in Calabria where Boucher was born.  The pair even joked about running for governor and lt. governor as “the best bi-partisan ticket ever,” even though they clash over tolls.  So what about casinos?  Their answer at the link below.   By the way, what’s plural for Toni and Tony together?  Tonii?

Also on Face the State, we were joined by three well versed politicos, who used to appear together on CT Capitol Report.    Tom Dudchik is the mastermind behind the “Drudge Report of Connecticut,” and Jodi Latina and Tanya Meck were his foils presenting the Republican and Democratic viewpoints. The trio talked about tolls and casinos, along with the downfall of former Governor John Rowland.  We also had a lengthy chat about the Hillary Clinton e-mail scandal.   Meck, a diehard Democrat who supported Clinton against Barack Obama in 2008, admitted the scandal has hurt the Clinton in terms of transparency, but doesn’t think she will crash and burn.  Dudchik believes Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren is a better fit for Connecticut Democrats and Latina thinks we might still see a woman enter the race for the Republican presidential nomination.

What what about some Connecticut alternatives to Clinton?  Two national publications including the New York Times have suggested Governor Dan Malloy and Senator Chris Murphy.  We’ll discussed that too.

Dudchik might have a point that Warren would win a Connecticut Democratic primary.  A Clinton has never won a contested primary in our state.  Hillary Clinton lost to Barack Obama in 2008 after many Democrats in the state abandoned her, and Bill Clinton lost to Jerry Brown in 1992.  The latter race is Sunday’s Face the State flashback, reported by Deborah Kent.

Watch Boucher and Guerrera:  http://www.wfsb.com/video?autoStart=true&topVideoCatNo=default&clipId=11257589

Watch the CT Capitol Report Gang:

part 1   http://www.wfsb.com/video?autoStart=true&topVideoCatNo=default&clipId=11257600

part 2 and flashback  http://www.wfsb.com/video?autoStart=true&topVideoCatNo=default&clipId=11270872