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Steve Meskers Aims To Support And Advocate For His Constituents

By Foster Steinbeck

Steve Meskers Aims To Support And Advocate For His Constituents

Wanting to help Connecticut fix its economic stagnation, incumbent State Rep. Stephen Meskers (D-150) said it was a tremendous honor to be elected two years ago as the first Democrat to occupy Greenwich’s 150th house seat in the state legislature in over 100 years. The last one was elected in 1912.

 “I did my best to aggressively present myself to the entire electorate. I went out and met all of the people who [were] within my district [by] canvassing and door-knocking and talking to them about the issues they were concerned with,” Meskers said. “I found an overwhelming level of support from them.”

 After an extensive Wall Street career of dealing with emerging markets and moving to Greenwich over two decades ago, Meskers began to wonder what he could do to make the world a better place, prompting his 2018 bid. 

 Meskers is now running again to keep his spot against Republican candidate Joe Kelly. However, Meskers isn’t approaching this election as a race between competing political ideologies, but as another two-year opportunity to make people’s lives better.

 “In some cases, you talk about the arc of justice, in some cases you talk about the arc of history. I relish those issues and thoughts. But it’s the idea that someone’s going to bed tonight in a better position because I was able to do something to help resolve a problem,” Meskers said. “I feel that it’s incumbent on me to do something to give back to my community, but also to the individual, just to [move] the needle.”

Developing Bright Spots

In the light of Greenwich’s current problems with its monopolistic energy provider, Eversource Energy, Meskers called for the state government to review the company’s rate-paying structure, current regulations and executive compensation plan. 

 This past summer, Eversource’s rates sharply increased and Greenwich residents were critical of the company’s slow responses following the damage from Hurricane Isaias, which left large swaths of the state without power.

 Meskers expressed concern about fining the company, fearing consumers would end up footing the bill if Eversource recovers the cost by incorporating it into their business costs.

 “I think there is a chasm in their perception of their performance during the recovery period versus what the ratepayers experienced,” Meskers said, referencing the recent Public Utilities Regulatory Authority’s meetings where they questioned Eversource representatives.

 Meskers, concerned by the state government’s high reliance on Fairfield county’s tax dollars, and the state’s lethargic economic growth, wants to foster more economic “bright-spots” statewide by continuing his work as the Finance, Revenue and Bonding Committee vice-chair.

 Meskers said he would continue increasing the number of tax credits for the state’s Historic Housing Rehabilitation Tax Credit Program, which he began after assuming office. The program provides tax credits to use rehabilitated properties for residential use, non-residential use – such as establishing a restaurant, or a mixture of the two.

 Meskers voted against the state’s budget in 2019 over concerns with the additional high-end property sales tax. Meskers felt the tax would increase the tax burden on Greenwich residents who already pay capital gains and income tax on their real estate sales.

 Meskers draws his policymaking approach from his 35 years of working with emerging markets for large banking institutions. 

 During his six-year stint as Banco Santander’s head of emerging market sales and fixed income, Meskers said it was a privilege and “an incredible educational experience” to watch American business executives, with their macroeconomists and senior portfolio managers, react to massive Latin American companies’ bond presentations.

 “I was at the table with the major Fortune 500 companies of Latin America and the largest investment companies or purchasers in the United States,” Meskers said. “You sat there and listened to these beautiful presentations, and you saw keen minds rip them to shreds. ‘This is not the right business model’ or ‘you’re facing competitive threats,’ I don’t want to give you a 20-year bond because I’m concerned about your cash flows.’”

 Since assuming office, Meskers has co-sponsored 24 bills which primarily concern senior citizens’ quality of life, such as deferring property tax for residents over 65-years-old and expanding financial benefits for grandparents raising needy children.

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Meskers helped guide constituents through the complicated process of accessing unemployment benefits. Meskers also worked with other constituents’ COVID concerns, such as where to go for COVID testing.

 Meskers said he is thrilled to help constituents but didn’t initially realize how much of his time as state representative would be helping other people.

 “Everyone needs help, and it’s only when you’re in a position where you are able to offer that help that you realize how many people are lost, or needed that help or don’t know where to go, and are grateful for anything you can do to move their situation forward,” Meskers said.

 Greenwich Resident Robert Van Glahn first met Meskers on May 15, seeking his help. Van Glahn’s mother, who had a broken pelvis and has Alzheimer’s disease, was sick with the coronavirus and none of the nearby nursing homes were accepting patients.

 In response, Meskers enlisted First Selectman Fred Camillo and other community figures to help Van Glahn. Thanks to their combined efforts, Van Glahn’s mother was one of the first residents The Nathaniel Witherell nursing home accepted when its doors reopened three weeks later.

 “He was unbelievably caring,” Van Glahn said. “I actually just went up and rang his bell in the middle of this whole emergency, and he got about four or five people involved. He would text me or call me late at night, early in the morning whenever he got news, He really cares about his town. I wrote him a note saying, ‘I’m not a Republican or a Democrat, but I will vote for you.’”

Doing what he loves

Meskers was born in 1962 in the Bronx to a working-class family and grew up in Mamaroneck, NY. Meskers attributes his work ethic to his childhood weekends spent working at his grandparents’ flower shop, making flower arrangements for funerals, weddings and other occasions.

 Meskers worked his way through college as a waiter and later graduated from Fordham University with a bachelor’s degree in Economics and Spanish language and literature in 1980. 

 After living in New York City for a stint, Meskers and his family moved to Old Greenwich at the end of 1996 for the quality of life and its education system. He later retired in 2017.

 However, it wasn’t until Meskers attended his sister Mary Hesdorffer’s award banquet that same year – Hesdorffer serves as executive director of the Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation – that he seriously considered a state representative bid. Meskers said he was moved seeing people get up and tell stories about how his sister had helped save their lives.

 “It gave me pause to think as I finished up my banking career, what I could say about where I moved the needle or moved things forward,” Meskers said. “That’s why I feel blessed to have the opportunity [for] public service.”

 Meskers has now served as the district six representatives on the RTM for over a decade. He served as the RTM’s education committee’s vice-chair from 2012 until last year when he moved on to the public works committee.

 “I have been very impressed with the work done by Rep. Steve Meskers. He has his pulse on the community and has been very responsive to the needs of small businesses like mine,” said Sweet Blue Swim Academy Owner Cristina Teuscher. “I’ve found, in particular, that Rep. Meskers is very accessible to residents and considers all sides of an issue before making a final decision.”

 If he wins the election, Meskers will continue to juggle the multiple responsibilities of serving on the RTM and as state representative. Despite the lengthy laundry list that entails, Meskers said it doesn’t feel like work.

“I guess the simplest answer is if you’re doing something you’re passionate about, it’s not work. It’s as simple as that,” Meskers said. “It may sound trite, but if you do something you love every day, you wake up with a certain level of energy and excitement.”

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