CROMWELL - A former Middletown City Councilor is back for another run at Senator Paul Doyle’s 9th District seat.

       Republican Earle Roberts-a navy veteran and former city fire commissioner-has secured his party’s nomination.

       As was the case two years ago, Roberts surfaced as the only candidate truly seeking the Republican nomination. Last year, the party had Tom Pugliese as a placeholder before Roberts stepped into the picture, according to reporting in The Hartford Courant.

       â€�"I have a discouraging feeling when people don’t run to fill these seats,” Roberts said during a phone conversation.

       But the decision to run was anything but last minute, he said.

       â€�"It’s in my blood to be involved in democracy and its process,” Roberts said.

       And like other candidates-both incumbents and challengers-he’s setting his sights on the state budget and a looming near-billion dollar deficit.

       â€�"We’re in trouble, and I want to be a part of that solution,” Roberts said.

       The recently passed $19.7 billion appropriation came through cuts to numerous service areas and the potential loss of 2,500 state employee union jobs, but Roberts says he would have liked to see the legislature go further.

       â€�"We’re spending ourselves into a hole that we can’t get out of,” he said. â€�"There are problems on both sides of the aisle, but the Democrats have had major control.”

       Roberts was critical of Doyle’s vote in favor of the budget-which passed with no tax increases.

       Doyle defended his position, noting that he voted against the previous budget in opposition to spending levels and tax hikes.

       â€�"I knew we were going to be in the position that we’re in now,” Doyle said over the phone.

       As for this year, the state reduced about it much as it could in a given cycle, he said.

       â€�"I wish these cuts had been made over the course of more years to make it easier,” Doyle said. â€�"We made a lot of cuts that affected a lot of people. To advocate for more could’ve been devastating.”

       Roberts says that if he is elected, he will be looking to find new ways to deliver the same services while heavily scrutinizing departments for waste and inefficiencies.

       â€�"I would look to consolidate. Privatize. Whatever it takes,” he said.

       Some social service areas, for example, could be housed and administered through hospitals, Roberts said.

       As for the business climate, the state could be less burdensome when it comes to regulations, he said.

       â€�"It really builds a bureaucracy,” Roberts said. â€�"I’m all for making something safer, but we need to look at how we do it. We don’t need 400 people looking at one place.”