The hottest local issue for Groton voters, whether to spend $184 million on a major overhaul of town schools, with $100 million coming from the state, is likely to weigh heavily in who wins the 40th District seat in the state House of Representatives.

Incumbent Republican John Scott and his Democratic challenger, Christine Conley, differ on the answer. He chaired a previous committee that came up with a similar plan and led an effort last winter to get an increased rate of state reimbursement. She opposes the plan and lays some of the blame at Scott's feet for the failure to secure the state increase.

The 40th district, however, includes not only the northern part of Groton but also part of Ledyard. The winner will face many issues affecting both towns and all of the state. Both candidates have said the state's struggling economy and fiscal crisis are priorities.

Like his fellow Republicans, Scott, 47, would curtail borrowing, keep taxes stable, and freeze state employees' wages for three years. In the wake of cuts to local education aid, he would seek to avoid further municipal aid cuts.

Conley, 34, an attorney and floor leader of Groton's Representative Town Meeting, is proposing a 5 percent across-the-board cut to state budget accounts as a start.

The Day was disappointed in Rep. Scott when, early in his freshman term, he introduced a bill that could have benefitted his business as an insurance broker through health coverage of state university students. The bill died in committee after the co-chair of the committee pointed out the potential conflict of interest. Scott says now that the episode was a "learning curve" for him, and showed him that the perception of his actions as a lawmaker matters. Yet he recently was one of only a handful of lawmakers to vote against a bill, now law, that rightly requires health insurers to cover a new, more detailed, type of mammography — again raising the question of his capacity to separate his business interests from those of the public. Scott told us he did not see it that way, saying the bill's defeat would not have benefitted his business and that his intent was to hold down insurance rates. Whatever the motivation, we disagree with the vote.

The Day shares Conley's judgment that the schools proposal costs taxpayers too much and views her as a fiscal realist who can make hard decisions. Although Scott has shown a willingness to work hard, how he views his legislative role on occasion is a concern.

The Day endorses Christine Conley in the 40th District.