Every person in our community deserves a senator who truly cares about them—someone who prioritizes their needs and interests. I believe my years of service show that I live by this principle. Many people feel overlooked by their government, and it’s crucial for them to know that their representative understands their struggles. I relate to the challenges many face, like raising children, working hard to provide, and striving to make ends meet. My strength as a legislator comes from always remembering my roots and understanding the difficulties my constituents encounter. I’ve witnessed the relentless dedication of those I represent, and I recognize that it’s my responsibility to bring that same spirit of diligence to Hartford each day. People also need a senator who knows how to achieve results. While serving in the state legislature, I have navigated complex challenges to deliver historic results—such as increasing funding for education to record levels, reforming literacy education to be driven by evidence-based practices, fighting child abuse and neglect, advocating for historic civil rights legislation, and securing funding for the first-in-the-nation Baby Bonds program. I not only have the experience from my time in both our state House and Senate, but also a proven track record of results for our community. I am committed to listening to your concerns, learning from your challenges and triumphs, and bringing people together to deliver solutions.

My time in the legislature has been committed to supporting our children. We must ensure that from cradle to career, our kids have what they need to survive and thrive in our state.
Unfortunately, this is not the case for many. We need to expand access to childcare, make it easier and more affordable for parents to obtain, and ensure they feel comfortable that their children are receiving both the care and education they need, whether in childcare or in the classroom. I will continue to build on the successes I have achieved in the past in fighting for our children.
Another important issue is finding ways to reduce utility costs for consumers. The topic of public benefits is complicated, and any changes should be carefully considered. For example, the agreement with Millstone is a 10-year deal, is ending it feasible? I am dedicated to tackling this issue in the next legislative session if I am re-elected.
We also need to increase our affordable housing stock and make sure that people are able to remain in their homes. I intend to collaborate with advocates to reintroduce policies like ‘fair share’ and ‘just cause’ eviction protection.
Many families have felt squeezed by ever-increasing housing costs, limited affordable childcare options, and wages that aren’t keeping up. These challenges affect both young families starting out and seniors living on fixed incomes. Advocating for those who are struggling and those in need has always been a top priority, and I will continue to fight.

There are several factors driving the shortage of housing in this state and the legislature has a role to play in each. One major issue is the strict local zoning regulations.
Stamford is one of the leaders in building multifamily and affordable housing, consistently being among the communities that issues the most building permits. However, it is unsustainable to continue placing the burden of providing affordable housing solely on urban centers like Stamford. Regrettably, many of our neighboring communities are failing to address this growing need. I believe the state should implement a “fair share” policy that would require towns to plan and zone for a specific number of affordable units based on regional demand.
While zoning reform can help mitigate the shortage, we also need to expand the number of subsidized units for those who struggle to afford market-rate housing. Housing Authorities have been providing subsidies to families living in public and private housing for decades, creating more opportunities for many in our state. Currently, however, housing authorities are arbitrarily restricted to operating only within their town borders. Allowing them to extend their services to neighboring areas to create more affordable housing options, would be a positive step in the right direction.

Many of my constituents were shocked, as I was, when they received their electric bill this summer with such an outrageous increase. It’s important to understand what is causing this rise in costs so we can effectively address the issue. To begin with, the public benefits portion of the bill has several components. The prevailing narrative that the increase is mainly due to people not paying their bill doesn’t tell the whole story. Public benefits include state-mandated programs for energy efficiency, renewable energy projects like residential solar panels, Operation Fuel, low-income loan programs, and assistance for those struggling to pay their electric bills. About 77% of the increase comes from utility companies buying electricity from the Millstone nuclear power plant. I opposed the related legislation in 2017 because its parent company refused to share their financial records to explain their need for support and deal recommendations should be presented to the General Assembly before they were put into action. The public benefits issue is complicated, and changes shouldn’t be made in a vacuum. For instance, we need to think about the effects of changing energy-related benefits since we are moving toward clean energy. The legislature has worked to hold utility companies accountable with measures like the Take Back Our Grid and prohibiting these companies from utilizing electric rates to pay for their lobbying, marketing, and travel expenses for company executives. This situation highlights the need for more action to ensure that the needs of ratepayers come first over utility interests.