Election set for House seat representing Newtown, Monroe
NEWTOWN — Gov. Ned Lamont set a special election for April 13 to replace J.P. Sredzinski, the GOP lawmaker who abruptly resigned his seat representing Monroe and a small portion of Newtown.
Lamont set the date to fill the unexpired term of Sredzinski, who was reelected to a fourth, twoyear term in November.
Sredzinski, a Republican, said there was “no scandal and no drama” surrounding his Feb. 17 announcement that he was resigning immediately from his part-time job as a state representative.
Instead, he said, the stress of the coronavirus crisis and the demands of a new job were taking a toll on his family, which he intended to mend.
“For me, it has been my honor and an absolute privilege to serve Monroe and Newtown as state representative for the last six years, and I have appreciated every moment,” Sredzinski told Hearst Connecticut Media. “But I got promoted in September as (Stratford) superintendent of public safety dispatch ... and it has been tough to be a part-time legislator and a full-time director of 911 and do both adequately, so I need to step back.”
As a result, Monroe and a section of Newtown will not have representation in the House for 46 days.
Under state law, Lamont had 10 days from Sredzinski’s resignation to declare a special election. State law also holds that the special election must be held 46 days after the governor issues a special election declaration.
It was unclear on Friday what candidates would emerge in Monroe and a southwestern patch of Newtown to run for Sredzinski’s seat, which pays $28,000 per year.
Sredzinski ran unopposed in 2020 and 2018.