Ryan picked to run for 13th term in 139th District

Montville — State Rep. Kevin Ryan will run for another term representing the General Assembly’s 139th District, and plans to focus on the economy and the state’s opioid crisis if re-elected.

Ryan got the endorsement of local Democratic delegates at the district nominating convention in Montville last week.

The 139th District includes Bozrah and parts of Montville and Norwich.

Ryan, a Democrat and the House’s deputy speaker, has held the seat for 12 terms since 1993.

He’s a member of the House appropriations, environment and public health committees and the joint committee on legislative management.

He said he has focused this term on negotiating a 2016-17 budget deal.

“We were still able to return money to cities, even though it wasn’t as much as they would have liked,” he said.

Ryan also supported a bill that legalized medical marijuana use by children with debilitating diseases.

“I think we just took a big first step,” on improving access to medical marijuana, he said.

Ryan will face Republican Joseph Mark Taraya, a former Navy medical records technician who recently moved to Montville from Groton, on November’s ballot.

Ryan said he has already begun fundraising for his campaign and plans to travel throughout the district doing “aggressive” door knocking.

If re-elected, he said he would work to address soaring opiate overdoses, which killed 208 people across the state in the first three months of 2016, according to the state Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.

Voters have also told him they’re worried about the state’s financial health, he said Monday.

“People are still concerned about the economy and job stability in the area,” he said.

Montville Town Council chairman Jospeh Jaskiewicz, who chaired last week’s Democratic nominating convention, said the delgates voted unanimously to support Ryan for another term.

“Kevin is a very popular guy, a very personable guy,” he said. “He’s easy to talk to.”