Danbury man to lead state VA

The chain of events that made it possible for Thomas Saadi to be nominated as Connecticut’s next commissioner of Veterans Affairs began when he thought he was too old to be a soldier.

“I always wanted to serve my country in uniform, but it didn’t happen when I was younger, and then I thought I was too old,” said Saadi, a Danbury City Council member who was nominated Tuesday to head the state VA by Gov. Dannel P. Malloy. “But once I was able to find a unit in the area, I pushed hard to get an age waiver, and I got my commission in the Army Reserve.”

That was 2005, when Saadi was 35. He completed basic training and officer advanced training, and he graduated from Command and General Staff College in Fort Leavenworth, Kan., in 2016.

Today, Saadi is a major in the Army Reserve at the 411th Civil Affairs Battalion in Danbury, and has taken on progressively responsible roles at the state VA since joining the department in 2015 as its general counsel.

“Tom’s experience in the U.S. Army Reserve, coupled with his years of service in state government serving veterans, will continue to be a benefit at the agency, and I thank him for accepting the nomination,”

Malloy said Tuesday in a statement announcing the appointment.

The state Legislature could take up Saadi’s confirmation hearings as soon as February, when the new session opens in Hartford.

Although the new job involves some travel, Saadi expects to keep his full commitment to the Danbury City Council, where he is the minority leader. A Democrat, Saadi has been acting commissioner since October, when he took over for Sean Connolly.

“We are very proud of Tom and his accomplishments,” said Gene Eriquez, the Danbury Democratic Party chairman. “And we are grateful for his service and leadership in our city.”

Danbury Mayor Mark Boughton agreed.

“It is very exciting, and we are very proud of him,” said Boughton, a Republican gubernatorial candidate. “I think he will do an exceptional job.”

Saadi said his two main challenges are to maintain veterans’ services during a time of budget cuts, and to reach out to young veterans and their families with technology, including an app for smart phones and other electronic mobile devices.

Saadi said he plans to maintain veterans’ services by forging partnerships with other state agencies, with non-governmental agencies and with charities to provide programs to the state’s 200,000 veterans.

He said he hopes to increase the range of the VA’s outreach efforts — particularly to younger veterans returning from active duty — through email blasts and more interactive features on the VA website.

“It has been an honor for me to be part of a great team at the department, and to work with our statewide veterans’ organizations, the DVA Board of Trustees, state and federal partners, and our volunteers in our collective mission of ‘serving those who served,’” Saadi said in a statement. “I look forward to continuing this mission as commissioner and to serving our veterans and service members with compassion and professionalism.”

Hearst Connecticut Media file photo Thomas Saadi, an Army Reserve officer, was nominated Tuesday to serve as commissioner of the state Department of Veterans Affairs.