10 vie for state jobs representing New Canaan

NEW CANAAN— Local voters will have several new faces on the ballot this November.

Of the 10 candidates running for state leadership, seven are non-incumbents. More General Assembly candidates are seeking New Canaan votes, since a portion of the town will be in the new 42nd House District.

The district was created after new maps were drawn for state House of Representative in November 2021, since the eastern part of the state lost population while the southwestern municipalities gained residents.

District 42 will cross New Canaan, Ridgefield and Wilton, instead of the rural eastern towns it had belonged to such as Ledyard, Montville and Prestonth.

Keith Denning, District 42 (D)

A Wilton resident since 2017, Keith Denning is a retired nurse anesthetist who is running as a Democrat for District 42.

Denning said he “worked on the frontlines during the pandemic” in his nurse anesthetist role after working in medical technology development. He also provided “pro bono health care for children” with Operation Smile and other global medical missions.

As a legislator, he said he would like to serve on the public health, human services and transportation committees. He would prioritize reducing health care costs, protecting access to health care for women and investing in infrastructure. He would like to cut taxes for working- and middleclass families.

Kim Healy, District 42 (R)

Wilton Selectwoman Kim Healy is running for District 42 of the General Assembly as a Republican. Healy is a CPA and a retired auditor for PricewaterhouseCoopers.

In Wilton, Healy has served on the Conservation Commission and with the library association, where she worked for six years, spending much of her time as treasurer and chairwoman of the finance committee.

She was appointed in 2022 to serve on the state reading leadership implementation council, which focuses on reading outcomes for students in kindergarten to grade three.

She has lived in Wilton since 2008 and in the state since 1994.

Don Mastronardi, District 142 (R)

Norwalk resident Don Mastronardi is running as a Republican for State House District 142. He has been the owner of Dry Dock Cafe since 2018.

Prior that owning the restaurant, he worked at Emerson Power Transmission as a cost accountant and as an analyst for AIG Asset Management.

Mastronardi wants state government to recognize that “individual liberties and freedoms are the bedrock of this country” and “cannot be infringed upon under any circumstances, even during a pandemic.”

In the legislature, he wants to see a “balanced business approach to government where people are put ahead of special interests,” he said in a press release.

Lucy Dathan, District 142 (D)

Rep. Lucy Dathan, New Canaan resident for seven years, has been a state representative since 2019 and has 25 years of financial experience.

She has worked as a CFO, “devising strategies for venture-backed technology companies,” she said.

She sits on the human service committee, insurance and real estate committee and is vice chairman of appropriations. She has worked to ensure transportation infrastructure is supported, by fighting for updates to the branch line and interchange to Route 7, she said.

Victor Alvarez, District 125 (D)

Victor Alvarez, a New Canaan resident since 2009, is running as a Democrat for the General Assembly for District 125. He has worked in finance for 32 years and is presently a business controller at a global publishing company, where he has worked for the last decade.

Alvarez was elected to the Board of Finance in 2020. His top issues as a legislator would be gun control, women's right to reproductive healthcare and the environment. If elected, he would like to be on the environment, energy and technology and transportation committees of the house.

Tom O’Dea, District 125 (R)

Rep. Tom O'Dea has served as a Republican in the state assembly for seven years, where he is now the deputy house leader.

“I am extremely proud of what I have accomplished so far” he said. He is especially proud of the Narcan bill in 2013, which “has saved thousands of lives,” he said. He believes his efforts on the 2017 bipartisan budget have helped the state retain budget surpluses.

He hopes to make Connecticut more affordable, support police in their efforts in fighting crime, improve the business environment and ensure local control for zoning and education.

State Senate Ceci Maher, District 26 (D)

Wilton resident Ceci Maher is running for the 26th District of the state Senate as a Democrat and has worked as executive director for Sandy Hook Promise, Person to Person and Horizons National.

At Sandy Hook Promise, she focused on preventing gun violence and safer schools; at Person-to-Person, she “expanded programs and provided food and support for families,” and at Horizons National she worked to expand access to education for children, she said.

“We must be forward thinking, strengthen our economy, invest in transportation, insist on quality mental health systems and

protect progress,” Maher said.

Toni Boucher, District 26 (R)

Wilton resident Toni Boucher hopes to return to the state Senate to the seat she held for 10 years, before losing in 2018.

She believes Connecticut has become unaffordable. “We need tax relief, lower gas prices and a pro-business environment that will retain and attract jobs,” she said.

Her priorities include local control of education and property rights; and supporting law enforcement to fight crime. She has also served on the state Board of Education, as Wilton selectwoman and as the Board of Education chairwoman.

Trevor Crow, District 125 (D)

A resident of New Canaan since 2009, Trevor Crow is a Democrat running for the 125th District in the state Senate, after serving on the Board of Finance since 2020. She has been business controller for a global publishing company for 10 years.

Her top three issues are gun control, women's right to reproductive health care and protecting the environment. If elected, she would like to sit on the environment, energy and technology and transportation committees of the House.

Ryan Fazio, District 36 (R)

Sen. Ryan Fazio is running for reelection as a Republican in the 36th District, a seat he won in a special election in 2021 after Alex Kasser resigned. The business executive wants more local control and feels New Canaan is “under attack from leaders in Hartford who refuse to reform 8-30g,” the general statute for affordable housing. He said he has written legislation to change the law.

He wants more local control for education and will fight against regionalization of schools. He has also co-sponsored bills to “improve policing” and has “submitted a dozen bills to reduce the cost of living and co-sponsored a proposal for the largest tax cut in state history,” he said.