Formica to serve as deputy minority leader in state Senate
“First, we need to make sure everybody is healthy and safe, that’s certainly on the forefront now as we throttle back from Phase 3 to Phase 2.1. ... We also have to find a way to move forward in terms of economic opportunities and reviving economies. There’s a lot of people out there who are hurting.” STATE SEN. PAUL FORMICA
State Sen. Paul Formica, R- East Lyme, will serve as deputy minority leader of the state Senate when lawmakers return to session in 2021.
Formica, who was reelected this past week, will aid new minority leader Sen. Kevin Kelly, R- Stratford, in leading state Senate Republicans. The party lost two seats in the chamber in the 2020 election and will be outnumbered 24- 12 in the next session.
Formica this year defeated Democratic candidate Martha Marx, a visiting nurse from New London, by an unofficial tally of 25,677 to 24,502, in a rematch of their 2018 race.
The 67- year- old East Lyme resident and restaurant owner said he was “overwhelmed with gratitude”
over the new role.
“I am deeply honored to have been selected to help lead our caucus as deputy leader,” Formica said. “Connecticut is the greatest state in the greatest nation in the world. But there is so more that must be done to help all people in our state achieve the American Dream. I look forward to helping lead our caucus and our state through these challenging times, with a focus on keeping people safe, healthy and creating opportunities for all people.”
“I feel so honored that Sen. Kelly asked me to join him in this process moving forward, I just can’t tell you how much it means,” he added.
In a statement, Kelly called Formica “one of the hardest working and most caring lawmakers I have ever met,” and praised the senator’s accomplishments during the last six years in Hartford. “Paul Formica’s expertise on the budget, experience as a small business owner and job creator, as well as his ability to bring people together will make him an exceptional partner in leading our caucus during these difficult times.”
In his fourth term representing the 20th District, which includes East Lyme, New London, Old Lyme, Salem, Waterford, Bozrah and parts of Montville and Old Saybrook, Formica said his main goal is to support the middle class and make it “more efficient and affordable to live here in the state of Connecticut.”
But first and foremost, he said, he recognizes the importance of controlling the COVID- 19 pandemic across the state.
“First, we need to make sure everybody is healthy and safe, that’s certainly on the forefront now as we throttle back from Phase 3 to Phase 2.1,” he said. On Monday, Gov. Ned Lamont tightened state restrictions as COVID- 19 cases rise.
Secondly, the senator said, he plans to focus on helping businesses across the district recover from the financial difficulties that come with limiting hours and accessibility under the governor’s restrictions.
“We also have to find a way to move forward in terms of economic opportunities and reviving economies,” he said. “There’s a lot of people out there who are hurting.”
Formica said that as deputy minority leader, his role will be to support Kelly and work with each member of their caucus “to make sure they can be as effective as they possibly can in terms of bill development, working through the process and ultimately passage of bills” and providing any other support that senators need.
“I’m a big fan of involving everybody in the process, so the senators will have a say, the staff will have a say,” the senator said. “We have, I think, the greatest group of senators and staff anywhere, so I’m excited for this opportunity.”
He said he plans to approach his new role the way he approached his first term as first selectman of East Lyme: by taking a look at the way things are done and asking whether they can be done in a more efficient, effective way.
“From my background in business, I don’t always say, ‘ Let’s do it the way we always do it,’” he said. “I want to say, ‘ Let’s look at if there is perhaps a better way, an alternative way, and maybe we can blend the old way and the new way.’”
Formica said he isn’t sure yet what committees he will serve on in the next session. One of his first tasks is to work with Kelly to delegate committee assignments to senators. He said he hopes to continue working on the Energy and Technology Committee, of which he is currently a ranking member.
If he has the opportunity to continue on that committee, he said he will continue conversations about incentivizing battery storage technology in Connecticut and opportunities for offshore wind opportunities in New London.
He also said he plans to tackle any issues involving natural gas accessibility under the Biden administration, efficiently energizing state buildings and repurposing buildings that are no longer being used as many businesses transition to having employees work primarily from home.