Here’s how Conn. redistricting will affect Danbury area towns
DANBURY — Due to its rising population, state officials believe Danbury will need more legislative representation in the years to come and took that into consideration during the redrawing of Connecticut’s voting district lines.
The 138th House District — which currently covers a large part of Danbury, as well as southwestern New Fairfield and northern Ridgefield — will now be a Danbury-only district following the recent remapping of Connecticut’s House and Senate districts.
“The idea was that Danbury, being one of the largest geographic cities in the states, really deserves to have three full-time state representatives for the next 10 years,” said Democrat state Rep. Ken Gucker, who has represented the 138th District since 2019.
The other two House districts in Danbury with full-time state representatives will be the 110th and 109th, which are currently represented by Democrat state Reps. Bob Godfrey and David Arconti, respectively.
A bipartisan group of state legislators used 2020 U.S. Census data to conduct the once-in-adecade task of remapping Connecticut’s House and Senate districts, resulting in a shakeup across the state in time for the 2022 legislative election.
The latest Census data showed Danbury is one of the fastestgrowing cities in the state, which Gucker cited as the reason why New Fairfield and Ridgefield were dropped from the 138th House District.
The district will not only lose part of New Fairfield and Ridgefield, he said, but a section of the northern half of Danbury’s second ward and some of the city’s sixth ward.
Gucker said he loses about 2,200 voters as a result of the redrawn voting district lines, which go into effect 2023, but understands the importance of having three full-time state representatives who can devote all their legislative time to Danbury.
“Not having to represent three towns, go to three town committee meetings, go to events in three towns would allow me to concentrate on one town and really make
sure the west side of Danbury gets the proper representation they should have,” he said.
Although he’s disappointed to lose some areas he’s done well in — like his hometown of New Fairfield — Gucker, a current Danbury resident, said he respects the process.
“They look at redistricting (in terms of) what’s going to be best for the next 10 years — not what’s good for a specific candidate,” Gucker said, noting the bipartisan manner in which Connecticut’s redistricting process is handled.
“One party does not decide what the maps are going to look like. Everybody has an equal say as to how it all goes down,” he said.
This year’s redistricting was initiated by the state General Assembly’s Reapportionment Committee, composed of four Democrats and four Republicans.
After the committee failed to draft and get approval on a plan by Sept. 15, though, the group disbanded and a nine-member Reapportionment Commission was formed to take over the process. The expanded commission officially certified the House and Senate districting plans last month.
With the 138th District no longer including New Fairfield’s southwestern corner, that part of town will join the 108th District — which will also cover all of Sherman, a section of western New Milford and part of northern Danbury. Republican Pat Callahan is the 108th district’s current state representative.
The Ridgefield part of the 138th District will join the 111th House District, which currently covers the rest of the town. As a result of the remapping, though, the southwest corner of Ridgefield will no longer be 111th District territory. It will instead join Wilton and part of New Canaan to form a new 42nd House District.
The current 42nd House District in New London County — currently represented by Republican state Rep. Mike France — is being eliminated.
Senate districts
The Danbury area’s five Senate districts will see some changes, as well.
24th District The 24th District — whose current state senator is Democrat Julie Kushner — will no longer include Sherman and part of Bethel.
It will go from all of Danbury, New Fairfield and Sherman, as well as part of Bethel to covering all of Danbury, part of northern Ridgefield and part of southern New Fairfield.
26th District
The 26th District will cover all of Redding, Wilton, Weston and Westport, as well as southern Ridgefield and part of New Canaan, Darien and Stamford.
The district currently includes all of Redding, Ridgefield and Wilton, plus parts of New Canaan, Westport and Weston. Its current state senator is Democrat Will Haskell.
28th District
The state’s new 28th Senate District will cover all of Newtown, Easton and Fairfield, as well as part of Bethel.
The district currently includes all of Newtown, Easton and Fairfield, as well as parts of Weston and Westport. Its current state senator is Republican Tony Hwang. 30th District The new 30th Senate District will consist of 13 entire towns — including New Milford, Sherman and Kent — as well as parts of New Fairfield, Brookfield, Washington, Bethlehem and Torrington.
The district currently covers all of Brookfield, New Milford, Kent and 10 other Litchfield County towns, as well as part of Torrington.
Republican Craig Miner is the 30th District’s current state senator.
32nd District
An area of Bethel bordering Danbury and Brookfield will become part of the 32nd Senate District, which will also include the entire towns of Bridgewater, Roxbury, Southbury, Woodbury, Oxford and Watertown, as well as parts of Brookfield, Washington, Bethlehem, Middlebury and Seymour.
The district currently covers all of Bridgewater, Roxbury, Washington, Southbury, Watertown, Oxford, Bethlehem and Woodbury, as well as part of Middlebury and Seymour.
The district’s current state senator is Republican Eric Berthel.