Why are you running for this seat, and what makes you qualified to represent the District?
I first ran for office because I wanted to be a voice for the people in my community, and that remains the reason I serve today. I believe government should listen to the people it represents and focus on the issues affecting their everyday lives. I listen to residents, research the issues, and work toward practical solutions. Whether it is lowering energy and healthcare costs, properly funding our schools, protecting local decision-making, or demanding accountability for taxpayer dollars, my priorities come from the community. I am not interested in political theater or simply following a party. I read the bills, ask hard questions, work across the aisle, and speak up when government gets it wrong. I want to continue being their voice in Hartford and help make Connecticut a place where people want to live, work, raise a family, and eventually retire.
What are the top three issues you’d focus on in Hartford if elected, and why?
Connecticut has an affordability problem, and addressing it will remain one of my top priorities. There is no single cause or single solution. My focus will be on three key areas: Affordability: Reducing the cost of living, controlling state spending, addressing property taxes, and making Connecticut a place where families, seniors, and businesses can afford to stay and thrive. Energy Reliability and Affordability: Lowering electric costs, increasing reliable energy supply, removing unnecessary costs from our electric bills, and ensuring we have the energy infrastructure needed to support our residents and economy. Public Health and Safety: Improving access to affordable healthcare, addressing prescription drug costs, protecting our children and seniors, and supporting policies that keep our communities safe and give our residents the health care access they need. These issues affect residents every day, and I will continue listening, researching, and working toward practical solutions that make Connecticut more affordable, reliable, and safe.
What’s your position on state funding for public schools, including how it affects Norwalk specifically?
The bottom line is that the state needs to do a better job funding public education and reducing the burden on local property taxpayers. Connecticut has done little to adequately address ECS funding since 2017, leaving communities like Norwalk without the support they need. The ECS formula particularly hurts Norwalk because it considers property wealth and household income when determining a town’s ability to pay. High property values do not necessarily mean residents can afford higher taxes or reflect the costs of educating students and retaining teachers. I have pushed for reliable ECS funding rather than earmarks and one-time projects. Our schools need stable, predictable funding. We must also address special education. A small number of extraordinarily high-cost placements can significantly impact local budgets. The state should assume greater responsibility for these unpredictable costs. Reliable education funding can provide needed property-tax relief and help keep Connecticut residents in their homes.
Housing costs and availability are a major concern across Fairfield County. What state-level changes would you support to address this?
Anyone who gives a quick answer to housing affordability is ignoring how complex the problem is. Builders often refer to the “5 L’s” of construction: Labor, Land, Lumber (or materials) Loans, and Laws. Costs have increased across all five. There is no single solution. We need to expand our construction workforce, improve access to financing, and reduce unnecessary red tape in permitting, mandates, and building requirements that add time and expense. Most importantly, towns should be empowered to determine how and where they grow based on the needs of their communities, with the state assisting rather than dictating. Our housing strategy also cannot focus solely on building more rental and multifamily developments. We need policies that create opportunities for homeownership and allow families to build equity and put down roots. Every Connecticut community is different. The state should recognize those differences, support responsible growth, and give towns the tools and flexibility to meet their own housing needs.
What would you do to address the cost of living for Connecticut families, including taxes and utility costs?
Affordability starts with energy. Connecticut residents pay the highest electricity costs in the continental United States, and those costs ripple through everything we buy and every service we use. When businesses pay more to keep the lights on, those costs are passed to customers. When towns and schools pay higher electric bills, taxpayers ultimately pick up the tab. Our electric bills are complex, but we know that a portion of what makes them so expensive (and more than other states pay) comes from state policies and programs placed directly on ratepayers. We need to increase our energy supply and prioritize reliability and affordability. We should pursue an all-of-the-above strategy rather than incentivizing only wind and solar while discouraging other reliable energy sources. I will work to add reliable power to our grid, eliminate unnecessary incentives, and move social welfare programs off electric bills and into the state budget, where costs are transparent and accountable to taxpayers.
What separates you from your opponent(s), and why should voters choose you on Election Day?
My campaign is focused on policies and solutions, not politics. I listen to the concerns I hear from people in our community, dig into the issues that are making Connecticut less affordable or holding our state back, and then work to find practical solutions. I believe my responsibility is first and foremost to the people I represent. I am not beholden to a political hierarchy or special interests. I do my own research, ask questions, read the bills, and make decisions based on what I believe will best serve our community. Government should be responsive, transparent, and accountable to the people who pay for it. That means focusing on affordability, eliminating waste, demanding results from the programs we fund, and ending a system where earmarks, political connections, or who you know can determine where taxpayer dollars go. My goal is straightforward: listen to the community, understand the problem, and do the work necessary to find a solution.
What’s one state policy you’d change that isn’t getting enough attention this election cycle?
Healthcare affordability needs to be a much bigger part of our conversation. As a trained pharmacist, I understand how complicated our healthcare and prescription drug systems have become and how difficult it can be for patients to understand where their money is going. Health insurance and prescription drug costs continue to put pressure on families, but especially on seniors living on fixed incomes. Seniors may not always be the loudest voices during a campaign, but that makes it even more important that we listen carefully to their concerns. This past term, I co-chaired Connecticut’s Prescription Drug Task Force, where we focused on rising drug costs and the opaque role Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs) play behind the scenes. We made progress on transparency, but there is more work to do, and I intend to keep pushing. Federal law limits what states can do with many employer-sponsored health plans, but that cannot become an excuse for inaction. At the state level, we should continue demanding greater transparency, more competition and better options so Connecticut residents can make informed healthcare decisions and better understand where their healthcare dollars are going.
How would you describe your approach to working across the aisle in Hartford?
Working across the aisle is essential to getting things done. As a member of the minority party, I know that advancing legislation requires building relationships, finding common ground, and focusing on solutions rather than party labels. I have had numerous bills pass the House and Senate through bipartisan collaboration. This past year, we closed a loophole in the teacher hiring process to better protect our children. I have supported harm-reduction efforts, championed stronger protections involving kratom, and co-chaired the Prescription Drug Task Force, work recognized by AARP. My bipartisan work extends nationally. I serve on task forces addressing AI, cybersecurity and data privacy, as well as energy supply—appointments made by the Speaker of the House. My constituents are Republicans, Democrats and unaffiliated voters. I represent them all. I will continue working with anyone willing to find responsible solutions that make Connecticut safer, more affordable, and better for our communities.
What’s a local issue specific to your district that you don’t think gets enough attention at the state level?
As Connecticut’s legal cannabis market grows, we must put public health and safety ahead of the interests of the cannabis industry. We are not talking enough about the effects of cannabis, particularly high-potency THC, on young people. Legalization is now a reality in Connecticut, but that does not mean our work is finished. We must continue researching youth access, impaired driving, psychosis, and Cannabinoid Hyperemesis Syndrome (CHS), which can cause recurring episodes of severe nausea and vomiting in frequent cannabis users. Knowledge is power. Parents and young people deserve accurate information about these risks, and policymakers should respond as the research develops. Most residents I speak with are not asking for increasingly potent cannabis products. We need balance—not policies driven primarily by an industry seeking to expand its market. Connecticut can maintain a legal cannabis market while setting responsible limits, protecting youth, supporting research, and putting the safety and concerns of residents first.
Editor’s note: One question on the candidate questionnaire, asking about state investment in public transit and infrastructure, had a technical error. Instead of a text box for candidates to type their answer, the form showed multiple-choice options by mistake. Because of this glitch, that question and its answers have been omitted from all candidate questionnaires.
If you’re running for State Representative and haven’t yet filled out the candidate questionnaire:
Please reach out to asmith@nancyonnorwalk.com. We want to include as many candidates as possible so voters can compare where everyone stands before Election Day.
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