By Themis Klarides
State Rep., R-114
Themis Klarides
This fall, for the first time in more than 20 years, I will not be standing before the voters from Derby, Orange and Woodbridge as a candidate in the 114th House District. It was a very difficult decision to reach, but once I had sorted through all the options and after much soul searching, it became clear it was the right one to make.
I have been blessed to serve for 22 years – 11 terms – in the State House and will fondly recall all the people whose paths we have crossed together. It has been an honor to lead my colleagues as the first woman to serve as Republican Leader. I look forward to the next steps, wherever they take me.
This does not mean my career in public service is over. I don’t know at this point what that will mean, but I will continue to represent the people of the 114th District as ably as possible for the rest of my term. As Leader of the House Republican caucus I will serve all the people of the state of Connecticut as best I can.
But what times we live in now. The legislative session essentially was over when the Capitol complex closed because of the burgeoning pandemic on March 12. The usual crush of business that arises at the end of every session was replaced by silence in Hartford. That did not mean our work on behalf of our constituents vanished; in fact, just the opposite occurred. Our offices have been swamped with constituents calling and writing, looking for answers on how to get their unemployment insurance claims processed or how to register a car when the Department of Motor Vehicles is closed.
More than 500,000 people in Connecticut suddenly found themselves out of work when their businesses were closed or they were laid off. The Department of Labor was not in any position to handle the volume of claims. Now, more than two months after the state shutdown, many people still have not received the unemployment funds they are due. People emailing the DOL looking for solutions are being told to expect to wait five to seven weeks for a response.
We have been in constant contact with the Lamont administration and with my fellow lawmakers to address all these issues. We have always maintained that a special legislative session sometime this summer will be called to deal with the matters that arise and the ongoing fallout of this health crisis.
Instead of dealing with all these issues in crowded Capitol hearing rooms or on the floor of the House, the work is being handled from home, by phone and through computers. Either way, the work goes on.