By Themis Klarides
Themis Klarides
What a year to wind up a legislative career. We didn’t know it back in March when the decision was made to suspend the legislative session, but the pandemic effectively put an end to doing business in Hartford. After 22 years of hundreds of trips back and forth to the Capitol each session, I had made the decision that 2020 would be my last.
The late nights debating and voting on hundreds of bills every year, the long days spent cobbling together legislation and engaging in important policy discussions would be a thing of the past. I will miss my colleagues from both sides of the aisle, and the most beautiful building in which to work in the state, the Capitol. I am most proud of my service to my constituents and hearing first-hand of their concerns and needs.
When I was first approached locally about running for the State House of Representatives, I had no idea about what constituted the 114th District. I would like to think that now I know the district’s three towns, Derby, Orange and Woodbridge, pretty well.
Politics, it is said, is the art of the possible. To be successful it requires knowledge, hard work and the ability to work with people and forge relationships and compromises. Over the years I have absorbed these lessons that apply to life in general. It has been a privilege to represent the district and an honor to have been chosen by my fellow caucus members to serve as the first female Republican Leader of the House.
I may be leaving the chamber that I love and one that holds so many memories, but this is not it for me for public service. I don’t know yet where that may lead in the future, but I intend to stay involved in my community and with the many local organizations that enrich us on a daily basis.
State Rep. Themis Klarides’s term in office expired Jan.6.