State Rep. Pam Staneski. Contributed photo.
State Rep. Pam Staneski has announced she is throwing her hat in the ring to run for State Senate representing the 14th district, which comprises the communities of Milford and Orange and includes portions of West Haven and Woodbridge.
Staneski said it has been an honor to serve the 119th district for the last two terms. She said she has worked to be a “real voice” for the people of the district. “I believe in representative government,” she said, “and when I was first elected in 2014 I made a promise to keep the people of the 119th district informed on state matters, seek their input, and be a voice for them in Hartford. I make that same promise to the people of the 14th State Senate district.”
Staneski is currently serving her second term in the state House of Representatives. She is a member of the legislature’s budget-writing Appropriations Committee and the Public Health Committee. She is also the lead House Republican on the Higher Education and Employment Advancement Committee.
Additionally, she is a member of four bipartisan coalitions: the Manufacturing caucus, the Fire/EMS caucus, the Tourism caucus, and the Individuals with Developmental Disability group, which is focused on issues affecting individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
During her legislative tenure, Staneski worked with the Milford delegation to push for the reform to the 8-30g affordable housing statutes. Most recently, she stood with Sen. Gayle Slossberg and the delegation to fight the expansion planned at Silver Sands Park. Slossberg, a Democrat who announced her retirement in March, currently holds the seat that Staneski is seeking.
“Although we are from different political parties and don’t always agreed on every issue, Sen. Gayle Slossberg is someone who is always meticulously prepared and puts her district and its people first,” Staneski said. “I have tried to emulate those essential qualities as a state representative and hope to continue that fighting spirit as your next senator.”
Staneski has advocated for changes in the Medicaid reimbursement rate for local assisted living facilities, sponsored legislation to help students with dyslexia, spoken out against legislation that would have hurt the Boys & Girls Club of Milford’s after school program and encouraged policies to promote manufacturing and Connecticut’s technical high schools.
Staneski has testified in support of the state’s shellfish industry and the developmentally disabled. She has been an outspoken supporter on veterans’ issues. She is the daughter of a Navy veteran and was named the 2016 American Legion Legislator of the Year.
“Constituent service is important to me – that is my job, to work for and on behalf of the people of the 119th – and that includes continuing to fight for structural changes in the way state finances are run,” Staneski said. “In 2016, I voted against the second highest tax increase in the state’s history because I believe Connecticut needs to live, as you and I do, within its means. We cannot continue this roller-coaster budgeting practice – the lack of stability at the state level hurts our cities and towns. I believe long-term structural changes need to be part of any current and future budget. This must be done. In 2017, I supported six budget proposals that would make structural changes in the way we run state government, ultimately some of those changes were incorporated in the bipartisan budget. I want to continue to be a voice for the people of Orange, Milford, West Haven and Woodbridge. Connecticut is a beautiful state worth fighting for and I humbly ask to continue that fight as your senator.”