Three local legislators honored for their education advocacy
Eileen FitzGerald, Staff Writer, The Newstimes
Tuesday, June 29, 2010

DANBURY--The education reform advocacy group, ConnCAN, has given state Rep. Jason Bartlett, state Rep. Christopher Lyddy, and state Sen. Toni Boucher the group's first annual "Tip of the Cap" award.

The three are among five legislators honored for their work to lead education reform, for speaking out for what's right for Connecticut's students, and for making public school reform a priority, ConnCAN writes.

Rep. Jason Bartlett, D-Bethel, who serves the 2nd Assembly District of Bethel, Danbury and Redding, was noted for his work through the Black and Puerto Rican Caucus.

Sen. Toni Boucher, R-Wilton, who represents the 26th Senatorial District, which includes Bethel, Redding and Ridgefield, and Rep. Christopher Lyddy, D-Newtown, were honored for their advocacy and leadership.

"Over the past few years, education leaders have emerged from the rank-and-file of the state legislature, and it's high time we recognized their vision and courage," ConnCAN CEO Alex Johnston said in a press release Monday. "Standing up for education reform is never easy, but these leaders' commitment to ensuring an excellent public education for all children in Connecticut has been vital in effecting the changes we need."

ConnCAN, which stands for Connecticut Coalition for Achievement Now, praised the winners, who also included Rep. Tony Hwang R-Trumbull and Rep. Douglas McCrory, D-Hartford, for their role in the passage of Senate Bill 438. The education reform bill reinforced the state's application for federal Race to the Top grant funds.

"ConnCAN has really helped change the debate in the state of Connecticut about reform," Bartlett said. "Their information is reliable, and with the issues I've worked on, it's important to have a third party voice."

Bartlett was honored ConnCAN recognized their leadership.

"Education is my passion," he said. "For an advocacy group to recognize the work I put into this area is appreciated."

ConnCAN particularly noted Bartlett's contribution in the bill for strong language for teacher evaluations and alternative paths to principal certification.

Boucher was surprised by the honor and called it rewarding.

"I've been an advocate for education for a long time," she said. Her first foray into public office was onto the local Board of Education, which led to her appointment on the state board.

Boucher said she came from a poor, immigrant family that taught her education was the path out of poverty and she's adamant the state provide all its children a quality education.

Lyddy also was honored by the award. He said talk across the state about jobs and the economy must focus on ensuring a skilled work force.

"The education reform bill was absolutely monumental this season," he said. "Students should be reassured they will have a state of the art, top-notch education in Connecticut."













Tipping our caps to education champions
ConnCAN, June 28, 2010

Today we're pleased to announce the establishment of a new award to honor rank-and-file state legislators who have championed education reform during their time in office: the Tip of the Cap. The award acknowledges lawmakers who are redefining the conversation about public education in Connecticut and making extraordinary contributions to ConnCAN's mission of providing great schools for all.

The five legislators to be awarded the inaugural 2010 Tip of the Cap are:

Rep. Jason Bartlett (D-Bethel/Danbury)
Sen. Toni Boucher (R-Westport/Wilton)
Rep. Tony Hwang (R-Trumbull/Fairfield)
Rep. Christopher Lyddy (D-Newtown)
Rep. Douglas McCrory (D-Hartford)


















Housatonic Railroad Plans Affected—
Legislature Overrides Veto Of Solid Waste Law

By Andrew Gorosko, The Newtown Bee, June 24, 2010

Members of the General Assembly this week unanimously overrode Governor M. Jodi Rell's recent veto of environmental protection legislation concerning solid waste handling that occurs near aquifers, which are underground sources of drinking water.

The veto override means that it will now be more difficult for the Housatonic Railroad Company to accomplish its controversial proposed solid waste expansion project at its 13.3-acre Hawleyville rail terminal at 30 Hawleyville Road (Route 25).

Both the State Senate and State House of Representatives on June 21 unanimously overrode Gov Rell's June 8 veto, with 11 members of the House not voting on the override.

In effect, the solid waste legislation, which was approved by the General Assembly in early May, now becomes law, making it more difficult for the railroad to achieve its waste expansion project.

The intent of the legislation is "environmental protection," according to State Representative Christopher Lyddy, who sponsored the legislation with State Senator John McKinney.

"Today, the voices of Newtown residents prevailed as the House and the Senate voted to override the governor's veto of a bill targeted to ensure our local aquifers are protected, and that the [waste] transfer station in Hawleyville adheres to the strictest environmental standards. We must continue to partner with business to ensure they are responsive to the values of our residents, the state of our environment, and the preservation of our community's resources," Rep Lyddy said in a statement.

In a joint statement on the veto override, Rep Lyddy and Sen McKinney said the legislation seeks to protect wetlands and aquifers from pollution due to the unnecessary expansion of the Housatonic Railroad Company's solid waste transfer terminal, which sits above an aquifer.

Sen McKinney said that the legislation is geared to protect Hawleyville from increased truck traffic, increased noise, and pollution.

The legislation, which has taken effect, seeks to prevent the expansion of solid waste handling facilities that lie within 1,000 feet of a "primary aquifer" or a "secondary aquifer," until and unless there exists a need for such additional solid waste handling capacity as specified by the state's Solid Waste Management Plan, according to the legislators.

The railroad property sits atop an aquifer, about 800 acres of which lie within the Hawleyville section of town, with the large majority of that aquifer being located outside of Newtown.

Through an application filed more than one year ago, the railroad is seeking state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) approval to increase the range of solid waste and also expand the tonnage of solid waste that it handles at its terminal. The railroad proposes significantly increasing its transfer of solid waste from heavy trucks onto railcars for shipment by rail for disposal at out-of-state landfills.

The DEP is reviewing the health and safety aspects of the waste expansion proposal. The DEP is expected to conduct a future public hearing on the pending proposal.

The railroad's waste expansion proposal has drawn stiff opposition from town officials and the citizens group known as Hawleyville Environmental Advocacy Team (HEAT), whose concerns include the potential for surface water pollution and groundwater pollution due to expanded waste operations. Other issues include quality-of-life matters, such as increased truck traffic, increased noise, and additional blowing dust in the area.

In practical terms, the legislation would provide the DEP with added review powers through which it would balance the regional need for additional waste handling capacity against the risk to natural resources posed by such an expanded capacity.

In vetoing the legislation earlier this month, Gov Rell, in part noted that the state has no statutory definitions concerning "primary aquifers" or "secondary aquifers," as mentioned in the legislation.

The language of the legislation would cause delays in pending solid waste applications and in business growth opportunities for as long as nine months, while terminology would have been developed to define "aquifers" as described in the legislation, according to the governor.


DEP Official
Robert Isner, DEP's director of waste engineering and enforcement, said, "We're in the process of assessing the language" of the legislation to gauge what effect the new law will have the DEP's review of applicable solid waste applications.

"We will have to determine and interpret the proper implementation of the legislation," Mr Isner said.

"We're reviewing the public act…It's certainly a new issue that needs to be assessed," he said.

The requirement for affected solid waste applicants to provide additional information on their proposals is both substantive and procedural, he said.

The need for additional information most likely would protract the DEP's review of the Housatonic Railroad's solid waste expansion proposal.

Rob Sibley, town director of planning and land use, said that the additional land use review of solid waste handling applications that would be required by the new law is "welcome."

Mr Sibley said its is unclear whether the new state law would have any effect on the local wetlands review of the project.

Through the legislation, Rep Lyddy and Sen McKinney sought to increase the standards for the review of projects in environmentally sensitive areas, Mr Sibley said. "I'm pleased that we have another layer of review," Mr Sibley said.

Edward Rodriguez, the railroad's vice president and general counsel, said the new legislation will make the DEP's environmental review of such projects more difficult.

"I'm disappointed," Mr Rodriguez said of the General Assembly's override of the governor's veto.

Mr Rodriguez said that the solid waste legislation was positioned as an amendment to a popular piece of legislation pertaining to Long Island Sound. The solid waste aspects of that legislation amounted to a "bad amendment," he said.

"We're still reviewing it," Mr Rodriguez said of the railroad's study of the new law on solid waste handling. He said he does not know the ultimate effect of the solid waste legislation.

He added he does not know what steps the railroad would take, if any, in terms of the new law, adding that other solid waste firms also would be affected by the legislation.

Mr Rodriguez said the railroad has not fully analyzed or evaluated the new law's effects on its solid waste application that is pending before the DEP. He said he does not expect that the new law creates an insurmountable obstacle for the railroad's project.

The legislative amendment that addressed solid waste handling was an inappropriate measure because it singled out the railroad for adverse special treatment, he said. The new law interferes with DEP's functioning, he added.


More Information
In a June 14 letter to Colin Pease, the railroad's vice president for special projects, Calin Tanovici, a DEP sanitary engineer, explains that the DEP needs more information to adequately review the railroad's proposed expansion of its solid waste handling at the rail terminal.

Mr Tanovici requests additional information concerning: the handling of solid waste that contains asbestos; the sources of the waste handled at the terminal; on-site waste processing and waste storage; the days and hours of operation; the waste processing equipment that would be used; the regulation of the railroad's handling of construction/demolition debris; a concise description of the railroad's waste handling activities; the need to revise technical drawings; earthen filling that has occurred on the northern end of the railroad property; natural diversity issues; stormwater discharges from the site; wastewater discharges from the site; the effects of proposed construction on nearby wetlands, and the proximity of existing waste handling activity to nearby wetlands, among various other issues.

Mr Rodriguez said the railroad will be responding to the DEP's request for more information on the solid waste proposal. It is the DEP's role to gather information about permit applications, he said.
















Rep. Lyddy Meets with White House Officials, Members of Congress in Washington

Christopher Lyddy, State Representative from Newtown, met with White House officials and members of Congress, and shared ideas with over 200 other young, progressive elected officials at this month’s convening of the national Young Elected Officials Network in Washington, DC.

Lyddy and fellow Young Elected Officials (YEO) Network members were briefed on national issues by White House staff members including Michael Strautmanis, Chief of Staff to Obama’s advisor Valerie Jarrett; Brian Deese, Special Assistant to the President for Economic Policy, Celia Munoz, Deputy Assistant to the President and Director of Economic Affairs; and Brian Bond, Deputy Director of the Office of Public Engagement; and by House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers, Jr.

They also shared policy ideas, leadership strategies, and best practices with each other, and participated in three days of conferences ranging from discussions about health care implementation in the states to forums on re-thinking the public education system.

“Working with some of the most innovative and courageous young elected officials from across the country was a great experience,” said Lyddy. “I was energized by this convening and have never felt more ambitious and committed to ensuring our community continues to be represented with the passion, dignity, and competence that Newtown deserves.”

Representative Lyddy, 27, was elected to the Connecticut General Assembly in 2008. Prior to his post as a State Representative, Lyddy was elected to Newtown’s Legislative Council at the age of 24. At the convening, he shared with other elected officials best practices for education reform, juvenile justice, and community development.

“It was truly inspiring to meet with all of these motivated and innovative elected officials and to take our ideas and concerns as young, progressive leaders to the White House,” said Andrew Gillum, Tallahassee City Commissioner and executive director of the YEO Network, “Each of us works every day to make our communities safer, fairer, and more prosperous. By gathering to share ideas, we can empower each other to excel in our careers in public service and to bring positive change to communities across the country.”

The YEO Network was founded by People For the American Way Foundation in 2006 to unite and support young progressive leaders dedicated to building communities that reflect values of freedom, fairness and opportunity, with the goal of producing an enduring pipeline of well-prepared national and world class leaders. The network now includes over 550 progressive local, state and federal officials from all 50 states. Most are at the start of their political careers; 89 percent are interested in running for higher office in the future.

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LYDDY MARKS UNANIMOUS HOUSE PASSAGE OF CELL TOWER BILL
Aims To Rein In CT Siting Council
May 21, 2010

State Representative Christopher Lyddy (D-Newtown) has sponsored a bill that places restrictions on the siting of new telecommunications towers and penalizes telecommunications providers who submit deceptive applications. The bill passed the House of Representatives unanimously.

“The Connecticut Siting Council has been approving more than 90 percent of cell tower applications for too long,” said Rep. Lyddy. “A unanimous, bi-partisan vote sends a powerful message to the Siting Council. We must ensure a fair process and give much more consideration to new technologies that minimize impacts to neighborhoods, the environment and scenic landscapes.”

In addition to mandating that the Siting Council consider alternative technologies instead of cell towers, the bill also empowers the Siting Council to punish telecommunications companies that submit deceptive applications in order to give that money to opponents for payment of legal fees. The bill also requires the council to consider public health and safety issues and to give priority to regional plans suggested by towns. Additionally, the bill forbids the placement of towers within 750 feet of schools or day care centers unless no other safe site is available.

The Connecticut Siting Council was first established in 1972 and had jurisdiction over the siting of power facilities and transmission lines as well as hazardous waste facilities. The Council’s jurisdiction has since been extended to include various other forms of infrastructure including telecommunications sites. The bill now moves onto the Connecticut Senate.








LYDDY SUPPORTS GOVERNOR’S BUDGET AGREEMENT - NO NEW TAXES
May 5, 2010

State Representative Chris Lyddy (D-Newtown), along with fellow legislators reached an agreement with Governor M. Jodi Rell that balances the state budget through fiscal year 2011 with no tax increases, no cuts in municipal aid or education funding, and a decrease for most residents’ electric bills by an average of $60 a year.

The plan, approved by the State Legislature today, and prior to the constitutional adjournment date of May 5, includes $170 million in spending cuts across a host of state agencies and hundreds of millions of dollars in savings from a shorter term and lower interest rate on the issuance of $956 million in Economic Recovery Bonds (ERBs).

“No tax increases and no cuts to town aid in a balanced responsible budget can come at no better time and a break on electric bills is a winning equation for state and local taxpayers,” Rep. Lyddy said.  “In the face of this economic crisis, the Democrats and the Governor came together on behalf of all residents to balance our state budget with a combination of responsible cuts and the preservation of important services such as education and local town aid.”

The ERBs have an eight year term at a low interest rate of 3% and will be paid off using a small portion (one third) of two current charges on electric bills. As part of the budget, customers will see one of the charges reduced by over 60%. The net result for most electric customers will be a savings of about $5 per month. As the economy continues to recover and revenues grow, the ERBs can be paid off earlier.

“What we did with the Economic Recovery Bonds was to help reduce the budget deficit while protecting residents from utility companies who didn’t want to pass on new found savings to their customers,” Rep. Lyddy said. “In addition we created a new Green Loan Fund that reinforces our commitment to creating green jobs and energy efficiency.”

In addition, families caring for an elderly person at home now have an alternative to entering a much more expensive nursing home setting. Seniors will see a cost reduction of up to $300 per month for certain home care services that will save taxpayers millions of dollars over the long term. AARP has endorsed the Home Care Program.







LYDDY MARKS PASSAGE OF COMPREHENSIVE JOBS BILL
May 1, 2010

State Representative Christopher Lyddy (D-Newtown) voted Saturday to approve a comprehensive jobs bill, called a top priority of the General Assembly session – the proposed Act Concerning the Recommendations of the Majority Leaders’ Job Growth Roundtable (HB 5435). The Senate subsequently passed the bill and it is now with the Governor awaiting her signature.

“Connecticut has lost more than 101,000 jobs since the recession began in 2008- six percent of the state’s total workforce,” said Lyddy. “To recover economically we must be proactive and create jobs. It has to happen now.”

Lyddy said that for the past 20 years the state has been last in the nation in job creation.

“Too many good jobs have been lost to other states. We have to encourage business innovation and attract high-tech jobs to Connecticut,” he said.

Among other things, the bill attempts to help small businesses get access to capital by creating a small loan pool. It also provides opportunities for training and rehiring of the recently unemployed.

The immediate goal of the legislation is to jump-start job creation, while laying a foundation for long-term economic growth. Incentives for entrepreneurship and innovation, infrastructure, and education are all contained in the bill.

“We need to help get people into new jobs, especially those who have been out of work for many months. We also need to attract businesses that will create stable high wage jobs,” he said. “I am encouraged hearing news about a high-tech business looking at the old Pitney Bowes facility. This would be a huge win for Newtown, upwards of $52 million invested in the facility for 300 highly skilled employees making around $100,000 per year. That’s job growth for Newtown!”

The Job Growth Roundtable’s recommendations include:

Investment in all stages of business growth
Assistance to Connecticut businesses in exporting
Loans and tax incentives targeted specifically at small businesses
Under the jobs bill, a student loan forgiveness program would be created for green technology, life science and health information technology. Students obtaining two-year or four-year degrees meeting certain requirements would qualify for up to $10,000 in loan forgiveness for their education and subsequent employment in the designated fields.

In addition, an Angel Investor Tax Credits program would be created under the bill. A tax credit equal to 25 percent of an investment would be allowed for investments up to $125,000. Funding for this program would come from the redirection of the Insurance Reinvestment Fund tax credits, which are valued at $200 million.

Details of the report on the Majority Leaders’ Job Growth Roundtable initiative can be found at www.housedems.ct.gov/jobgrowth.







REP. LYDDY MARKS HOUSE PASSAGE OF SPECIAL EDUCATION BILL
April 28, 2010

The House of Representatives approved legislation to change special education laws and the credentialing of personnel who provide applied behavior analysis (ABA) services. Sponsored by State Representative Christopher Lyddy (D-Newtown), the bill previously approved by the Education Committee will now be discussed by the state senate. 

HB 5425 requires boards of education to provide credentialed personnel to perform applied behavior analysis (ABA) services to certain special education students. “Students ought to have the support of trained, certified individuals consistent with the requirements currently in place for speech and language, occupational and physical therapists,” said Lyddy. “Providing ABA services to children with Autism is a complicated and highly skilled therapy.”

“School districts need clear direction from the State on professional qualifications necessary to work with children at the public expense,” said Suzanne Letso of Newtown and the  Connecticut Center for Child Development, Inc. “Hiring people who are not qualified puts school districts at risk for legal action,” she said.

State Representative Andy Fleischmann (D-West Hartford), House Chairman of the legislature’s Education Committee, noted that Lyddy has been a tireless advocate for children on the autism spectrum, “Chris has been a real leader on this issue. He has kept up the pressure all year to make sure that students are provided with the services they need - Newtown’s children are lucky to have Chris fighting for them in Hartford.â€







REP. LYDDY MARKS PASSAGE OF SERVICE MEMBER VOTING BILL
April 22, 2010

State Representative Christopher Lyddy (D - Newtown) hailed House passage of legislation that provides voting accommodations for Connecticut armed servicemen and women and residents living overseas.

The legislation (HB 5442), sponsored by Rep. Lyddy, gives members of the armed services the ability to receive absentee ballot applications and absentee ballots from municipal clerks electronically.

“Opening up the voting process for our troops overseas brings them one step closer to home,” said Lyddy. “If they’re fighting for democracy, allow them to participate.”

The bill awaits action by the State Senate. The legislation would become effective upon the Governor’s signature.







CHRIS LYDDY VOTES TO REDUCE HUNTING, FISHING AND CAMPING FEES
April 15, 2010

State Representative Chris Lyddy (D-Newtown) hailed house passage of legislation that will roll back the 100% increase on state park fees, camping and hunting and fishing licenses. The timely provision in the 2010 deficit mitigation bill reduces the increase by 65% and will go into effect in time for the start of Connecticut’s fishing season. The $480 million package of cuts and adjustments received bipartisan support and passed both the House and Senate.

“This is a victory for Connecticut sportsmen and sportswomen,” Rep. Lyddy said. “To double the fees last year for camping, hunting and fishing licenses was a burden on people and I have been working to push down these costs.”

The 2010 deficit mitigation legislation avoided the drastic cuts proposed earlier by the governor – including $9 million to town aid and programs for small businesses, manufacturing, low-income health care, and seniors as well blocking a controversial new hospital tax – opting instead for a package of responsible cuts spread across state agencies that would not hurt Connecticut’s economic recovery and would not cut funding for cities and towns.

“We worked very hard over many months to get rid of the deficit and protect jobs and local funding without raising taxes,” said Lyddy. “We worked together with Governor Rell to come up with a package of responsible cuts and stood firm, protecting vital programs that will spur economic growth.”

The package included the provision that will reduce last year’s increase on state park fees and hunting and fishing licenses. Increased Department of Motor Vehicle (DMV) fines for violators, such as the minimum fine for speeding increasing from $35 to $50, will cover the cost. This change would go into effect immediately - upon the governor’s signature.


 

Campaign Announcement

It is with great excitement that I announce my decision to run for re-election to the Connecticut General Assembly. I am eager to continue my service as Newtown's State Representative and am energized by the work I have been able to accomplish this past year.

As Americans, we are constantly reminded of President Kennedy's inauguration speech when he enthusiastically proclaimed that the torch had been passed to a new generation of Americans. I have decided to seek re-election because I am determined to keep  that torch lit and fight for Newtown and the people of this great state.

Certainly, this past year has been a roller coaster for many of us. We have experienced one of the worst economic storms in over 70 years; a storm that has left children, families, and communities in dire straits. As a legislator, I listened to the outcry for support, learned about the wide range of situations facing our children and families, and led the charge with my colleagues from both sides of the aisle to address many of these issues.

I received thousands of e-mails and hundreds of letters and phone calls at my Hartford office asking to support the financial and social well-being of our communities. I am proud that I fought to protect your religious liberties, championed a bill to protect the health and safety of teachers, students, and school staff by improving indoor air quality standards, and introduced a bill that increases access to treatment for patients with Lyme disease. Teaming up with people from our community, other legislators and people from across the United States, I worked cooperatively, imaginatively, and purposefully to improve the lives of the citizens in Connecticut; ensuring we passed legislation that supports jobs, public health, education, energy efficiency, military families, and the environment. 

Despite the great work that was accomplished in the last year, there is still much that needs to be done. Newtown needs and deserves a representative who is in-touch with our community, one who is committed long-term to the fiscal and social vibrancy of our families, and someone who will continue to work day and night to ensure that our great democracy is working for the people.

When all is said and done, this campaign is about people. It's about the friends and families here in our community. It is about the place we call home and the place many of us have grown up.  This campaign is about ensuring that we continue, with hope and determination, on the road to economic recovery and stability in our homes and communities.

Thank you for the opportunity to serve you in the Connecticut General Assembly. I look forward to two more years of dedicated service.


News and Press Releases
Campaign 2010— Former Choir Mates Facing Off To Represent Newtown In Hartford
John Voket, The Newtown Bee
Thursday, July 1, 2010


As high school classmates, Newtown legislative candidate Christopher LaRocque said he used to stand beside Chris Lyddy during choir practice. But as summer 2010 kicks off a heated campaign season for the 106th District Assembly seat, pitting the formerly harmonious duo against each other, incumbent Democrat Rep Lyddy and his GOP challenger appear to be reading from two fundamentally different arrangements.

Mr LaRocque said he wants to go to Hartford to help benefit Newtown taxpayers and citizens by working to effect a top-down overhaul of how the state manages its fiscal house.

The Republican challenger believes that by scrutinizing (and selectively shelving) mandates, controlling spending, and forcing state agencies to be more efficient, Newtowners will share in the advantage by facing stable or possibly lower property taxes in the future.

Rep Lyddy, on the other hand, notes that as a result of the economic disaster that faced the state and nation in recent years, even some constituents who were best equipped to ride the storm out have found themselves in financial straits to the extent they are leaning heavily on already overtaxed social services.

And as the difficulties and horror stories of individuals in his district mount, he has been motivated to find ways to maintain or enhance certain social programs while keeping an eye on the bottom line by working to minimize the tax burden required to pay for those services.

Like the incumbent legislator two years ago, Mr LaRocque was tapped to consider running for the 106th District seat in the middle of his first term as a member of Newtown's Legislative Council.

"I had no intention of running for state rep when I was elected to the council," Mr LaRocque said. "There was a tremendous amount of work to do in Newtown."

But as Mr LaRocque observed how benefits coming back to Newtown from Hartford began to lag further and further behind what he believed local taxpayers deserved considering the amount of tax dollars sent into state coffers, and the increasing local taxes required to supplement shortfalls in state aid, he became increasingly frustrated.

"I was tremendously frustrated by the level of spending at the state level and the support for that spending coming from Newtown's representative," Mr LaRocque said. "The cost of those actions ultimately hurt every taxpayer in Newtown."


Lax Fiscal Responsibility?

Mr LaRocque said if the majority of state legislators could not exercise the fiscal restraint to minimize or even temper the tax burden on residents, the least lawmakers could do was be more fiscally responsible about how they allocated tax dollar expenditures for state programs.

"If we can't be more careful and smart about spending our taxpayer dollars, we'll never have the kind of success with our social programs that Connecticut and Newtown residents really need," Mr LaRocque said. "That means to best serve Newtown taxpayers, Connecticut's budget has to be my number one concern."

With an economics background and experience working as a federal consultant helping the Pentagon and various military agencies to improve operations while cutting costs, Mr LaRocque feels he has the wherewithal to contribute to effecting improvements in state budgetary and spending practices. This while keeping his two feet firmly planted in Newtown, and maintaining a very personal relationship with local constituents.

"What I did was offer contributions professionally that helped make our federal government and its military spending more efficient, while learning how financial systems and processes work in a segment of government notorious for overspending and waste," he said.

In his canvassing the community door-to-door, Mr LaRocque said the "number one thing people want me to do something about is increasing local property taxes.

"They believe they are getting fewer services while they see the state spending more and more," Mr LaRocque related. "They wonder why the state is going out to lunch every day while taxpayers are being forced to pack peanut butter sandwiches."

Since his consulting work with the federal government, the Republican challenger has worked in the capital development office at the University of Hartford, and most recently was recruited to work in a similar capacity with the Danbury Whalers professional hockey franchise.

Fashioning himself a fast learner, Mr LaRocque said in just a few short months serving on the local council he has already clearly seen how financial decisions made or supported in Hartford have put undeserved pressures on towns and cities, especially in the form of unfunded mandates.

On that issue, the GOP challenger took issue with the fact that Rep Lyddy previously campaigned to reduce unfunded mandates, but then voted against a bill, HB 5095, that contained an amendment that would require a two-thirds affirmative legislative vote to pass any future unfunded mandate.


Freshman Challenges

Rep Lyddy told The Bee that he could not support legislation that included the two-thirds vote to enforce unfunded mandates because the result would be fundamentally changing established government processes.

"If mandates are being discussed, we need to look at what that mandate hopes to achieve for constituents on a case-by-case basis," Rep Lyddy said. "Tagging it as an amendment did not provide the opportunity to focus on the possible negative outcomes to the extent it deserved. Passing that kind of sweeping change demands we take a long look at its possible impacts, and whether it could jeopardize towns and cities from doing what has to be done [in their individual municipal practices]."

On the other hand, Rep Lyddy agrees that he both campaigned and made good on promises to scrutinize unfunded mandates. "And I voted to pass a number of bills to reduce those mandates," he added, pointing most recently to legislation that will now permit local school districts to participate in or regionalize health care plans.

In regard to his participation in the past two years' state budget processes as a freshman lawmaker, Mr Lyddy paused and chose his words carefully.

"These budget challenges were not planned and were certainly unwanted," he said. "But the problems we are facing with our state budget [has to be viewed in the context of] the larger national and global economic landscape."


Facing Local Woes

Given the obvious and historic breakdowns in national and global economies, Mr Lyddy returned to the many individual issues facing his constituents here in Newtown.

"As the economic climate grew worse, I was getting more and more calls from local families looking for help with social services, health care, mortgage relief, even food stamps," Rep Lyddy said. As a result, the Democratic legislator with a professional background in social services said, "It became more and more important for me to protect the community services a growing number of Newtowners were depending on, many for the first time ever.

"And I was able to prevent harmful cuts to those constituent services while helping bring Connecticut back from an $8 billion deficit without instituting widespread tax increases," Rep Lyddy said.

Coming to Hartford with only half a term on the local council to his credit, Newtown's new lawmaker was immediately "disheartened by the partisan bickering" he witnessed, especially throughout the latest contentious state budget process.

"The governor presented us with four different budgets, the first of which was $2 billion out of whack," Rep Lyddy said. "But once we had agreement politically on what the state deficit actually looked like, we were able to move a final state budget forward."

Rep Lyddy credited Governor M Jodi Rell with at least philosophically agreeing to support added taxation on Connecticut families making more than $1 million annually, and the political compromises he and fellow Democrats made to cut programs while "ensuring the most vital and important social and community services were protected."

If reelected in November, Rep Lyddy said he will return to Hartford ready to "drill into" the structural and long-term issues that have negatively impacted taxpayers statewide. Top among those issues is examining the state employee pension plan.

"Currently, we are facing one of the highest unfunded state pensions in the entire nation," Rep Lyddy said. "Maybe it's time we looked at reevaluation what we are giving to state retirees. And if we determine it is not fair, I will look at finding a better way."

Profile: Chris Lyddy, Incumbent, State Representative, 106th District
State Representative Chris Lyddy seeks second term
By Hoa Nguyen - Newtown Patch
July 5, 2010    

Chris Lyddy was a sophomore at Salve Regina University and had just completed an internship at the state capitol offices in Hartford when he began to formulate the idea of someday combining politics with social work.

So when an opening came up with the 2008 retirement of Rep. Julia Wasserman (R-Newtown), Lyddy decided this would be a good chance to make that happen.

"It seemed like a stretch at the time," said Lyddy, who went on to defeat Republican Will Rodgers, for the 106th District seat. "Ever since then, I've never looked back."

Lyddy is now running for a second term, and being challenged by Republican Chris LaRocque, a first-term Legislative Council member.

Lyddy said that in his first term as a state representative, he has proven to be effective, helping to pass a number of bills and advocate on behalf of Newtown.

"I've proven myself that I can take issues and work with Republicans and get the job done," he said.

A native of Newtown, Lyddy grew up with four siblings. He was the only one of the four to attend Newtown public schools for his entire childhood from kindergarten through high school before heading off to Salve Regina, a Catholic college in Newport, Rhode Island.

His father, who died in 2006 of cancer, and their Catholic faith impressed upon Lyddy the importance of "service to others," which was one of the reasons Lyddy gravitated toward social work early on, he said.

After suffering injuries that sidelined his high school sports career, he began volunteering with what is now Newtown Youth and Family Services, and through that experience began to look seriously into being a social worker.

"I loved my ability to impact other people's lives," Lyddy said. "I fell in love with the field. It tied very much into my faith."

Lyddy, who went on to receive a master's degree in social work from the University of Pennsylvania and now works as program director for Hartford-based Youth Equipped for Success, said that social work and politics have proven to be a good mix for him.

"People's lives should impact and influence policy," Lyddy said. "There's a feedback loop that we have to recognize."

Among the bills of which he has helped introduced and been most proud of, Lyddy said, has been the one allowing the long-term dispensement of antibiotic treatment for Lyme disease patients.

Another upgraded the credentialing requirements of certain special education personnel, including those who serve autistic children, and a third enacted a series of education reforms, including increasing high school graduation requirements, Lyddy said.

He also played a role in helping to introduce legislation designed to slow the expansion of the Housatonic Railroad Co.'s solid waste transfer station in Hawleyville and asking the Department of Public Health to intervene in a dispute between Newtown land use officials and United Water Co. regarding a water line expansion project.

"I worked across the aisle on many of these legislation," he said. "Have I achieved everything I want? Absolutely not."

LaRocque has criticized Lyddy for not being mindful of fiscal matters, and merely going along with the Democratic-controlled state legislature in many instances.

"He's voted for a majority all but a handful of times even on things that he knows aren't in the best interest of our community," LaRocque said of Lyddy.

Lyddy disputed that characterization, saying that Newtown is always on his mind, and while he may not be directly in charge of negotiating the state budget, he is making sure Newtown's interests are being heard during those negotiations.

"My mantra has been how do I best represent Newtown," Lyddy said.

Jim Gaston, a fellow Democrat, member of the town Board of Finance and warden of the Borough of Newtown, said Lyddy has been a champion of Newtown at the state level and proven to be responsive to the needs of its residents during his first term in office.

"Chris is at the forefront right at the get-go," said Gaston, who also serves on the Board of Governors and House of Delegates for the Connecticut Bar Association, which puts him in contact with state legislators.

Gaston, who, as the borough warden, was involved in the United Water controversy over whether there was enough capacity in the Newtown aquifer to extend water service to a part of Brookfield, said when he contacted Lyddy about the issue, Lyddy was able to get in touch with officials at the Department of Public Health immediately and ask them to intervene.

"I don't compliment representatives or senators lightly," Gaston said. "I'm just so impressed with Chris Lyddy. In all my years, I haven't seen anyone as respected and effective in such a short period of time. He really has the command and respect up there and is getting things done."


Lyddy Responds: Opponent is Tone Deaf to Newtown's Needs

July 7, 2010 – NEWTOWN, State Rep Chris Lyddy responded today to recent statements from his opponent saying, "These statements reflect that my opponent is tone deaf, not only to Newtown's needs, but to how things work in Hartford. We need someone who is tune with Newtown voters representing us in Hartford."

Specifically, Lyddy referenced 5 points raised by his opponent:

1. Municipal Mandates: Two years ago Lyddy campaigned to reduce mandates on towns. This past session, Lyddy co-sponsored a municipal mandate relief bill, eliminating 4 unfunded mandates to towns like Newtown. HB 5255 eliminates the mandates of: requiring towns to pay for storage of items left behind on foreclosed properties, requiring towns to pay for moving such items, requiring towns to post minutes on-line, and limits the scope of a law under which certain telecommunications companies pay property taxes on their personal property at a statewide mill rate. This bill was a strong first step in reducing unfunded mandates.

2. Money to Newtown: While his opponent claims that Newtown saw a reduction in town aid, Rep Lyddy was proud to vote for a budget that protected aid to towns and cities. Unlike Republican proposals, Rep Lyddy knew the importance of maintaining aid to towns in these difficult economic times and fought to ensure we received level funding.

3. Tax burden: Unlike his opponent, Rep Lyddy voted for a budget that raised taxes for less than 1% of Newtown while protecting funding to schools and towns. His opponent, in one budget season on the council, voted for a budget that raises property taxes for all of Newtown, while cutting jobs in schools and decreasing planned road improvements.

4. Property taxes: Rep Lyddy is proud to have co-sponsored legislation like the prescription pooling bill that helps towns be less reliant on property taxes. His opponent says he wants to go to Hartford to lower the property taxes in Newtown, despite just having voted to raise them locally.

5. HB 5095: Rep Lyddy's opponent states that he voted against this bill, which is a complete mistruth. In fact, Rep Lyddy voted for this deficit mitigation bill because while it cut millions of dollars from the state budget, it protected town aid and saved critical services. Rep Lyddy did vote against an amendment to this bill which would have required a two-thirds majority to pass bills with any mandate on towns. Anyone familiar with the legislative process in Hartford knows that this is a change in the rules that govern the House and the Senate.  Citing the fact that the legislature votes on these rules at the beginning of each session, Lyddy emphasized the importance of not changing the rules part-way through the process.

"My opponent has clearly demonstrated that he's not in tune with the legislative process, he's not in tune with Hartford, and he's not in tune with Newtown. Quite frankly, he doesn't even seem to know what song he's singing anymore, as he is consistently saying one thing and doing another," said Lyddy. "We need someone fighting on the frontlines for Newtown, someone engaged in our community and experienced in Hartford. For 2 years I've worked to protect seniors, advocate for families and fight for education, and that's what I'll continue to do for Newtown."






Ferguson, Lyddy Match-up Gets Rolling
Hoa Nguyen, Newtown Patch

September 28, 2010

The last time George Ferguson and Chris Lyddy faced each other in an election was three years ago when the two ran for a District 1 Legislative Council seat.

Lyddy was the top vote getter, which got him on the council, while Ferguson garnered only about 70-percent of Lyddy's returns, not enough to get him a seat.

The two now face each other head-to-head as Ferguson, a Republican, is challenging Lyddy, a Democrat, for the 106th District state House of Representative seat Lyddy won in 2008.

It's considered an uphill battle particularly because Ferguson only received the Republican nod earlier this month after fellow party member and former Legislative Council member Chris LaRocque abruptly quit his challenge of Lyddy amid an investigation into straw contributions LaRocque submitted in seeking public financing funds.

"Certainly he's going to have to do something differently," Lyddy said of Ferguson. "He started a little late in the game."

Ferguson said he is undeterred, and doesn't consider it a late start because most campaigns traditionally get going only after Labor Day, and he was at the town parade along with the other politicians running for elected office.

"You will find I can be a formidable player," he said.

Ferguson said shortly after he announced his candidacy in 2007 for the Legislative Council, his mother fell ill, and so he kept his time in that race to a bare minimum, attending only major election forums and doing no door-to-door campaign. His parents have since died.

With more time on his hands – he owns a consulting business with staff to run the operation – Ferguson said he is ready to devote more time to campaigning.

He and fellow Republicans, state Rep. DebraLee Hovey, who represents the 112th District of Monroe and Newtown, recently received the endorsement of the Independent Party of the State of Connecticut, which said its general platform stresses individual freedom, a free market economy, lower taxes and less government regulation among other topics.

Michele Mount, of Monroe, is challenging Hovey.

Ferguson said he has formed a team of volunteers and is working on developing a campaign schedule to meet residents and discuss issues and his candidacy. He and other Republicans have been critical of the Democratic-controlled General Assembly, particularly its handling of budget and fiscal matters.

"We are moving ahead," Ferguson said of the campaign.

Meanwhile Lyddy, who works as a program director for Hartford-based Youth Equipped for Success, said that much of the time he spends outside of work and General Assembly duties is devoted to campaigning.

"It's going to be a positive race," said Lyddy, who plans on highlighting his legislative accomplishments, such as helping to introduce and pass education-related bills and supporting the town, including his role in getting state regulators to step in when the town sparred with United Water over a waterline extension project.

"My message stays the same," Lyddy said. "I'm going full force. I'm acting as if (Ferguson) was in the campaign all along."










Chris Lyddy recognized for Service to Education

Eliza Hallabeck, The Newtown Bee

August 24, 2010

The Connecticut Coalition for Achievement Now (ConnCAN) presented Newtown 106th District Representative Christopher Lyddy with its first annual "Tip of the Cap" award during a ceremony held at Hawley Elementary School on Tuesday, August 24.
 
"Rep Lyddy really went to bat for public education reform during the last legislative session," said ConnCAN CEO Alex Johnston. Adding later he said, "We have been very impressed with his work as a freshman in the House."

A group gathered in Hawley's multipurpose room to see Mr Johnston present Rep Lyddy with the award, and hear both the state representative and superintendent of schools speak.

"This was a successful year where several education reforms become law. I've very proud to be recognized as just one among many who share the success of our hard work," said Rep Lyddy. "From lowering the achievement gap and strengthening high school graduation requirements, to special education reforms and certification of Applied Behavioral Analysis therapists in schools, this has been a good year. I thank everyone who helped to turn these ideas into law."

Dr Robinson gave an introductory speech for the ceremony, and said Rep Lyddy always calls her back quickly when she needs him. She welcomed all to Hawley for, and said Rep Lyddy honors Newtown by receiving the award.

"I think one of the reasons we created this award," said Mr Johnston, "is when it comes time to make policies in Hartford, actually doing the things that are required to ensure that we do have great public schools for every child, are actually a lot harder than it might seem."

Changing policies at the state level is the way to ensure great schools thrive across the state, according to Mr Johnston.

"We have some communities with outstanding public schools, were kids have the world open to them," said Mr Johnston. "Just by the virtue of going through a (kindergarten through 12th grade system) they can get out and go on to do whatever their full potential was. Yet we have other communities where that really isn't the case, and it is so easy for us to forget about that."

Every community has adversity, Mr Johnston said, and through the work of multiple legislators, the concept of grade schools for all was tackled head on.

The past year was a big year for education legislation, according to Mr Johnston, and Rep Lyddy was one of the legislators who worked during critical moments to make those changes.

"It gives me very great pleasure to recognize (Rep Lyddy) for his leadership in this past legislative session," said Mr Johnston, before presenting Rep Lyddy with ConnCAN's Tip of the Hat award.

Rep Lyddy thanked Mr Johnston and everyone working with ConnCAN for their efforts in the field of education during a brief speech during the presentation. He also thanked Dr Robinson for her leadership in Newtown.

"Working with all these people from across the state of Connecticut has been an absolutely incredible experience," said the self proclaimed "proud graduate" of Hawley. "I have been so proud, not of the work that I have been able to accomplish, not of the work that my colleagues have been able to accomplish, but more importantly the work that teachers at the local level are doing."

Newtown has a long standing mission to inspire children to learn, he said, and it is part of Newtown's responsibility, along with other communities, he said, to help promote a high level of education across the state.

ConnCAN, Rep Lyddy said, has been an incredible advocate for public education.

"I just want to thank ConnCAN for their work," said Rep Lyddy.

According to ConnCAN, the organization was founded in January 2005 by education entrepreneurs from across the state who shared a common fundamental belief that closing the achievement gap requires not only innovative education models, but also issue–based advocacy that secures systemic change.
ConnCAN has offices in New Haven and Hartford and is hailed as one of the nation's leading state-level education reform organizations.

For more information on ConnCAN go to www.conncan.org.

Click here to view the Newtown Bee’s You Tube video of the ceremony.









Lyddy Responds to SEEC Ruling

August 18, 2010, NEWTOWN – At their August 18 meeting, the State Elections Enforcement Commission (SEEC) denied the public financing grant application of candidate Chris LaRocque with prejudice, meaning he cannot reapply to receive funds for his campaign.

The ruling comes as a result of the complaint filed by State Representative Christopher Lyddy’s campaign manager, Sarah Hemingway.  Last Monday, Hemingway filed a complaint with SEEC asserting that Mr. LaRocque had engaged in campaign fraud. 

“It is deceitful.  It is disappointing.  It is fraud.  It is exactly what we don’t need in Hartford,” said Hemingway.  “Newtown deserves better.”

Hemingway’s complaint highlighted 3 cases of fraud.  At this morning’s meeting it was noted that the SEEC investigation uncovered at least 18 fraudulent contributions, over 10% of Mr. LaRocque’s donations.  In order to meet the threshold and qualify for public financing, candidates must raise at least $5,000, and have 150 donors from within their district towns.

“I thank the dedicated staff at SEEC for their diligence in this investigation,” said Lyddy.  “I am disappointed with my opponent’s decisions and actions so far in this campaign.  As I’ve said from the beginning, this campaign is about people, the people in Newtown, and ensuring they have the best representation possible in Hartford.  I look forward to continuing to talk with Newtown voters about the important issues facing our community and the state of Connecticut.”

LaRocque’s is the first grant of the 2010 election season to be denied.