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10/12/2022 09:00 AMTwo-term incumbent Democrat Robin Comey is running for reelection as Branford's 102nd district state representative. She’s also endorsed by Connecticut Working Families Party. On Tuesday, Nov. 8, Comey will be challenged by Republican candidate Ray Ingraham.
Prior to winning two consecutive terms in Hartford, Comey was elected to Branford’s Representative Town Meeting (District 3) in 2017. A past executive director of non-profit Branford Early Education Collaborative, Comey also helped establish non-profit Food Allergy Education Network. She’s served with numerous community health, education, and civic organizations and is a small business owner with her husband, David Steinman. They’ve lived in Branford for 30 years and have two children.
Comey said staying connected with her community is key to “delivering for Branford.”
“Over the past four years, I’ve been listening intently to Branford residents,” Comey said. “Knowing who I represent, developing the personal relationships with people from different backgrounds and with varying life experiences, gives me a window into how I can make their lives better, and pass policies that do that.”
She’s also honored to have the trust of those reaching out to her for constituent services during the past two terms, including those seeking her help during the pandemic.
“I think they know that I'm committed to working within my authority to directly advocate for them and to be solution-oriented. The best part, and the key part of this job, is to make those connections, to be a bridge as an ally for them, and to advocate to the state on their behalf.”
As a lawmaker this past term, Comey noted she helped pass the largest tax relief in state history and pay down state pension debt. She also worked to preserve voting rights, reproductive freedom, and common-sense gun laws. She supported creating a child tax credit, property tax credit, and a phase-out of income tax on most pensions. She helped lead investments in children’s mental health wellness, early childhood education and childcare, and leverage more education dollars to better support teachers and schools. She championed protecting the environment and open space.
This term, Comey’s support of public and fire services included $5 million for a car theft task force, $5 million for a task force to address illegal gun trade, co-sponsoring a bill reviving a program to pay volunteer fire companies $500 per call responses on limited access highways, and supporting $200,000 in increased funding for police training programs on mental health crisis interactions.
During her first term, Comey supported the 2020 Police Accountability bill; and said she felt then, as now, that Branford police department is exemplary in that it already had the foresight to have implemented important measures for community and officer safety which the law seeks to put in place in other departments around the state. With regard to its provision impacting some qualified immunity limitations for officers, Comey noted the law’s language is there to address only the very most “egregious” of actions.
During this term, working with a state budget surplus allowed Comey to support actions such as paying down an extra $3.6 billion toward state pension debt, which leads to “... saving taxpayer money further on down the line, over the next decade,” Comey said.
Comey also supports maintaining the state’s impressive rainy-day fund at the recommended 15 percent threshold, currently $3.3 billion.
“Our rainy-day reserve is the largest in the state’s history [and] that will allow us to weather any sort of unexpected pressures that we’re feeling — and across the country, certainly, with inflation.”
Comey also supported this term’s legislative work focused on making Connecticut more affordable.
“We zeroed out the gas tax. We created a $250 per child tax rebate. We’ve given pandemic pay for frontline employees, and we’ve also cut taxes for retirees and low-income workers by speeding up the exemption on the pension and annuities for many.”
Comey served as House Vice Chair, Insurance and Real Estate Committee, sat on the Education Committee, and served on the Committee on Children, which she said "...led the charge this year” in supporting “historic investments” addressing children’s mental health post-pandemic.
“The single most pressing issue that I think is facing my constituents is getting our kids the additional resources they need. We’ve seen rising rates of anxiety and depression among children, and it’s exacerbated long-standing strains on the whole behavioral health system.”
Comey said the investments have a continuum of short, middle and long-term policies and programs to support families, expand school services, staff and health centers, and support community direct-care programs.
“Of the work that I’ve done in the past 4 years, this is really a shining star of policies,” said Comey. “But we’re not done. We have to continue to look at this work [that’s] put in place, and ensure that the law is being implemented as intended, and is having the desired results.”
Regarding women’s reproductive rights, “...this past year, we’ve been really fighting for reproductive rights, and our state remains a safe haven for an individual’s right to choose. We set the standard in the nation on reproductive rights by bolstering and establishing protections for both those seeking abortions and those who provide such services.”
Comey advocates for investment in the public health system and the importance of preventative care.
“I want to continue to focus on investments in public health, focusing on preventable deaths [and] preventing deaths of despair. I’ve been fighting for the past several years for increased funding for our local health departments [and] we were successful.”
On the insurance committee, she’s apprised of progress within CT's Office of Health Strategy.The office is tasked with developing and implementing a comprehensive, cohesive CT health care vision, with the goal of developing a coordinated state health care cost containment strategy.
“There’s a lot of work to do. A big part of the problem is our underlying prices for drugs; and how we are seeing health system services grow into larger and larger monopolies. These trends are driving up health care costs, they’re reducing competition, they’re reducing consumer choice.”
Among her environmental efforts, Comey helped pass CT’s Clean Air Act, helping drivers move away from gas powered vehicles and into electric vehicles.
“Connecticut takes environmental stewardship seriously, and we’ve been leading by example.”
Comey wants to continue representing Branford during the challenging legislative work ahead.
“Our democracy is at stake. It’s being tested every day. The job I came into with the 2018 election is not the same environment that it is today,” said Comey. “The issues here in Connecticut are the same issues across the country. I’m really proud that in Connecticut we value things like the environment and access to women’s reproductive care, public education, and will continue to fight to make voting more accessible...I’m excited about getting back up to Hartford and getting back to work.”
The 2022 campaign to reelect Robin Comey can be followed at robincomey.com District 102 represents Branford, except for areas of Pine Orchard and Stony Creek. A debate between Comey and Ingraham is set to be aired Thursday, October 20, at 8 p.m. on BCTV.