Democratic two-term incumbent John-Michael Parker is seeking a third term as State Representative for the 101st House District. He’s also been endorsed by the Independent and Connecticut Working Families parties. On Tuesday, Nov. 8, Parker will be challenged by Republican candidate John Rasminas.

Parker grew up in Madison and is a graduate of Yale University where he earned a Bachelor’s degree in molecular, cellular, and developmental Biology. He has led nonprofit organizations in both Connecticut and New York City and currently serves as the Executive Director of Arts for Learning Connecticut, the state’s premiere arts in education organization, according to the candidate.

“It has been such a privilege to serve the last two years, especially at such an important time, as we navigated the pandemic and have worked on rebuilding our communities on the other side of that. I feel really proud of a lot of the work that we got done,” said Parker. “I think we passed a really strong budget, and I think we made important progress on a lot of big issues. And there is still a lot of work to be done. Having been able to serve, and building those relationships across the legislature and across state government and having been able to get some wins on some important issues, I feel really excited to keep moving forward. Especially in some places that I’ve had some leadership on, and on those issues that really matter to the community. I think in the context of national politics and policy what we do in Connecticut is as critical as ever, if not more so. I think it’s a really important time right now. I love this community, I love this job and I want to have a chance to keep serving if folks think I deserve that.”

According to Parker, the state has made important gains concerning its fiscal stability, and he pointed to several accomplishments that he was proud to contribute to.

“Ultimately, moving Connecticut forward in terms of fiscal responsibility, which I think we’ve really demonstrated over the last few years with our budget. Paying down on pension, debt, and filling the rainy-day fund,” said Parker. “As a legislator that has been able to have a part in state government these last two years, I think the single biggest accomplishment has been helping navigate through COVID-19 with what, I hope, was a strong pandemic response that kept people safe to the best extent we could and that nurtured our economy to the best extent we could.”

Other issues that Parker said he was able to tackle on the state level, and which are deeply important to both his potential future tenure and to constituents include addressing economic challenges, district funding, and health care challenges.

“Inflation is a really significant challenge, and in the context of our global economy there are a lot of issues that people are feeling from high energy costs to the grocery store, but we are being responsive, and I think the position we have set Connecticut up in is as strong as it could be. I think having a full rainy day to fund to handle what could be a coming recession and to start…paying down debt in advance and saving taxpayers money in the long run is a really important step to demonstrate,” said Parker. “Personally, I feel very proud of our ability to bring funding back to the district, about $5 million for projects across Madison and Durham. I am really proud of the work that I did on my Committees. On the Education Committee, helping pass a landmark mental health bill [and] really focusing on the mental health of young people. On the Public Health Committee, I was able to take some leadership in passing the legislature for the opioid crisis bill. So, we were able to enact some important policies that going to save some lives and set up further investment in one of the truly big pressing public health challenges we are facing.”

Parker said some of the issues he plans to focus on, should he be re-elected, include coastal resiliency, which the candidate said is extremely critical for his district, and to continue working on the “challenging economic picture” that the district is confronted with. According to Parker, continuing to work on reproductive rights will also be a priority for him, as well as further action on senior tax relief.

Parker said future priorities include further action on gun safety, citing the passage of Ethan’s Law, which mandates proper gun storage within certain criteria. According to Parker, protecting democracy by supporting absentee voting and early voting (which will be a state referendum ballot question in November) are also on his agenda.