This is a printer-friendly version of an article from Zip06.com.
01/21/2019 11:00 PMDemocrat James Albis ended his eight years as state representative for East Haven’s 99th Assembly District on Jan. 18, accepting a position as senior advisor to incoming of Department of Energy & Environmental Protection Commissioner Katie Dykes. Republican Joseph Zullo and Democrat Josh Balter quickly declared their intention to seek the open seat, which goes to election on Tuesday, Feb. 26.
Zullo, the current town attorney, was nominated as the Republican candidate for the position on Jan. 11.
“I want to be a voice for our community,” Zullo said. “I know that I’ll be a passionate and enthusiastic fighter for our town and I’ll be a bipartisan advocate for our state.”
Zullo said that his campaign is concerned with “having an honest discussion about minimum wage” and tackling the opioid crisis in a more direct way.
“One of my key concerns is that if we’re going to raise [the minimum wage,] we’re going to have to find a way to address the fact that raising it is going to disqualify some people from the aid they’re going to receive,” he said.
On Jan. 18, town Democrats nominated Josh Balter, a lawyer and a 2018 11th State Senate District primary candidate who worked on Albis’s successful 2018 campaign.
“I really believe in James [Albis] and I believe that I can expand on the great things [Albis] has done,” Balter said. “East Haven needs a leader that works for them and not special interests.”
Balter also said he wants to increase the minimum wage to ease the burden on residents supported by rent and food assistance.
“I want to legalize marijuana and tax the heck out of it. I’m for tolls, but only if we take away the gas tax because I want to decrease the burden on East Haven residents…where we can make more money from out-of-state” drivers, Balter said.
Albis’s Plans
“I will be focusing on policy development for the agency and implementing special projects,” Albis said. “I want to take the lessons I’ve learned in East Haven and apply them to the entire state.”
His position will cover a wide range of issues within the department as well as liaising with other state departments to work on these projects.
“We have great opportunities now with the fact that renewable energy is becoming more cost effective and accessible for folks. We should be latching onto that and making sure that we’re creating Connecticut jobs around the renewable energy industry,” Albis said.
Albis was offered the job by Governor Ned Lamont in early January.
“I’ve had a great deal of experience and interest in environmental policy. I think Governor Lamont saw that, recognized that I’ve had some bipartisan successes,” Albis said.
When he took office in 2011, he didn’t know much about environmental policy, he said, but after Tropical Storm Irene and seeing the effect it had on East Haven, Albis took new interest in the subject. In 2016, Albis earned a graduate degree in environmental management from the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies.
“I became really intrigued with how do we become better prepared as a state for the impacts of severe weather events and climate change,” Albis said.
He chaired the bipartisan Shoreline Preservation Task Force to provide recommendations to the state legislature regarding coastal environmental policy, many of which were made into law.
“I’m sad to be leaving the legislature…It was the honor of my life to represent the people of the town I grew up in, but this is also a really exciting opportunity for me to use my advanced degree and make positive change for people across the state,” Albis said. “I’m looking forward to that challenge.
The special election to fill Albis’s vacated seat will be held on Tuesday, Feb. 26 from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. at all normal polling places.
Absentee ballots will become available on Friday, Jan. 25 and will be available until Tuesday, Feb. 19, which is also the last day residents will be allowed to register to vote in the election.