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08/18/2020 02:00 PMState Representative Devin Carney, a Republican, Old Saybrook native, and Old Lyme resident, is running for his fourth two-year term representing the 23rd General Assembly District, which is made up of Lyme, Old Lyme, Old Saybrook, and Westbrook. His Democratic challenger is David Rubino of Old Lyme, a human rights attorney.
According to the press release announcing his endorsement by Republican delegates in the 23rd District, Carney is ranking member of the Transportation Bonding Subcommittee and serves on the legislative committees overseeing Transportation, Planning & Development, and Finance, Revenue, and Bonding. He was named a 2019 Environmental Champion by the League of Conservation Voters for his work supporting renewable energy, and received the Legislative Service Award from the Connecticut Counseling Association for his work on mental health issues and opioid addiction.
Carney serves on the board of the Katharine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center and is a member of the Old Saybrook Rotary Club, both the Lyme-Old Lyme and Old Saybrook Chambers of Commerce, and Grace Church in Old Saybrook. He is an alternate on the Old Lyme Zoning Board of Appeals.
Carney said he is “running again because Connecticut faces serious economic and social challenges due to COVID-19.
“I believe that my experience, knowledge, and leadership within the House will be an asset to guide us through this pandemic and its aftermath,” he said by email, and “to ensure our small towns, small businesses, local schools, and residents continue to have a strong voice in Hartford who will put the district and taxpayers first, as I have always done. The legislature needs a diverse chorus of voices, more balance, and more compromise.”
Rubino “will focus on addressing the repercussions of the COVID-19 crisis while planning a future that keeps the area attractive to businesses and supports working families.” He advocates for “a minimum wage that can provide for a family, an overhaul of our toxic student debt system, a functioning and affordable public healthcare system, and environmental policies that reflect a realistic understanding of the risks and challenges we face,” according to the press release announcing his candidacy.
“I’m a human rights lawyer by trade,” Rubino said by phone. “I spent a lot of my career working and living in pretty harsh environments supporting vulnerable populations on human rights matters and when you live and work in that field, you really just tend to not take American democracy for granted.
“This election year is a pivotal moment in our national—and consequently our state’s—history,” he said.
“I have children in the [Old Lyme] Public School System and am the husband of a public school teacher,” Rubino continued. “We need to be careful and calculated with how we go about [the re-opening of schools] and make sure we’re thinking of all the stakeholders in the process when we do so.”
Rubino said that he has “nothing bad to say about Devin as a person. I think he’s a good, well-liked guy.
“Fundamentally, we disagree on certain policy issues,” he said. “For example, the recent police accountability bill. Devin came out and spoke very passionately at the Black Lives Matter rally [in Old Lyme in June at which Rubino also spoke] talking about the need to not forget George Floyd.”
“And then, when the moment came to do something very concrete, he voted against” the police accountability bill, which was passed by the General Assembly on July 23, the State Senate on July 29, and signed into law by Governor Ned Lamont on July 31.
Carney cited concerns that the police accountability “legislation was rushed” and said he “felt the qualified immunity section was not properly vetted, it required additional study.”
“There were good parts of the bill, but I heard a lot of concerns with parts of it from municipal organizations and constituents due to the potential for higher taxes to cover the costs associated with it and uncertainty as to how it will impact the ability to recruit good police officers and their ability to be proactive in terms of public safety,” he said.
“I am hopeful that we can revisit the issues within the legislation in the next special session,” he added.
Carney said that over the past few months he has focused on “assisting constituents with whatever they need as a result of COVID,” including “assistance with unemployment, food, masks, and social services.
“More recently, my focus has been on Eversource and how to overhaul our energy system to better serve ratepayers and make energy more affordable,” he said.
Rubino cited the need for a “stronger regulatory environment” to oversee utilities, including Eversource, and faulted Republicans and moderate Democrats for not working toward that.
“What it comes down to in more broad and general terms is when push comes to shove on some of these issues, there’s a lot of pressure to toe the party line on the Republican side,” he said.