State Rep. Carney Will Seek a Third Term
State Representative Devin Carney announced his intention to seek a third term as the state representative for the 23rd District, which includes the towns of Lyme, Old Lyme, Old Saybrook, and coastal Westbrook. Carney has represented the district since 2015.
“Over these past two terms, I have always put the people of the 23rd District first,” Carney said. “This community is everything to me. I was raised here and I understand the unique values and needs of my constituents. In these difficult and divisive times, it is important that the state has leaders with a proven track record of putting people over politics and who will work together to get Connecticut’s fiscal house in order. That is why I am seeking a third term.”
Over his first two terms, Representative Carney advocated for those with intellectual and developmental disabilities, seniors, tourism, small business, local public education, and improving I-95. In 2015, he voted against the second largest tax increase in Connecticut’s state history. In 2017, he voted against the SEBAC agreement, which put a 10-year stranglehold on the state’s ability to grow, but he did support the historic bipartisan budget compromise in October.
“I have pushed back against drastic tax increases to residents, defeated a federal rail proposal that would have devastated the region, supported bipartisan initiatives to combat our opioid crisis, and fought Governor Malloy’s proposal to push teacher pension costs onto local school districts. I have always put the taxpayer first, engaged with the community, and have never missed a vote,” Carney highlighted. “Connecticut is at a crossroads and our residents and businesses cannot afford the same tax-and-spend policies that have put the state into this mess. It is imperative Lyme, Old Lyme, Old Saybrook, and Westbrook continue to have a strong voice at the table during this tough fiscal reality.”
A lifelong resident of the district, Carney graduated from Old Saybrook Public Schools and currently lives in Old Lyme. He is the ranking member of the Transportation Committee, meaning he is the highest-ranked House Republican on the committee, and he serves on the Environment Committee and Finance, Revenue and Bonding Committee. In addition, Carney chairs the bipartisan Clean Energy Caucus, was the founding House Republican of the bipartisan Young Legislators Caucus, and serves on both the bipartisan Tourism Caucus and bipartisan Intellectual and Developmental Disability Caucus. He has also served as the Connecticut House Republican State Lead for the National Caucus of Environmental Legislators.
His many community activities include serving on the Board of Trustees at the Katharine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center and the Board of Directors at Saye Brook Senior Housing, as a member of both the Old Saybrook Chamber of Commerce and the Lyme-Old Lyme Chamber of Commerce, as a lector at Grace Episcopal Church in Old Saybrook, and on both the Old Lyme Republican Town Committee as a member and the Old Saybrook Republican Town Committee as an honorary member. He works as a Realtor with Coldwell Banker in Old Saybrook.