35th Senate candidates take on healthcare access, affordability

Oct. 27—Candidates for the 35th Senate District seat are focused on protecting access to health care services, as well as improving affordability in the wake of inflation.

The 35th District comprises 13 towns, including Coventry, Stafford, Tolland, Vernon, and part of Ellington.

35th Senate District

Ashford, Chaplin, Coventry, Eastford, Ellington, Hampton, Pomfret, Stafford, Tolland, Union, Vernon, Willington, Woodstock

Coventry Town Council Chairwoman Lisa Thomas, 59, a Democrat, and Jeffrey Gordon, 55, a Republican from Woodstock, are vying for the seat. Sen. Dan Champagne, R-Vernon, who is also the mayor of Vernon, is not seeking re-election to a third term for the state senate seat that has been held by a Republican for 30 years.

Lisa Thomas

DEMOCRAT

Hometown: Coventry

Age: 59

Experience: Seven terms on Coventry Town Council, currently serving as chairwoman; former Zoning Board of Appeals member

Education: Bachelor's in English and education from Vassar College; law degree from the University of Connecticut Law with focus in education, labor and employment law

Occupation: Retired public school teacher in Hebron and Windsor for 37 years

Thomas, a special education teacher for 37 years in both Hebron and Windsor before retiring in 2021, has served on Coventry's Town Council for 13 years. She is acting chairwoman, the second time she has served in the role.

Thomas earned her undergraduate degree from Vassar College, and her law degree from the University of Connecticut School of Law. She is a member of the Connecticut Bar Association and also serves on the state's Reading Leadership Implementation Council and the CT Grown for CT Kids Advisory Council.

With a brother who is disabled by multiple sclerosis and a daughter who works in healthcare, Thomas said protecting the district's access to healthcare services is a major priority.

"It's really important to me to make sure that not only do people have access to healthcare, but that our healthcare workers are working in a safe environment," Thomas said.

Jeff Gordon

REPUBLICAN

Hometown: Woodstock

Age: 55

Experience: Woodstock Planning and Zoning since 2007, chairman since 2008; treasurer of Woodstock Agricultural Society

Education: University of Massachusetts medical school

Occupation: Medical doctor and director of the Cancer Center at UMass Memorial Health — Harrington

Thomas said she is committed to preventing local hospitals such as Johnson Memorial in Stafford and Windham Hospital in Willimantic from shutting down their birthing units and intensive-care units. Johnson Memorial is trying to close those units, and the state recently denied Windham Hopsital's application to shut down its birthing unit.

"I've been working really hard on that because it really creates a health care desert for some of the towns in the district," Thomas said.

Thomas said she also is dedicated to protecting women's access to reproductive care, including abortion and contraceptives. She said the state needs people in leadership positions who are dedicated to fighting for these rights.

Additionally, Thomas said she is looking to make the state more affordable by alleviating property tax burdens and making one-time rebates given out by the state permanent.

She said she is dedicated to accepting the results of the election and trusts the integrity of elections in the state.

Thomas said people should vote for her because she is "the most experienced candidate running for this seat" and she has spent years developing local budgets.

Gordon, who has been a medical doctor for nearly 30 years, is a board-certified blood and cancer specialist and continues to see patients. He earned his medical degree from the University of Massachusetts Medical School, and he serves as the president of the Connecticut State Medical Society. Gordon also is the medical director of the Cancer Center of Umass Memorial Hospital-Harrington in Southbridge, Massachusetts.

Gordon also has served on Woodstock's Planning and Zoning Commission for 15 years and is its chairman.

He said he is committed to making healthcare "affordable and accessible to people" in the district and wants to fight to keep local rural hospitals from closing services.

"Sometimes you've got to hold hospital system's feet to the fire to make certain the care can be provided," Gordon said. He said he would like the state to get more input from doctors who work at these hospitals to get a "better understanding of what these potential closures or limitations might be."

Gordon said he is committed to protecting all individual rights and freedoms, including abortion.

Additionally, Gordon said he wants to ensure that local decision making is kept within the towns.

"I believe that people in their own towns know best how to make decisions for their own towns, not letting state government decide," Gordon said, adding that he also wants to help make the state more affordable for hardworking people, families, those who are single, and small businesses.

Gordon said he is committed to accepting election results, saying that the state has "good legal processes in place to conduct good elections" and he does not believe that fraudulent elections have been held.

As for why people should vote for him, Gordon said he has a proven track record of "bringing common sense and working with people collaboratively."

Ben covers Vernon and Stafford for the Journal Inquirer.