Candidate Profile: Jeff Currey, 11th House District

EAST HARTFORD/SOUTH WINDSOR/MANCHESTER, CT — The 2020 election is heating up in Connecticut and there are plenty of races with candidates eager to serve in elected office. Eyes are primarily focused on the presidential election, but every state representative and senate seat is up for grabs. All five of Connecticut's congressional seats are up for grabs as well.

There are 151 seats in the state House of Representatives and 36 in the state Senate. Democrats currently hold majorities in both chambers with a 91 to 60 lead over Republicans in the House and a 22 to 14 lead in the Senate.

Patch asked candidates to answer questions about their campaigns and is publishing candidate profiles as election day draws near.

Jeff Currey, an East Hartford resident, is running for re-election to the state House of Representatives in District 11.

Age: 41
Party affiliation: Democrat
Family: Just the right mix of chaos and love
Occupation: Manager of Special Projects for the Admissions Department at Goodwin University in East Hartford since 2015
Previous elected experience: State Representative for the 11th District since 2015, East Hartford Board of Education (2009-2015; Chairman 2011-2015)
Family members in government: Sister, Rebecca is an elected Constable in East Hartford.
Campaign website: Currey2020.com

The single most pressing issue facing our state is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.
As we continue to make smart, public health based decisions to respond to the pandemic, preparing for whatever the future brings and recovering from the aftermath will be at the forefront of every action we take in the coming years. Since the virus found its way to Connecticut in March, there has not been a single issue that hasn’t been touched in some way by COVID-19. Over the coming months, we will continuously have to calculate the financial impact of the pandemic on our state’s economy. Additionally, the pandemic has highlighted our inequities - for example, the racial disparities that still tragically exist in our healthcare system and the flaws in access to healthcare in general or the severe vulnerability of our most underserved residents during public health emergencies, our need to truly adopt a pandemic response plan.
Listening and using that information from our communities to find the correct path forward will be a main feature of my work in helping our state recover. So many members of our community were affected by the pandemic in different ways - listening to the unique struggles they faced, and may continue to face, will be essential to creating comprehensive solutions. I’ve always believed in an open door policy and that won’t change. As during any regular session, members of the community still called, emailed and had their issues addressed throughout the pandemic. I don’t have all the answers, and am always open to the thoughts and ideas from our communities. There are so many great resources from our organizations and advocates that I talk with regularly before I would pick up a phone, speak with the executive branch staff personally or even Governor Lamont to share our communities’ concerns and troubleshoot solutions. It's important to note that our office has always had an active role in decision making, just as we always have and just as any other legislator was able to. Though we were not in a legislative session to cast a vote, my persistence and my advocacy has been constant and consistent - often annoying if you ask certain members of the administration - on the various ways in which the state has worked to combat coronavirus. No matter the issue, the month, or ongoing public health crisis, my representation for our communities does not change.

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?
My deep ties to the communities and the region have been the fuel to my work in public service. At home in East Hartford, I learned the core beliefs of our community - understanding the value of hard work, honesty, helping others, and of course, always remembering to put the “we” before the “me.” Those values have always been at the forefront of everything I do, both in office and out, and have been my biggest strength in serving our district.
Whether it’s the IDD community, seniors, children, LGBTQ+, I have the experience and a proven track record for supporting a wide array of constituencies. I’ve developed key relationships with municipal and state leaders, as well as advocates spread across issues who I’m able to rely on to provide accurate information in whatever matter we’re working on. We all come to the legislature with varied experiences and must rely on our neighbors, advocates, and experts to better educate us on issues so that we’re able to make informed decisions when it comes to proposing solutions and taking a vote.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?
My record shows six years worth of accomplishments with legislation that has changed the foundation, sometimes literally, throughout the state of CT. Just to name a few: I created a non-profit to oversee the replacement of crumbling foundations, which is now responsible for putting more than 200 families back in a place of security. I helped to create the country's first 2-Generational Workforce and Readiness Advisory Board, which created necessary structural change in the way that systems in our state function and disrupt the cycle of intergenerational poverty that became a national model. I lead the fight for a fair and equitable education funding formula for all our neighborhood public schools. I passed the country's first statutorily-created LGBTQ Health and Human Services Network to support some of our state's most marginalized and often forgotten residents - both young and mature. And, I've led efforts to enforce protections for educators who speak up on behalf of students during the Planning and Placement Team meeting (PPT) process.

Do you believe Connecticut needs reform when it comes to electric utility oversight? What steps, if any should be taken?
During our most recent Special Session, I supported the Take Back Our Grid Act, which will:
Create “Performance Based Ratemaking” - PURA will establish standards that utility companies much meet, determine what progress is, and has the ability to issue penalties if companies don’t meet the standards
Require utility companies to provide credits for customers who have lost food, or medicine when lack of preparation by the utility leads to outages of more than 96 hours
Fixes the portion of executive salaries that come from ratepayers to the company’s performance
Develop minimum staff levels to allow for quick response times to storms
Collaborate with partners to reduce the utilities monopoly
Increase civil penalties for underperformance of storm response and violations of a storm response plan
New restitution authority for PURA to return fines directly to customer bills

What steps should state government take to bolster economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic for local businesses?
The first, and most crucial step will be to listen to those who have been most impacted to better inform our decisions. While grants for payroll are quick fixes, the issue of on-going overhead and other expenses are what could determine whether a business is able to sustain. Ensuring that job training is accessible and education is affordable will be critical to supporting people as they get back on their feets and back to work - as well as ensure that businesses have a talented and ready pool of potential employees.
Each and every business owner has their own story to tell and likely, their own set of unique challenges that have arisen as a result of the ongoing pandemic. Adaptability is key in these times and if there are costs associated with transitioning a business model, CT should step up to provide the necessary support and guidance. There is no playbook for this, listening to our communities’ business leaders and adapting our responses to the stories that we hear will be critical to our economic recovery.

List other issues that define your campaign platform:
I’ve been so proud of the accomplishments made over my time in office and the positive change we've been able to create. I plan to continue to build off of these successes:
Secured LGBTQ+ protections: increasing access to PrEP, banning the gay and transgender panic defense
Strengthened small business and manufacturing
Protected Connecticut’s health and wellbeing: passed Paid Family Medical Leave, expanded coverage for pre-existing conditions, raised the tobacco purchasing age to 21, and ensured mental health parity
Supported comprehensive solutions to combating the Opioid crisis in our state
Investing in Your Future: Repealed the Business Entity Tax, funded teachers' pensions, phased out the Capital Stock Tax, and created new income exemptions for paying taxes on Social Security Benefits
Celebrated our frontline workers: granted in-state tuition rates for spouses & children of service members and provided workers' compensation for police officers, firefighters, and parole officers suffering from PTSD
Fought to leave the Earth a bit better than we found it: invested in green jobs by helping to create a green jobs career ladder, harnessed offshore wind in an effort to achieve our renewable energy goal, and banned single-use plastic bags beginning on July 1, 2021 while allowing cities and towns to enact their own restrictions sooner
There is so much we’ve learned from these past months, and a lot of work to continue. But, among other steps, we must:
Guarantee increased transparency, proper executive oversight, and continued resident input within the legislature
Create a statewide schools plan so that our children have access to high quality learning experiences in and out of the classroom
Secure support for essential workers and businesses, including our badly hit restaurant industry, who brave the elements to keep our economy moving
Offer long-term benefits and job training to those who may be displaced
Fund and demand the modernization of our DOL systems
Create an Office of Pandemic Preparedness within the DPH to focus on testing, emergency PPE stockpiles, and continuity of social services

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?
In a business sometimes overrun with show ponies, I’m proud to be a workhorse for the people of the 11th district and those throughout the great state of CT.

This article originally appeared on the South Windsor Patch