Candidates Set For Special Election In Avon

WEST HARTFORD, CT — The field is set for the upcoming special election for the vacant 19th House District seat, which consists of portions of Avon, Farmington, and West Hartford. Former West Hartford Board of Education member Tammy Exum, a Democrat, will face Republican Bob Margolis, of Avon and a West Hartford native, in the special election on April 16 to replace former State Rep. Derek Slap, who was recently elected to the 5th District State Senate seat. Slap, a Democrat, won a special election on Feb. 26 to replace Beth Bye, who resigned from the seat after winning re-election this past November to join Gov. Ned Lamont's administration.

Both Exum and Margolis were nominated by their respective parties over the weekend without any opposition, according to the Hartford Courant. Slap announced Exum’s candidacy during his victory speech after winning the special election for the 5th District State Senate seat.

Exum is a former elementary school teacher who says she comes from a family of educators.

“My parents instilled in me the value and appreciation for the transformative power and opportunity that a good education can give,” Exum recently said while announcing her candidacy. “That’s why my first job was as an elementary school teacher. After receiving my MBA, I was recruited to Connecticut and decided to put down roots in West Hartford, along with my husband and two young sons.”

Exum said she would work to become a “consensus builder.”

“In my role as a community leader I’ve listened to parents from every part of our community who shared with me their concerns,” Exum said. “One common concern that I’ve heard and one I share, is that Connecticut is becoming a more difficult place to afford to move to and to stay. In order for our state to grow and thrive we need young people and families to move here, like I did a few decades ago. That means we need to have public policy that helps grow businesses and jobs, and at the same time have policies that promote and enhance our quality of life. That means passing laws like paid family and medical leave, looking at ways to connect high students with trades, and protecting our environment.

“My approach to any problem or role is be a consensus builder. No party or group has all the answers, and we should be open to solutions no matter who proposes them. In order to fix the serious financial challenges Connecticut faces all of us need to come together.”

Margolis, an Avon resident and West Hartford native, said the bevy of tax proposals discussed in the legislature this session sparked his interest in running for office.

“Even those who pay little attention to what’s happening in the legislature know we need a different approach in Hartford,” Margolis recently said while announcing his candidacy. “Connecticut residents watched former Governor Malloy and past legislatures impose massive tax hikes with the promise of putting our state on the right path. It didn’t work, yet here some in the legislature go again—discussing new, far-reaching tax proposals that will make our state an even more expensive place to live.”

Margolis, a Hall High School graduate, said he “couldn’t sit on the sidelines anymore.”

“This state faces significant budget deficits, and I don’t know anyone who expects the approach of the past will get us out of it,” Margolis said. “Employers are struggling, people can’t afford to live in the communities where they grew up—and the answer from folks who control the purse strings? It’s installing more taxes, more anti-business policies.”

On top of the taxes, Margolis said he’s seen the legislature take a sharp turn toward inserting itself deeper into the lives of Connecticut residents.

Margolis owns a firearms safety instruction business in the Farmington Valley, and he’s general manager of one of the state’s largest sportsmen’s clubs. He’s been married for 36 years and has two adult children.

“I’m invested in the effort to turn around Connecticut. I want to fix the state’s problems now so kids have a future here,” he said. “But that won’t happen unless we inject new voices into the conversation in Hartford, and I look forward to introducing myself to as many people as possible to tell them about my ideas for getting our state on the right track.”