Retired Pediatrician Tapped to Run For 59th House Seat

ENFIELD, CT — Retired pediatrician and political newcomer Dr. Jerry Calnen was unanimously endorsed Monday by Enfield Democrats to challenge Republican incumbent Carol Hall for the 59th House District seat, which covers parts of Enfield and East Windsor.

Calnen, who recently retired from his longtime practice, was nominated by former state Rep. and current town councilor Bill Kiner during a virtual delegate convention. In his remarks, Kiner spoke about Calnen’s strong commitment to the community.

"Dr. Calnen grew up in Enfield and both he and his wife JoAnn have worked tirelessly to make our community a better place in which to live," Kiner said.

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Calnen's retirement has not stopped him from maintaining his commitment to the children of north-central Connecticut. He is actively involved in Enfield Key Initiatives to Early Education (KITE), making sure that preschool children are ready to enter the public school system.

In his remarks, Calnen stressed the need for continued funding from the state to help take the burden off local property taxpayers.

"Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, our community, like every other community throughout the country, has experienced a serious mental health crisis involving our children and adolescents," he said. "COVID has made matters much worse. I want to ensure that resources are available to meet not only the mental health needs of our children and families, but also the needs for adequate housing, nutrition, safety, and quality child care so essential to enable children to thrive. Just as importantly, I want to ensure that families have the ability to effectively connect with these resources. My pledge to the people of Enfield and East Windsor, is to put the needs of our people above partisanship. The pandemic will certainly challenge us, but by working together, we will get through this, and come out stronger than ever."