CT Patch Candidate Profile: Toni Lombardi For State Representative In 118th District

MILFORD, CT — On Nov. 3, residents cast their votes for several key federal and state positions, including the office of governor, Congress, state representative and state senate.

There are 151 seats in the state House of Representatives and 36 in the state Senate. Democrats currently hold majorities in both chambers.

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

Toni Lombardi is running for state representative in the 118th House District.

Candidate's Name:

Toni Lombardi

What office are you seeking?

State Representative

Age:

30

District:

118th House District, representing Milford

Party:

Democrat, Working Families, Independent

Campaign website:

https://ToniLombardi.com

Occupation:

School Secretary for Milford Public Schools

Family:

My husband, Kyle, and I live in Milford with our two children, Jesse and Maddie.

Does anyone in your family work in government?

Yes. My husband works for the State of Connecticut as an Executive Secretary.

Previous public office:

Milford Board of Aldermen, District 2 (2025 to present).

Why are you seeking this office?

I'm running for State Representative because I care deeply about Milford and the people who call it home. As a mom, a public school employee, and an Alderman, I see firsthand how decisions made in Hartford affect our families, schools, and neighborhoods. I know how hard people work to provide for their families, and I believe they deserve a government that works just as hard for them. I want to make sure Milford receives its fair share of state funding, that our public schools have the resources they need, and that we're doing everything we can to make life more affordable. Above all, I want to bring the same accessibility, transparency, and commitment to listening that I value in local government to Hartford.

What do you believe is the No. 1 issue facing Connecticut, and how do you plan to address it?

The cost of living. Working families are doing everything right and still struggling to keep up. Whether it's groceries, housing, electricity, childcare, or healthcare, the everyday expenses are adding up faster than people can manage. I believe we need to address affordability in ways that actually make a difference in people's lives. That means holding utility companies accountable, fighting for lower healthcare and prescription drug costs, creating a Connecticut Child Tax Credit, and protecting wages and benefits for working people. I also believe we need to make sure our cities and towns receive adequate state funding so the burden doesn't continue falling on local property taxpayers. People should be able to afford to raise their families, stay in their homes, and retire in the communities they love.

Energy costs have been soaring in Connecticut. What are your plans to help address this issue?

Working families in Connecticut are already struggling with the rising costs of groceries, housing, healthcare, and childcare. Electricity is another essential expense that families simply cannot avoid, and they deserve real relief. I believe we need to stop asking working people to shoulder an unfair share of these costs while utility companies continue to profit.

I support strengthening independent oversight of Eversource and UI, requiring greater transparency in how rates are determined, and tying utility profits to measurable standards for reliability, affordability, and customer service. Utility companies should be rewarded for serving their customers well, not simply for spending more money.

I also support reforming the public benefits charge. We need to examine which statewide policy costs are being passed along to residential customers and identify fairer, sustainable funding sources through the state budget, while protecting the energy assistance and efficiency programs that working families depend on.

Finally, I support modernizing our electric grid, investing in reliable and diverse energy sources, and ensuring that clean-energy investments deliver measurable benefits to ratepayers. These investments should also support good-paying jobs, prevailing wages, and opportunities for Connecticut workers.

At the end of the day, my priority is making electricity more affordable while ensuring that the companies providing this essential service are accountable to the people paying the bills.

Affordability has been a major topic across the country and here in Connecticut. How do you plan to address this issue?

I believe working people should be able to afford a good life in Connecticut, and that means taking meaningful action to lower everyday expenses, protect wages, and provide relief to families and seniors.

I support establishing a fully refundable Child Tax Credit of up to $600 per child, expanding access to affordable childcare and pre-K, and providing universal school meals. I also want to lower prescription drug costs, expand healthcare options, and make higher education more accessible without leaving students buried in debt. These are practical investments that can make a real difference in household budgets.

Our seniors deserve relief as well. I support fully eliminating Connecticut's remaining income tax on Social Security benefits and expanding property tax relief, particularly for retirees on fixed incomes. People who have spent their lives working and contributing to our communities should be able to afford to remain in them.

We also need to strengthen Connecticut's workforce by protecting collective bargaining rights, prevailing wages, and paid leave, while enforcing laws against wage theft and worker misclassification. I support continued increases to the minimum wage that help working people keep pace with the cost of living.

As an Alderman, I understand firsthand how state funding decisions affect municipal budgets and local property taxes. I support expanding property tax relief, but I also want to bring greater state investment home to Milford. That means fighting for our fair share of education funding, special education reimbursement, and infrastructure dollars so our local taxpayers aren't left covering expenses the state should be helping to fund.

Accomplishing these goals requires responsible budgeting and a willingness to examine where our money is going. I support reviewing existing spending, closing corporate tax loopholes, and pursuing federal and state funding opportunities before placing additional burdens on working and middle-class taxpayers.

My focus is on delivering results that people can actually feel in their household budgets. Lower expenses, fair wages, responsible spending, and meaningful property tax relief are the priorities I intend to bring to Hartford.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

I've spent much of my career helping people navigate government, understand their rights, and make sure their voices are heard. As a legislative aide and committee clerk at the State Capitol, I helped draft and advance legislation, worked directly with constituents to resolve issues involving state agencies, and learned firsthand how to navigate the legislative process. That experience taught me that getting things done in Hartford takes more than good ideas. It takes knowing how the system works, building relationships, and following through.

I've carried that approach into my work in civic engagement and now as a member of Milford's Board of Aldermen. Whether I'm working with residents on a local concern, reviewing municipal issues, or advocating for our schools and working families, I believe public service comes down to being accessible, doing your homework, and being willing to put in the work to find solutions.

I know how to work with people who don't always agree with me, and I understand that progress often takes persistence and compromise. I've seen government from the inside, worked with communities to make it more accessible, and now have the responsibility of making decisions as an elected official. I would bring that experience, along with a strong work ethic and a commitment to getting results, to the General Assembly.

Is there anything else you would like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

My path to public service hasn't been a traditional one. I dropped out of high school, became a teenage mother, and spent years as a single mom working three jobs to make ends meet. I know what it's like to stretch every dollar, worry about the bills, and make sacrifices so your children don't have to. I eventually went back to school and became a first-generation college graduate. Along the way, I had the opportunity to work at our State Capitol where I learned firsthand how our state government operates, how legislation moves through the process, and just how much work goes into getting something accomplished in Hartford. I went from being a young mother trying to figure out how to make ends meet to helping navigate the very process that shapes the lives of families like mine. I haven't forgotten either side of that experience.

Having lived those struggles and worked inside our state government, I bring both perspectives to the issues facing Milford today. I understand why families need relief from rising costs, why our public schools need stronger support, why workers deserve fair wages and protections, and why seniors should be able to afford to remain in the communities they've helped build. I also understand that making progress on these issues takes more than identifying the problems. It takes knowing how to navigate the legislative process, build relationships, find common ground, and turn good ideas into meaningful legislation. That's the experience I want to put to work for Milford, because I know how much is at stake for the people depending on us to get it right.

Serving on Milford's Board of Aldermen has only strengthened something I've always believed: as elected officials, we are stewards of the people we serve. These positions don't belong to us. They belong to the residents who entrust us with the responsibility of representing them. That means being accessible, listening even when we disagree, being honest about difficult decisions, and remembering who we're there to serve. I will never forget where I came from, and I will never take for granted the trust that comes with representing my neighbors. Whether someone voted for me or not, they deserve someone who will work just as hard for them. That's the kind of representative I intend to be in Hartford.