CT Patch Candidate Profile: Dominique Johnson For 143rd House District

NORWALK, CT — The 2022 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 gubernatorial election, but every state representative and senate seat is up for grabs. All five of Connecticut's congressional seats, plus one U.S. Senate seat, 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

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

Dominique E. Johnson, a Norwalk resident, is running for State Representative 143rd House District.

Campaign website

dominiquejohnson.org

Party affiliation

Democratic

Education

PhD in Urban Education, Temple University; MA in Communication, Stanford University; BA in Communication Studies, Bryn Mawr College

Occupation

Nonprofit Consultant (8 years, 10 months) and Norwalk Common Council Member (2 years, 10 months)

Family

My partner Billie Gastic Rosado and I bought our home in Cranbury 10 years ago.

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

No one in my family works in the government I am running for (CT state General Assembly or CT state government).

Age

45

Previous public office, appointive or elective

Yes, I am an elected official as a Norwalk Common Council Member At-Large in my second term (January 2022-present).

Why are you seeking this office?

My grandmother worked on a farm and the factory line to make a life for my parents, and I learned the value of that hard work at a young age. My grandmother’s dreams for me have come true right here in Norwalk, and now it’s my turn to make sure that our children and grandchildren in the 143rd District can achieve their dreams too. Our kids and grandkids deserve a safe, healthy, and prosperous future where their hard work is able to be rewarded.

We all work hard and face challenges in our daily lives, especially now. We are all figuring out how we can make the changes we need together. I am running for State Representative for you, for my neighbors and my community. I will bring your voices to Hartford. Together we will move our community forward with integrity and empathy.

Please complete this statement: The single most pressing issue facing my constituents is ___, and this is what I intend to do about it.

The single most pressing issue facing my constituents is to make sure we build a CT that works for everyone, especially our children and the next generations. We need to continue to strengthen our public schools and secure additional funding for them. With a PhD in Education, I will leverage my experience advocating for strong public schools for our students and supporting our teachers. We also need to strengthen our economy by building our 21st century workforce. We can do this by providing future-proof job training, labor apprenticeships, and grant support to small businesses and entrepreneurs. Above all, I want to put your family first by extending and supporting tax credits to provide relief from inflation and our high cost of living.

What are the major differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

I have leadership experience voters can depend on as a currently elected official where I proudly represent each resident in every neighborhood of Norwalk. As Chair of the Community Services Committee, I work to improve the quality of life for all of Norwalk’s residents in collaboration with the City and its community partners. I also have extensive professional experience working in education and nonprofits and have a PhD in education, skills I will leverage for the people of the 143rd District.

If you are challenging an incumbent, in what way has the current officeholder failed the community?

This is an open seat.

What other issues do you intend to address during your campaign?

The quality of life our families experience is the best indicator of whether CT’s economic expansion will be successful. I strongly believe that we need to focus on making sure people can continue to get back to work and that our youngest residents have what they need through investments in workforce housing, workforce development, and child care access.

We can do this by: Continuing to pay down long term pension liabilities; Making continued investments in childcare and working to expand childcare access, especially for women who disproportionately stopped out of their jobs during the pandemic; Expanding Husky eligibility; Investing in mental health supports especially for our youth and veterans; And, creating more opportunities for young adults, career changers, and veterans of all ages to thrive by supporting free college tuition, small business incentive programs, and skilled trades apprenticeships.

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

As Chair of the Community Services Committee I led on increasing our funding for mental health services in our schools and community. I supported innovative uses of funding for public library improvements to help Norwalkers from all walks of life. As a member of the Ordinance, Public Safety and General Government, and Public Works Committees I proposed and garnered support for the City’s first Climate Action Plan so residents and businesses in especially flood-prone areas can be prioritized. I supported technology upgrades so our public safety departments have the tools they need to better serve our community. And I led the update to the nondiscrimination definitions in the Housing/Equal Opportunity ordinances to ensure all Norwalkers are included, including persons with disabilities and veterans.

What is the best advice anyone ever gave you?

My grandmother gave the best advice, including: be kind, because you never know what someone is going through.

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

I am running so the next generations have more rights, opportunities, inclusion, and health than previous generations and I stand strong on the issues that will most impact their quality of life into the future. In addition to issues I mentioned above, I will defend and strengthen reproductive freedom and I will absolutely support a state constitutional amendment and will co-sponsor it as your next state representative. I will also never support any attempts to chip away at our Sandy Hook era gun sense laws and I will actively work with gun sense advocates to strengthen our gun sense laws in CT by sponsoring and supporting violence prevention and gun-sense laws as your next state representative. And I will advocate for more proactive planning for a climate resilient future and a bright tomorrow for us all. I will be honored to earn your vote this November 8th as the person who listens to you and fights for what is right as your voice in Hartford!