Simsbury Dem Primary: Osborne Touts Trust

SIMSBURY, CT — Simsbury attorney Melissa Osborne may not have her party's endorsement for Tuesday's Democratic primary for state representative.

But, the 54-year-old said, she has her constituents' trust, trust Osborne claims is about serving voters and not other outside influences.

On this front, she's highly critical of Simsbury Selectman Eric Wellman, who was endorsed by local Democrats earlier this year.

"Voters know that, with me, what you see is what they get. During this campaign, voters have seen my opponent flip-flop on fiscal policy and try to mask his real employment," Osborne said in a written questionnaire.

Osborne criticized Wellman, saying he claims to be a fiscal conservative while, at the same time, seeking and receiving the endorsement of The Working Families Party, "a progressive left party that is the opposite of fiscally conservative."

She also claims Wellman, a business efficiency expert for both Anthem insurance and his own, private consulting practice, is more likely to serve the corporations that employ him, including insurance carriers that have sought steep rate hikes.

"Voters know they're sending me to Hartford conflict-of-interest free. I'm not beholden to an employer whose interests are contrary to my constituents," Osborne said. "And I'm supported by common-sense, pragmatic Democrats who Simsbury residents know and trust, and who know I will make fiscally responsible decisions for our residents, our small businesses, our town and our state."

To get on the November ballot, however, Osborne must defeat Wellman, a Simsbury selectman who has also served multiple terms as the town's first selectman before stepping down last year.

Simsbury is the lone town in the 16th House.

Whoever wins Tuesday will face off in November against Republican-nominated House hopeful Mike Paine.

Incumbent state Rep. John Hampton, D-Simsbury, is not seeking another term and has endorsed Osborne in this primary.

Wellman has defeated Paine before in a prior town election in 2017 for first selectman, but Osborne said her experience as an attorney, activist and local public servant also qualifies her.

The native New Yorker and mother of four has practiced law for 24 years and has served Simsbury with stints on the zoning commission, charter revision commission and clean energy task force.

She said she's also spent an abundance of time advocating for Jennifer's Law, which was approved by the Connecticut legislature in 2021.

The law expanded the definition of domestic violence and is named after Jennifer Farber Dulos and Jennifer Magnano, two high-profile domestic violence victims who died at the hands of their partners.

The law includes such actions as stalking, cyberstalking and manipulative control, among other actions, as being legally considered domestic abuse.

For her behind-the-scenes work toward that legislation, among other reasons, state Sen. Dr. Saud Anwar, D-South Windsor, endorsed Osborne over Wellman.

Osborne, a mother of four children aged 17-27 and a breast cancer survivor, also has advocated for better insurance coverage for breast cancer screening.

As for other issues, she said "my focus in the legislature will be on making Connecticut more affordable and protecting human rights."

To those ends, Osborne said, she will address expensive health care coverage in the goal of making health insurance more affordable for all.

She also seeks to help senior citizens pay their taxes and said energy prices need to come down.

Osborne also cited a pro-environmental course and said she's a staunch advocate for women's and LGBTQ rights.

"Simsbury Democrats know that I don't just play it safe," she said. "I didn't wait for an open state representative seat to start talking about our core, democratic values. I haven't wavered."

Osborne graduate high school from Emma Willard School in Troy, N.Y., Hunter College/CUNY and New York Law School before embarking on a career in law.

Politically, she ran for state Senate three times in 2014, 2018 and 2020, losing to incumbent state Sen. Kevin Witkos, R-Canton, each time in 8th Senate District.

Despite those election losses in a highly Republican district, Osborne said she knows what it takes to work in Hartford, citing the support of Anwar and her past activism regarding Jennifer's Law.

"It's meaningful to me that legislators who know about the contributions I have made to this important legislation are publicly supportive of my work and want me as a colleague," Osborne said. "I know how our legislature works and I'm ready to hit the ground running."

Polls are open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 9. Polling locations are:
• District 1, Henry James Memorial School, 155 Firetown Road.
• District 2, Latimer Lane School, 33 Mountain View Drive.
• District 3, Tootin' Hills School, 25 Nimrod Road.
• District 4, Tariffville Elementary School, 42 Winthrop St.

For more information on Melissa Osborne, click on this link.

For Democratic House hopeful Melissa Osborne's Facebook page, click on this link.