Candidate Profile: Mary Mushinsky, 85th District

WALLINGFORD, CT — The 2020 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 presidential election, but every state representative and senate seat is up for grabs. All five of Connecticut's congressional seats 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 with a 91 to 60 lead over Republicans in the House and a 22 to 14 lead in the Senate.

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

Mary Mushinsky, a Wallingford resident, is running for re-election to the House of Representatives District 85 as a Democrat.

The single most pressing issue facing our state is economic and health recovery, and this is what I intend to do about it.

I support keeping safety measures in place to prevent a resurgence of the high COVID-19 rates we saw in April, while we await a vaccine. I’m seeking additional federal help for temporary benefits for folks who are unemployed due to COVID. I’m nudging residents into Platform to Employment and other apprenticeships that I worked to establish, if they have lost their pre-COVID jobs, so they may start a new career. As in past legislative sessions, I continue to support state health insurance for those who have lost theirs and paid family medical leave. The virus proved especially harmful to nursing home residents and I will seek to require higher standards to protect this vulnerable population.

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidate seeking this post?

In contrast to my opponent, I have decades of experience serving the community as state representative and more than 10 years’ experience promoting apprenticeships for careers that match the job openings in our state. I have spent the spring and summer personally helping my constituents with COVID-related emergencies such as unemployment benefits, medical care, motor vehicle documents, food and job training. In the next legislative session, when financial resources will be strained, I have the experience to fight for Wallingford’s share of state aid as towns battle each other over funds. Although I worked to fill the state’s Rainy Day Fund, which is helping the state handle this crisis, I know from Office of Fiscal Analysis that there will be challenges next year to revenues in the midst of COVID-related expenses.

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

I have chaired three legislative committees including the bipartisan Program Review and Investigations Committee and have a record of decades of service to constituents, currently serving as Deputy Speaker of the Connecticut House. For the last 10 years I have worked to establish apprenticeship programs for higher wage careers. I have responded to the needs of my town, including providing the Small Town Economic Assistance Program, building the linear trail, obtaining a police station and vocational technical school, winning two increases in sewage treatment funds, reversing cuts to Wallingford schools, bringing commuter rail service, defeating attempted raids of the town’s Clean Water funds, and helping fund the Boys and Girls Club, YMCA, Wallingford Housing Authority and Lyman Hall running track, among other projects.

Do you believe Connecticut needs reform when it comes to electric utility oversight? What steps, if any should be taken?

While this is not an issue for Wallingford, which has a municipal electric utility that provides quicker repairs and cheaper power than investor-owned utilities, reform is important to other communities that have suffered lengthy service interruptions and high rates. For these towns, the legislature needs to authorize additional community-based power and set penalties for slow service restoration so that utilities will maintain adequate repair crews for storms. More local power generation and gradual placement of lines underground will reduce damage from more powerful storms, which scientists say we should expect as the climate continues to warm.

What steps should state government take to bolster economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic for local businesses?

The state should assist by procuring goods, services and labor from local companies and fund education and apprenticeships to produce enough well-trained employees to serve advanced manufacturing and health care, the two employment sectors which dominate our region. Employers have told me they can’t find enough well-trained employees for their technical and scientific jobs and must import workers from other states. To help businesses weather the pandemic, the state should ensure medical supplies are affordable during the pandemic, including sufficient testing, vaccinations and personal protective equipment. The state should begin to lift community restrictions when vaccines become available.

If town government chooses to participate, Wallingford can use economic recovery tools that are already available to bolster recovery and that have been used successfully by other municipalities such as Meriden and Windsor Locks to rebuild their downtowns. These tools include: commuter rail, funding for transit-oriented development that links downtown businesses and residents to rail service, and increased housing opportunities built around the rail hub and downtown. With good planning, we can get through this pandemic and come out stronger on the other side.

List other issues that define your campaign platform:

The pandemic needs an immediate response which will take all our short-term focus to address, yet we also need to address the looming climate change threat to our community, state and nation. The good news is that fighting climate change also creates new jobs in green technology, clean energy, sustainable community and energy efficiency careers. Skilled electrical workers are right now installing solar panels on the town’s old landfill. These careers have provided good wages in communities around the U.S. that specialize in preparing for the future, and can do the same here.

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

I’m a Wallingford native, daughter of public servants and granddaughter of immigrants, who married and raised my family here, educating our sons in Wallingford’s public schools. In my civilian job outside of the legislature, I use my biology training to protect local rivers, encourage citizen science, train interns and promote outdoor recreation. I’ve been endorsed by environmental groups, educators, Democratic and Working Families Parties, realtors, the trades and social workers, among others. For more information, you can visit my website at Mushinsky2020.com.

See also: Candidate Profile: Weston Ulbrich, 85th District