Tom O’Dea, running unopposed for his state House 125th district seat, said he plans in his next term to hone in on making Connecticut more business-friendly and encourage small business growth by reviving the bipartisan budget from 2017.
O’Dea’s goal is to work on combating COVID-19 in the short-term to ensure that children can return to school full-time and adults can get back to work.
“We do have a very good school system and I want to maintain local control over that,” said O’Dea, whose district includes New Canaan and Wilton.
O’Dea, a Republican who has held the seat since 2013, said his district is also facing a dilemma with “predatory builders coming in and threatening affordable housing.” His goal is to keep zoning powers in the hands of the towns.
O’Dea served as a member of the Police Officers Standards and Training Council, overseeing all training and certification of municipal police officers in Connecticut from 1995 to 2004. O’Dea was also a member of the New Canaan Town Council from 2005 until he was elected to the state House of Representatives.
“I’m very proud of my bipartisan reputation up in Hartford. … My role on the floor of the House is kind of ‘Mr. FixIt’ and when there’s a problem with the bill, I get into it, and as a lawyer, I think I’m able to read the legislation quickly and figure out a fix,” O’Dea said.
