‘Mr. FixIt’ Tom O’Dea wants to get schools, businesses back on track

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.