Morin to Defend House Seat
WETHERSFIELD - A unanimous Democratic Town Committee delegation vote made Majority Leader Russ Morin’s bid for reelection official in a packed Town Council chambers last Thursday night.

       Morin, a former Wethersfield Mayor, Town Councilor, and Board of Education member, has served in the House of Representatives since 2006.

       â€"This was one of the toughest budgets I’ve seen and it doesn’t look like it’s going to get better, so people ask me, ‘why run again?’” Morin said to the crowd of supporters. â€"All of you. It’s a pleasure and privilege to represent the 28th District.”

       Morin listed advocating for municipal aid revenue and services for the developmentally disabled-two areas that have landed on the chopping block in recent budget discussions-among the priorities that â€"keep him motivated”.

       He expects an uphill battle in that respect with the state looking at close to $1 billion in budget shortfall to contend with in the coming budget cycle.

       â€"My philosophy has always been to try to do the least amount of harm in difficult times-make sure the cuts are fair and balanced,” Morin said during an interview given about a week before the party’s convention. â€"It’s town first, then state-the people of Wethersfield elect me, and they’re my number one priority.”

       Morin’s supporters pointed to his experience as a local official, as well as his advocating for a space waiver that helped to close a $10 million cost overrun on the Wethersfield High School renovation project.

       â€"There’s no one better at securing funds for our town,” said Democratic Town Committee Chair John Gallivan during a phone conversation a few weeks before the convention. â€"He’s proven himself.”

       Morin’s biggest challenge going into this election is the incumbent label-due mostly to Connecticut’s fiscal state.

       â€"There’s an attitude out there that people want something different,” Gallivan said. â€"[But] he understands what our needs are. He understands the need to tighten our belts, but Wethersfield will be his first priority.”

      
STORY BY MARK DIPAOLA  |  May 27 2016  |  COMMENTS?