Patch Candidate Profile: Eleni Kavros DeGraw For 17th State House

AVON, CT — The 2024 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 U.S. presidential election, but every state representative and senate seat is up for grabs.
All five of Connecticut's congressional seats, plus one U.S. Senate seat, 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.
Connecticut Patch asked candidates to answer questions about their campaigns and will be publishing candidate profiles as election day draws near.

State Rep. Eleni Kavros DeGraw, D-Avon, is seeking another term in office as she's running against Republican hopeful Manju Gerber. The 17th House includes Avon and Canton.

What office are you seeking? State Representative

District: 17th House District

Website: https://teameleni.com/

Party affiliation: Democrat

Education: Graduate of James Madison University and a graduate of the Yale Campaign School, Emerge CT, the State Legislative Leaders Foundation Leadership program, the Robert J. Eastman Leadership Academy, and the Council of State Governments' Toll Fellowship.

Occupation: I am currently a full-time State Representative. I was elected in November 2020. Previously, I worked at CTFoodshare and I was a journalist.

Family: I've been married to my husband, Allen, for 25 years. I have three children aged 23, 21 and 14.

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government? I don't have any relatives who work in the CT government.

Previous public office, appointive or elected:

The only public office I have ever held is State Representative.

Age: 49

Why are you seeking this office?

My reasons for running for office are the same as when I began: to give everyone a voice in state government; to communicate as clearly and transparently as possible what is going on in state government in a way that makes civics accessible; and, to work as hard as I can to commit thoughtful and diligent public service while passing meaningful legislation on behalf of the constituents of District 17.

<What do you believe is the No. 1 issue facing Connecticut, and how do you plan to address it?

The cost of living is the number one issue facing Connecticut: the cost of housing, the cost of utilities, and the cost of childcare and education.

I hear about housing from my seniors and families with a person with disabilities the most and I have an idea for legislation that empowers towns to build what makes sense in their town while incentivizing them to get it built faster. Housing is a key to our future economic success.

On utilities, we have to hold our utilities accountable and we have to ensure that they are not placing undue burden on ratepayers. We do need green energy solutions and we need those solutions to be financed as inexpensively as we can while ensuring we have a fortified grid.

On childcare, we started the last two sessions by making childcare more affordable and more accessible, but we can and should go further by making it easier for quality childcare centers to open and remain open. The Childcare Trust Fund is a downpayment on our future.

There have been an alarming number of deaths on Connecticut's roadways. Is there anything from a legislative standpoint that can be done to address that?

We started to address this issue with our wrong-way driving initiatives, which are bearing fruit. I think we need to lower the blood alcohol content from 0.8 to 0.6 because we have seen an increasing number of alcohol-impaired drivers.

Additionally, we need to continue to enact safe streets legislation to ensure that we are protecting cyclists and pedestrians.

And, frankly, we need a campaign to encourage people to slow down as too many tragedies are from distracted driving while speeding.

What are the major differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

In my first two terms, I've passed more than half a dozen bills that I wrote benefitting seniors, people with disabilities, veterans, families, and women. The experience of being a representative and now a chair of a major House committee (Planning and Development) is essential to providing the results our district has come to expect.

My leadership has been repeatedly recognized by state government organizations as significant within both our legislature and throughout the country.

I approach issues without a previously determined outcome as people found out quickly when I became a chair.

I don't believe good ideas have a D or an R after them and that's why I have been successful in passing legislation because I actively seek out feedback from my Republican and Democratic colleagues to ensure the bill's success while taking into account the real world feedback of constituents in our public hearings.

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

Before serving in the legislature, I actively engaged in nonprofit board work; with two friends, I started an organization that financially benefitted nonprofits with hundreds of thousands of dollars in Hartford County (100 Women Who Can); with another friend, I started an organization that helped people inform, connect, serve, and lead (ForwardCT).

I served on every school committee I could at the various schools my children attended.

All of these experiences required me to be organized, thoughtful, conscientious, and to work as part of a team — all skills you need to be a good legislator.

Is there anything else you would like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

Every morning, I wake up and think, who can I help today and how best can I serve my constituents?

Serving as a state representative is a serious job where we face intense challenges that require creative solutions and it has been an honor and a privilege to serve this district for the last four years.

I hope that the voters believe I have served them well and will send me back to the legislature to continue serving our district and our state for another two years.

I am endlessly grateful for this opportunity and I hope that if you have any questions not answered in this survey, you will reach out to me directly.