Ex Rep. Albis Talks About New Job And Whether He Misses Politics

EAST HAVEN, CT - A few months ago James Albis stepped down from his position as state representative for the town of East Haven to take on a new challenge - working as a key player in Gov. Ned Lamont's new administration.

Albis took a high level position in the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP).

Patch caught up with Albis recently and asked him to talk about his new job and whether he missed being a state representative. Here's what he had to say:

"I love the new job because I am getting to work on critically important environmental and economic issues such as investing in the state’s offshore wind industry and adapting to a changing recycling market that is affecting municipalities’ bottom lines. DEEP Commissioner Katie Dykes is committed to ensuring that when we take actions to mitigate climate impacts, we are doing so in a manner that provides for additional benefits like economic development. I am very glad to be working with her.

"Because much of my job is policy development, I still get to work directly with our state legislators on crafting legislation. My focus is narrower than when I was in the legislature, but a good chunk of my time is spent at the State Capitol interacting with policy makers and other stakeholders.

"I’m still involved politically in East Haven, though not to the same degree I was before. I’ll be helping out on the local races this fall. My job is pretty demanding and less flexible so it’s harder to make time for all the extracurricular things I used to do, but I’m on more of a routine which is nice. In fact, I’ve been taking the train from New Haven to Hartford to work every day I can - I’d highly recommend it to those who can take it!"