CT Patch Candidate Profile: Tom O'Dea For State Representative

NEW CANAAN, CT — Election Day on Nov. 5 is fast approaching, and there are a number of key races on the ballot.

Patch reached out to candidates for office to get more information on their campaigns and the issues that are facing the state and the towns in their district.

The 125th State House District covers portions of New Canaan, Darien and Stamford.

Candidate’s Name

Tom O'Dea

What office are you seeking?

State Representative, 125th District

District

125th

What city or town do you live in?

New Canaan

Party affiliation

Republican

Education

I attended Providence College and then the Columbus School of Law. As an experienced trial attorney, I have litigated cases throughout Connecticut for over 30 years representing municipalities, businesses, and individuals. From 1995 to 2004, I served as a member of the Police Officers Standards and Training Council (POST), which is responsible for overseeing all training and certification of municipal police officers in Connecticut.

From 1997 to 2004, I served by appointment of the governor as a Victim Compensation Commissioner within the state’s judicial branch, responsible for adjudicating claims brought by victims of crimes. In 2004, I was appointed to the Judicial Selection Commission, including time as chair. The Judicial Selection Commission is responsible for recommending the appointment and reappointment of state court judges.

I was a member of the New Canaan’s Town Council from 2005 until January 2013 when I was elected to Connecticut’s State House of Representatives for the 125th District, which includes most of New Canaan and parts of North Stamford and Darien. I am a Deputy Leader of the House Republicans and is a member of the Judiciary, Transportation and Environmental Committees. See https://cthousegop.com/tom-ode…

I have lived in New Canaan since 1998 with my wife Kerry, who is a realtor, and I have three adult children, all of whom went through the New Canaan public schools.

Occupation

Trial Attorney with over 30 years of experience litigating cases throughout Connecticut.

Family

My wife Kerry is a realtor and works part-time at East School in New Canaan. My oldest son Thomas is 25, my daughter Caroline is 23 and my son Michael is 20. They were all born and raised in New Canaan and attended New Canaan public schools.

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

No

Previous public office, appointive or elective

From 1995 to 2004, I served as a member of the Police Officers Standards and Training Council (POST), which is responsible for overseeing all training and certification of municipal police officers in Connecticut. From 1997 to 2004, I served by appointment of the governor as a Victim Compensation Commissioner within the state’s judicial branch, responsible for adjudicating claims brought by victims of crimes.

In 2004, I was appointed to the Judicial Selection Commission, including time as chair. The Judicial Selection Commission is responsible for recommending the appointment and reappointment of state court judges. I was a member of the New Canaan’s Town Council from 2005 until January 2013 when I was elected to Connecticut’s State House of Representatives for the 125th District.

Age

58

Why are you seeking this office?

I have been an effective legislator in Hartford for 12 years and I am very proud of my reputation and accomplishments. The first bill that I worked on with my friend and colleague on the other side of the aisle, Gerry Fox, was getting Narcan in the hands of first responders. That bipartisan legislation has saved thousands of lives. I was also instrumental in getting the bipartisan budget passed in 2017 that implemented the fiscal guardrails that have saved the state financially.

I am the Deputy Leader of the House Republicans and run the floor for our caucus which means I know of and negotiate virtually every bill before it is called for a vote. I feel I still have a lot to accomplish, including protecting local control of education and zoning along with making Connecticut more affordable, and safe. I also want to fix the broken family court system and keep biological boys out of girls' sports in middle school and high school based on safety and fairness.

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

For New Canaan and Darien, it is local control of education and zoning. For Stamford it is school choice and for all three municipalities, it is also affordability and safety. I have proposed and gotten affordable housing fixes passed and will continue to work on improving 8-30g, the affordable housing statute that everyone admits has been an unmitigated failure in our suburbs. I have successfully fought against Hartford's attempts at controlling our education and zoning.

We should increase the number of students at The Stamford Charter School for Excellence as it is one of the highest-performing schools in the state. We should allow money to follow the child to private, charter or parochial schools. And instead of trying to change the New Canaan educational system, which is consistently one of the highest performing districts in the state, we should have other districts use it as a model. Regarding affordability and safety, we need to maintain the fiscal guardrails, lower taxes on our seniors, improve the business environment and allow police to actively police by restoring consent searches and restoring pre-trial qualified immunity appeals.

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?

Absolutely! As discussed briefly above, we need to restore consent searches, which were eliminated by the 2020 Police Accountability Bill. Consent searches were the number 1 way we got guns and illegal drugs out of circulation. We also need to restore the ability to appeal a denial of qualified immunity before trial so as to support and encourage active policing. Finally, we need to allow police officers to pull over drivers or passengers who are smoking marijuana. It is crazy that the current law prohibits police from using the smoking of marijuana as probable cause for improperly operating a vehicle while under the influence but they can rightly do so if a driver is drinking alcohol.

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

Professional experience reading and interpreting the law for the last 33 years. I have represented municipalities, businesses and individuals throughout Connecticut in every courthouse. I have served for decades in volunteer positions throughout the state and in New Canaan. I have elected experience on the Town Council and as a State Rep for 20 years.

In my over 26 years in New Canaan, I have been actively coaching, volunteering, and assisting in starting numerous non-profits including Staying Put in New Canaan (original counsel and Board Member), Voices of 9/11 (original counsel and Board Member/Treasurer), New Canaan Rink Inc (original Board member and Vice President) and many others. While on the Town Council, I was one of the most vocal proponents of buying the movie theater, Irwin Park to avoid massive development and constructing sidewalks throughout town linking parks and schools. I was also the initial advocate of outdoor dining in 2006 starting on Forest Street and then expanding throughout town years before many other towns even thought of doing so as a result of COVID.

I have been an active parishioner of Saint Aloysius and I'm a Fourth Degree in the Knights of Columbus. I recently became a member of CERT. I often speak with the Governor and House and Senate Leadership on many issues and have their respect and consider them friends. My opponent has only been in town or even the state of Connecticut for a few years and has never held elected office.

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

Some of the most impactful legislation I've been able to get passed includes the Narcan bill which, as I said, has saved thousands of lives, a fix to 8-30g which will encourage towns to build more affordable housing and get credit for it along with working on a bipartisan basis to bring millions of dollars into the district for the newly renovated theater, the ice rink, along with multiple millions in Stamford for everything from school construction to Mill River Park. As the Deputy Leader, I negotiate every bill before and after it is called to the floor. I am very proud of my bipartisan reputation and success as a legislator.

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

I love representing the 125th District and would greatly appreciate your vote to continue doing so.