CT Patch Candidate Profile: Kara Rochelle For State Representative

DERBY, CT — Election Day on Nov. 5, 2024, is fast approaching, and there are a number of key races on the ballot in Connecticut.

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

Kara Rochelle, 41, a Democrat, is running for state representative of the 104th House District.

What city or town do you live in?

Ansonia.

Education

I'm Valley born and raised. My education includes Seymour High School, Class of 2001, Fordham University, Class of 2005, where I graduated with a B.A. in English and Certificate for completion of a Masters Program as an Undergraduate in Adolescent Education. I also completed the National Legislative Leaders Foundation’s Emerging Leaders Program. I was one of 50 state legislators nationwide (out of 700+ state legislators nationally) to be nominated for and selected to this leadership program. Growing up in the Valley to a blue collar family, I am proud to have learned the importance of hard work, giving back to the community, and civic engagement. I saw often that watching my father dedicate his life to the volunteer fire service as well as his involvement as a Teamster union steward at Sikorsky instilled a deep appreciation for working class values. My mother, a small business owner, had a home daycare and installed in me a deep appreciation for education and early childhood development. My family had me volunteering in the community from a young age, and to this day I still volunteer for many causes. Public service, to me, has little to do with politics and everything to do with helping others and improving conditions for the people in my community.

Occupation

I am the current State Legislator for the 104th Assembly District. I am also a Field Organizer for a national healthcare workers union affiliated with AFSCME, where I help workers to unionize and collectively bargain for fair wages and better working conditions. I set my own hours which provides a great deal of flexibility, which is essential for anyone who wants to do the legislative work fully and well.

Family

I come from a family four generations deep in the Valley. My great grandfather, Paolo Santilli, immigrated here from Italy and I was blessed to have him in my life until I was 15. My grandmother was the Seymour Registrar of Voters for over 43 years. She instilled me a strong understanding of the civic process. My parents were working class heroes to me. My father, a line worker at Sikorsky, was a union steward for the Teamsters and my mother was a small business owner, who not only had a home daycare but created a valley-wide daycare association, helping parents to find quality childcare and helping other daycare owners to access professional development and resources for their business. My older sister, Gina, is an award winning family law lawyer who attended Brandeis for undergrad, and Harvard Law School. My little brother Jared, who is on the spectrum, is an Eagle Scout who is currently working towards his black belt. My little sister, Wynonna, is the general manager of two locations of a highly successful hair salon group. My family is a tight-knit Italian family, and we truly value family, kindness, hard work, and giving back. I have a puppy named Franklin (a.k.a. FDR), and two cats: Gio and Max..

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

My father is the State Emergency Response Fire Coordinator for New Haven County, a volunteer position he was appointed to before my time in office. My grandmother was the Registrar of Voters in Seymour for 43 years. My aunt Rosalie Averill has served in various civic roles, including on the board of the Naugatuck Valley Health District. My sister Gina donates her time through the Attorneys Representing Children (ARC) program in the Norfolk Probate and Family Court in MA.

Previous public office, appointive or elective:

I am in my third term as the State Representative for the 104th Assembly District. Prior to that, I served on the Derby Ethics Board.

Why are you seeking this office?

I’m running for the people of this community. I always say, I love the public service and hate the politics. People must come first, and I never get distracted from that. For me, this is about your wellbeing, your stability and your opportunity for prosperity. Times are tough economically for a lot of residents, and I’ve worked hard to deliver meaningful tax cuts, relief through prescription drug savings programs, expansion of affordable childcare, investment in our schools, in job training programs for adults, and game-changing investment in economic redevelopment in Ansonia and Derby to name a few. And that’s leadership you can count on. It’s important to me that you have a public servant who is down to earth, puts your needs first, advances laws that will make your lives easier, and is capable of bringing home funding and resources to our community. Being organized, detail-oriented, and having a knack for coalition building has delivered major results for us, from the investment in our train line to our brownfields/old factory sites, the Rt. 34 widening to our schools, job training programs, and we still have so much more to do together. As your State Representative, I prioritize being accessible to the people of Ansonia and Derby holding regular community listening sessions to ensure everyone is included in the conversation about how to build our community up and improve peoples’ lives.

It is also deeply important to me that we have a leader who treats every resident with dignity and respect and that is why you have put your trust in me to be your leader in Hartford for the past six years. At the capitol, I have been highly effective at building coalitions on important issues around education, healthcare, economic development, and investment in our community. My record speaks for itself. Leadership has advanced me to the role of Majority Whip at Large, Vice Chair of the Higher Education & Employment Advancement Committee, and to the powerful Screening Committee which decides what bills make it to the house floor. This comes down to a very simple matter: who will stay focused on our community, who has the relationships and experience to get laws passed, and who will tirelessly work to deliver the resources needed to move Ansonia and Derby forward.

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

The biggest issue is that our residents are struggling economically. The cost to rent or buy a home is a big piece of the puzzle, as well as local property taxes, and cost of childcare, prescription drugs, and everyday expenses. People are doing more with less, and we must work smarter and harder to address these issues. Recently I helped cut over $1 Billion in income taxes for middle and working class residents. I've helped eliminate taxes on retirement income. I've helped increase property tax credits for residents, and helped to cut and cap car taxes. Looking forward, I intend to deliver more tax cuts for my hardworking neighbors. I have a set of bills I'm eager to introduce to help address the housing crisis, from expanding fair rent commissions to growing first-time homebuyer programs. I've delivered record high town aid to encourage my towns to stabilize and lower taxes. I support a permanent child tax credit, expansion of tax credits for seniors, and expansion of the Care4Kids program so more families can get affordable childcare, amongst other measures.

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?

Yes. First, we have put millions into installing wrong-way driving alert systems. We must toughen the penalties for impaired driving and distracted driving, which I support. I also strongly supported a measure to address street takeovers, empowering communities to levy hefty fines for those who participate and allow for the confiscation of vehicles used for such dangerous activities. The bill also created a path to permanently take the license from those who participate in street takeovers. I work collaboratively with the police, and am proud to have the endorsement of three police unions: The Connecticut State Police, Connecticut Police & Fire Union, and AFSCME, which represents a wide range of police departments and corrections officers, including the Derby Police in my district.

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

I bring a depth of experience, high level of professionalism, and record of effective legislating that is unrivaled. All of the bills I have authored have earned strong bipartisan support, because the policy I write is common-sense and produces real results to improve the state, from workforce development bills to policy that protects seniors and the disabled from predatory bank practices. My drive and attention for detail has paid off, delivering millions in state dollars for my district--something neither of my challengers can honestly claim. My endorsements are wide-ranging, from the CT AFL-CIO and Building Trades to police and fire unions, the CT Realtors Association, Moms Demand Action, and many more. This speaks to the quality of my work as a legislator. The other big difference that sets me apart is that I am squarely a public servant--not a politician--and do this work for the love of my neighbors. I hold regular public events to invite my to speak with me, share ideas, and collaborate on policy ideas. This work is about making lives better, and I am firmly grounded and humble about the importance of this type of public service. And it has paid off. No other candidate can boast over a billion dollars in tax cuts for middle and working class residents, $19.7m in education increases for our schools, or having created free job training for the community, free teen programming, a prescription drug savings program, or expanding affordable healthcare or childcare for our residents.

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

It is a fact that I have delivered the largest increases to town aid and education funding in history for my district. It is also a fact that I have helped deliver over $1 billion in tax cuts for middle and working class CT residents. Locally, I have proven to be strategic and effective in bringing in big funding for key projects to move the district forward. This includes $23.44 million for the clean up and redevelopment of the Ansonia Brass/SHW/Farrell site in Ansonia. The Governor directly credited me for being the reason that funding has come in. As he put it, "Kara never lets go, and that's why we're here." I have a vision for this district, and I'm delivering on that vision. Beyond transforming our old factories and working to return the land to meaningful use for jobs, I also was instrumental in finally getting the Rt. 34 widening project in Derby going, which sets the table for downtown development in Derby. I led the way on getting increased service for the Waterbury Rail Line, and also in securing $22m for modernization and upgrades to Ansonia and Derby train stations, and $65m to get new train cars ordered for our line. Beyond my vision for redevelopment and these big ticket items, I am constantly looking for and securing real dollars to help in lives of local residents. This includes $100k annually so the Boys & Girls club can offer free teen programming to Ansonia and Derby teens, critical so our teens grow to be strong young adults. I've also secured funds to make major improvements to senior housing, improve our parks, and other items important in our neighborhoods and daily life. In short, I deliver and I do so in a comprehensive way for our people in the 104th.

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

I am a true public servant at heart, and passionate about the people of this community. I believe in working hard, remaining humble, doing the work quietly and delivering big. And when my residents face problems, I don't just fix the issue for them--it often inspires a bill to fix the root cause. I am proud of my record, and hope to earn the support of my neighbors to continue this important work.