Posted on November 9, 2023
In a Wednesday newspaper advertisement, State Representative Cindy Harrison (R-69) thanked each of the candidates who ran for office during this most recent election, congratulated the winners, and announced she will retire from office when her term expires on January 8, 2025.
Rep. Harrison said she was pleased the themes she has championed at the state level, namely fiscal responsibility and opposing tax increases, were echoed in the campaigns of many of Tuesday’s election winners. She said she looks forward to working with returning and newly elected officials in Southbury, Bridgewater, Roxbury, and New Milford in her last year of public service.
First elected to state office in 2020, Rep. Harrison most recently defeated a primary challenger before running unopposed in 2022’s general election. Following three years of dedicated service and after much soul searching and many conversations with family, Rep. Harrison decided not to seek reelection so she can spend more time with her family in retirement.
“While I will miss serving the people of Southbury, Bridgewater, Roxbury, New Milford and Washington in Hartford, I am ready to start my second retirement and focus entirely on my family,” Rep. Harrison said. “I sincerely appreciate the incredible support the people of the 69th have shown me and it is my honor to continue to serve as their voice until my term expires in January, 2025.
Rep. Harrison was twice endorsed by the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP), was graded 100% by the Connecticut Business and Industry Association (CBIA) for voting for legislation that supported businesses and job creation in Connecticut, and championed measures to support Connecticut’s legal gun owners. She was among only 36 state legislators (out of 151) to be endorsed by the Connecticut Citizens Defense League (CCDL) in 2022.
Rep. Harrison proudly noted that her “no days off” work ethic and her connection to the people of Southbury, Bridgewater, Roxbury, New Milford, and Washington were extremely important to her service. She posted a perfect, 100% voting attendance record for the 2021, 2022, and 2023 legislative sessions, casting a vote for each of the 1,059 pieces of legislation put before the General Assembly. She expects another perfect voting record in 2024 as she finishes her service to the people of the 69th District.
“I promised to serve the 69th District in the areas that matter most to its citizens, which is why our campaigns resonated with the people regardless of political party. I promised to do the work, so I never took any days off. I consistently voted with my conscience and in line with the men, women, and families of this wonderful District,” Rep. Harrison said.
“Cindy represented Washington, Connecticut, when our town was in her District and even when it wasn’t,” Joan Lodsin, Chairman of the Washington Republican Town Committee, said. “While she worked hard for the District, she also worked hard for all citizens of this State. Cindy has truly been a breath of fresh air in state politics that will be missed. She promised to go to Hartford to vote against big budgets, against new taxes, and to support the police and legal gun owners. She did just that. I felt that none of her votes ever required an explanation. How refreshing is that?”
“People told Cindy that being a State Representative was a part-time job, but she was there full-time and then some,” George Bertram, former Southbury Selectman who worked alongside Harrison for six years, said. “Cindy’s appeal is that she’s not a politician, she’s a CPA, a cattle farmer, a wife, a mother, a friend … maybe not in that order. There’s an honesty in that that cannot be faked.”
“Cindy Harrison is a fantastic servant for her constituents and the State of Connecticut, and her contributions on issues tied to affordability, economic development, and state budgetary policy will be sorely missed when she retires. I look forward to working with her throughout the next year as she prepares to leave the General Assembly, and I know she’ll remain a meaningful contributor in the policy-making process until her term expires at the start of 2025,” House Republican Leader Rep. Vincent Candelora said.