Round 2: Adams v. Ryan in rematch in 139th House race

This year's race for the 139th House District seat is a rematch between longtime Democratic incumbent State Rep. Kevin Ryan, D-Montville and Republican Mark Adams, a relative newcomer to the political arena. Adams, 51, of Norwich, is a public safety officer at Connecticut College and father of three, who said he is counting on people in the district looking for a change from Democratic policies that have led to higher costs and concerns about public safety.Adams first got a taste for politics when he ran unsuccessfully for a seat on the Norwich City Council in 2021 and lost by just 10 votes. "The people of Connecticut have the opportunity this November to vote for Republican candidates like myself who want to make a change for the better and work for them, not special interests or party-only policies," Adams said. Ryan, 72, of Montville is an adjunct professor of physics at the University of New Haven who is seeking his 17th term in office. Ryan said he remains driven by the needs of his constituents with a focus on education and health issues and to push for funding for projects needed by the municipalities he serves. "This kind of work is rewarding, helping individuals with problems by working through government. I can have an effect on people's lives," Ryan said.Ryan is a member of the General Assembly's appropriations, public health, environment and legislation regulation review committees and this year is serving as the chairman of the Council of State Governments, a nonpartisan organization that Ryan said brings lawmakers together from different states to share policy ideas. For the 2023-2024 legislative session, he was appointed as assistant deputy speaker pro tempore.The 139th district encompasses parts of Montville, Norwich and Ledyard. Ryan narrowly defeated Adams in 2022 with 53% of the vote across the three towns. In his first time running for a state office, Adams surprised some by out polling Ryan in Montville where he secured 51% of the votes. Rising costs and crimeBoth candidates acknowledged the struggle of families over the past several years dealing with higher costs linked to inflation. Ryan said he would look to maintain the state's fiscal guardrails while "finding room to provide resources for citizens in the state."Democrats, Ryan said, over the past two years have instituted tax cuts to help ease the burden for residents, have paid down the state's pension debt and presided over a state where statistics show crime is down.Enacted by the legislature with a bipartisan effort in 2017, the fiscal guardrails established a state spending cap and bolstered the state employees' pension fund, among other things.While the latest FBI statistics show that overall crime dropped by 4% in the state in 2022 some cities reported upticks in certain violent crimes. Adams said he believes people overall feel less safe in Connecticut and the drop in the number of police officers has led to "a lack of ability to cover and protect our neighborhoods and roadways."Adams said the passage of the Police Accountability Act in 2020 led to concerns about lawsuits and a decrease in police morale, recruitment and retention. Democrats, Adams said, have "continued to systematically target law enforcement," and in the last legislative session unsuccessfully pushed to establish laws that would limit motor vehicle stops for traffic violations. Considering the rise in traffic fatalities in the state, Adams said, "this type of behavior is not only dangerous, irresponsible and reckless by the legislators that voted for these bills but also appear to serve special interests.""I vow to work tirelessly to protect our communities and families from the rise in crimes by recruiting officers and ensuring criminals are prosecuted appropriately," Adams said. Ryan acknowledged that police recruitment is down in the state and nationwide and said he would look to see if the state could provide more incentives to boost the number of people seeking law enforcement as a profession. He said state lawmakers have enacted measures to address particular crimes when appropriate, such as a law passed in 2022 to address a rise in thefts of catalytic converters from motor vehicles. The law makes it illegal for recyclers to purchase a catalytic converter unless it is physically attached to a vehicle. Ryan said of concern more recently is the rise in threats against schools, many of them made on social media, that has led to disruptions statewide. He said the state should look to enforce laws on the books to address the problem or discuss other ways to prevent further issues. Energy Adams said the Democrats erred this year when they did not back Republicans calling for a special legislative session to address rising electrical rates.Adams said the fact that Democrats failed to back a plan by Republicans to curb future costs hikes showed a "lack of responsiveness" to citizens seeking answers about why the residents pay some of the highest electrical rates in the nation. "Be responsive. If you want to be a representative, you want to be a legislator, than show up when the people are calling for you," Adams said. Ryan said Democrats intend to evaluate the pubic benefits charge during the next legislative session. The Connecticut Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA) has said the rise in electric rates experienced in July was due to seasonal usage and a public benefits charge, which includes funding for state energy assistance programs. Previous action to control electricity costs are just coming on line, Ryan said, a reference to the "Take Back Our Grid Act" passed in 2021, which Ryan said contained some significant reforms - including strengthening PURA's ability to scrutinize and review rate increases. In 2023, Ryan said the legislature passed PA23-102 ― more legislation to stem utility company expenses. Support for nonprofitsRyan said that if reelected, he will continue to look for state resources to aid struggling nonprofits."We know that the nonprofits provide valuable services to the most vulnerable in our society - the disabled, the mentally challenged and those suffering from substance abuse issues," Ryan said. Recognition of the savings the nonprofits provide to the state could translate into funding for those organizations in the next budget, he said. It was nonprofits that were instrumental, for example, in turning the tide against the opioid epidemic, he said. Looking aheadWhile Democrats are the majority in Hartford, Adams said his message to voters when campaigning is to vote for the candidate and not the party regardless of political leanings."When I'm at someone's door, I tell people irrespective of party or who you voted for, when I win the election I'm going to represent you as if you did vote for me."Ryan said some of his main priorities, if reelected, will continue to address the affordable housing shortage and to address health care issues, such as the dwindling number of health care providers.Both candidates said they expect the presidential election to boost the number of voters this election but think the local races have more impact on people's everyday lives. g.smith@theday.com