New London — A third candidate has surfaced in the run for the 39th District House seat.

Andrew Lockwood, who ran unsuccessfully as a Republican against state Rep. Ernest Hewett in 2014, has filed paperwork with the state Secretary of the State’s office to run as a petitioning candidate.

The city clerk’s office received notice of Lockwood’s candidacy on Wednesday.

He submitted nearly 80 signatures, which have yet to be verified. He needs just 34 for placement on the ballot in the general election on Nov. 8.

News of Lockwood’s candidacy comes on the morning after Democrat Chris Soto defeated Hewett, a six-term incumbent and party-endorsed candidate, by a nearly 2-to-1 ratio in a primary race.

Lockwood, in a written statement, said his decision to run “is based on the need for active and involved leadership at the state level with respect to the 39th district and southeastern Connecticut as a whole.”

“As has been echoed for many years ‘as goes New London, so goes Southeastern Connecticut,’” he said in the statement. “The challenges facing the families of Connecticut and the 39th district are significant. We must center our focus around fiscal accountability, job growth and real economic development. These are the critical success drivers of New London's 39th district and Connecticut.”

Lockwood said the state’s financial mismanagement has resulted in poorly constructed budgets based on unrealistic revenue estimates, unrealistic borrowing practices and irresponsible, out-of-control spending.

“Things are a mess, massive layoffs of state workers, families being destroyed and corporations leaving our state. Enough is enough,” he said.

Lockwood is the co-chairman of the watchdog group Looking Out for Taxpayers (LOT) and hosts a public access television show. He has made unsuccessful runs for both City Council and mayoral seats.

Soto, 35, said Wednesday that he welcomes another challenger.

“I want to keep this momentum going. By having multiple candidates, we'll allow our base to stay excited,” Soto said.

Earlier this week New London Green Party Chairwoman and Planning and Zoning Commission member Ronna Stuller announced her candidacy for the seat as a Green Party candidate.

“The more the merrier,” Stuller said of Lockwood’s entrance into the race.

Stuller, 67, a retired preschool teacher, said New London is challenged in part because of its high number of nontaxable properties.

Instead of the state dictating the terms of how properties are taxed, she said, municipalities should be empowered to decide on their own how to manage their property tax systems.

“Achieving some kind of economic stability and sustainability is a real challenge in the district because cities and towns in Connecticut really have only the option of property tax to fund our services and our schools,” Stuller said. “It’s a challenge, especially for cities like New London with a large percentage of properties off of the tax rolls.”

She said the municipalities cannot always depend on the education cost-sharing grants or payment in lieu of tax program to be fully funded.

Stuller said if elected, she would also look to reform the state’s drug policies and said the unintended consequences of the country’s war on drugs was too many city residents being incarcerated.

Soto said the state fiscal crisis has had a major impact on New London and he also would look for fiscal stability and accountability.

“I think the challenges are twofold — one is that with the flux of the state finances making sure the state remains committed to the efforts we are doing around the magnet schools,” Soto said.

The city is in the planning stages of a massive high school construction project and a simultaneous conversion into an all-magnet school district, for which it will depend on state funding.

Soto said another major focus in Hartford will be the state fiscal challenges “and how they are trickling down and impacting our municipalities."

“We saw that with our last budget cycle with the city. It’s not going to get any better. There needs to be some serious conversations about what options do we have on the table,” he said.

Soto, a Coast Guard Academy graduate and the founder and director of the nonprofit Higher Edge, said he looks at the fiscal issue from a business perspective.

“What is our plan to make sure we’re going to be fiscally sound?” Soto said.

The 39th House District comprises about two-thirds of the city — the 1st and 2nd Districts.

The city’s 3rd District is part of the 41st House District that includes a large portion of Groton.

g.smith@theday.com