Hartford — Eastern Connecticut gained two powerful leadership roles in the state legislature Wednesday with the appointment of state Sens. Paul Formica, R-East Lyme, and Cathy Osten, D-Sprague, as Senate co-chairs of the Appropriations Committee.

In addition to fiscal appropriations, the committee handles the budgets of state agencies, salaries and benefits for state employees, teachers’ retirement and veterans’ pensions and collective bargaining agreements.

Osten’s 19th District touches Formica’s 20th District and represents a large swath of towns in eastern Connecticut from East Lyme north to Columbia.

“I’m very excited and honored,” Osten said after learning the news. “I think we have to start early, work hard and work with the governor’s office ... and have a real hard discussion on where we’re going as a state. I think we have short, medium and long-term issues that need to be dealt with. It’s going to be tough, but that’s why people sent us to Hartford — to deal with the tough issues.”

She promised an "eagle eye" when it comes to new proposals coming into the legislature that would further add to the projected $1.5 billion state budget deficit.

Formica said one of his goals is to have better control of both revenue and spending matters, “to make sure we’re on the same path and in balance.”

“We’ll have to look at every nickel and see what we can do to work together to make it stretch,” Formica said.

He also said he should have no problems working across the aisle with Osten.

“We have two folks that are used to working together on the council of governments in southeastern Connecticut and we’ll continue to be able to work together, understanding issues from Main Street now all the way up to here,” Formica said. “It’s the greatest country in the world when stuff like that can happen.”

The move to appoint two Senate co-chairmen was due to a shift in the balance of power with the Senate now evenly split between Democrats and Republicans, 17 to 17, following the elections in November.

The Appropriations Committee is composed of 58 members: 13 senators and 45 representatives. Formica and Osten are joined by a co-chairman from the House side: state Rep. Toni E. Walker, D-West Hartford.

Formica, who introduced his three daughters on the Senate floor Wednesday, is the owner of Flanders Fish Market and a former East Lyme first selectman. Osten is the first selectwoman of Sprague and a retired state Department of Correction employee.

Formica and Osten were among other legislators gathering for the opening of the 2017 legislative session.

Some of the new faces included state Rep. Holly Cheeseman, R-East Lyme; state Sen. Heather Somers, R-Groton; state Rep. Chris Soto, D-New London; state Rep. Joe de la Cruz, D-Groton, and state Rep. Christine Conley, D-Ledyard.

Cheeseman, in a written statement, said she had proposed legislation pertaining to “state park funding, creating a fair Citizens’ Election Program, supporting our students in making informed career choices, preserving the existing health district structure, and reducing bloated government costs related to state employee pensions and benefits.”

In the midst of the chaos of the legislative session's opening was New London Mayor Michael Passero and Human Services Director Jeanne Milstein, who were both lobbying for support of proposed legislation that would directly impact New London.

One proposal would enact a moratorium on tax-exempt properties in distressed municipalities like New London. Passero said more than 44 percent of the city’s property is tax exempt and the proposed bill was a “chance to stop the hemorrhaging.”

The second proposal would address the growing opioid crisis and lay the groundwork for a statewide certification process for so-called sober houses. There are about 30 sober houses in the city and they mostly operate without regulations. The city had initiated a voluntary certification process on its own but was stalled by a lack of state funding for the project.

Freshman state Rep. Soto said Wednesday that he has looked over the language in the proposals and said he “had some homework to do,” but would look more closely at the potential impacts before making a final decision on whether to introduce or cosponsor the proposals.

“The spirit of what he's trying to accomplish makes sense,” Soto said.

Somers, who was appointed Wednesday as co-chair to the Public Health Committee, expressed her optimism that the eastern Connecticut delegation would work together ”regardless of party affiliation in order to have a strong voice together and do what’s best for our communities. I think we’re on the same page.”

g.smith@theday.com