Until Wednesday, voters in the southerly parts of Stonington and Groton could have expected to have the option of casting a ballot in November for Joe de la Cruz, the incumbent Democrat whose 41st District is shifting east under redistricting based on the 2020 Census.

On the opening day of the General Assembly session, de la Cruz stood to announce that he would not run for re-election to the state House of Representatives at the end of this term. The reason, he said, is financial. 

"The $30,000 we make for this illustrious job is truly not enough to live on or retire on," he said in remarks in the House chamber. De la Cruz is about to turn 51.

Joe de la Cruz and all his legislative colleagues represent constituents as part of a so-called hybrid legislature. Under the definition of the National Conference of State Legislatures, legislators in hybrid states devote 74 percent of a full-time job to their legislative duties and normally need another source of income.

Of the 26 hybrid state assemblies, the average pay is $41,110. Connecticut pays an annual base of $28,000 plus $4,500 session pay to each representative and $5,500 to each senator. If a lawmaker opts for the state health insurance, it is counted as an additional $5,000 compensation. Connecticut sets legislative salaries on the basis of recommendations from a commission but has not made any changes in legislative salaries since 2000.

De la Cruz was not looking for a raise. What he could no longer afford was time. The stress of giving their best to the people's work and their own careers is a heavy burden for many in the General Assembly. Some jobs cannot be done remotely, like the sheet metal fabricating de la Cruz does as a vice president for the Hillery Company in Groton.

Voters may think legislators work only when in session, but that is incorrect. Constituents seek one-to-one help when they have problems with government, such as the red tape of unemployment claims, which soared during the pandemic. And there is no faking it: Each legislator has to stay in close touch with all the mayors and selectman boards and school superintendents in the multi-town districts they represent. For senators that can be nine or more local governments expecting ongoing communication on state funding and other issues.

Connecticut residents benefit from the easy access to lawmakers who come back from Hartford every night after a session. They encounter each other in local stores or meet in their roles as people working in their hometowns. Watching a politician progress from the RTM to the Town Council and then get elected to the statehouse gives voters the benefit of familiarity when it comes to choosing a candidate. It can also inspire young people to want to try for elective office. The state has reason to be satisfied with its form of citizen government.

To his announcement last week Joe de la Cruz added the statement, "I want to remind you of all the voices that never made it here that would sound like my voice ... because of the limitations we have." He was raised in the housing projects in New London, has a Hispanic surname and works in a blue collar industry, but he was not directly referring to those attributes.

What he meant by "limitations" was simply the need to be at work in two jobs. Neither he nor most legislators are independently wealthy. Other work is a necessity, and for the conscientious it is a strain to do both. In an election year there is the added need to raise funds, whether or not a candidate has family and friends who can contribute.

The need for capable, dedicated candidates for elective office has never been greater, and neither have the obstacles for such people to volunteer to serve. The legislature will always need the voices of hard-working people who can't afford to quit their day jobs. Raises would not eliminate the obstacles entirely, but after 22 years without one, it is time to review the demands on citizen legislators doing the people's business.

The Day editorial board meets with political, business and community leaders to formulate editorial viewpoints. It is composed of President and Publisher Timothy Dwyer, Executive Editor Izaskun E. Larraneta, Owen Poole, copy editor, and Lisa McGinley, retired deputy managing editor. The board operates independently from The Day newsroom.