Hartford — State Rep. Joe de la Cruz, D-Groton, announced Wednesday he will not be running for reelection.

During opening remarks on the first day of 2022's legislative session, de la Cruz rose to share his decision. He will continue serving this year, his sixth legislative session.

"The business that I work at and the work that I do has seen a trifold increase," he said. "I'm one of a group of folks who cannot remote their jobs."

A sheet metal worker by trade and vice president of Hillery Company, a metal fabricator in Groton, de la Cruz was elected in 2016 to his first term in the General Assembly after serving on Groton's Town Council and Representative Town Meeting. He ran unopposed for his third term representing the 41st House District that covers portions of Groton and New London. De la Cruz grew up in New London and now lives in Groton. He and his wife, Tammy, also co-founded the addiction outreach group Community Speaks Out because their son was suffering from opioid addiction.

As recently as last week, de la Cruz said, he thought he was going to run for reelection. But on Saturday he called a meeting with his lawyer, his retirement adviser and his wife.

"The $35,000 we make for this illustrious job is truly not enough to live on or retire on," de la Cruz said of being a legislator. "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."

De la Cruz, who grew up in public housing, said in 2020 that the highlight of his career was helping to pass the bill to raise the minimum wage and knowing that he was part of making a change that the people he represents asked for and that directly impacts many of them and their livelihoods. During his time as a legislator, he also has been a staunch advocate for Electric Boat and its workforce.

He said that too often he would miss legislative meetings because of work, and he's decided to commit to one job rather than two.

s.spinella@theday.com