Between new district lines and a lack of real opposition, state Rep. Christine Conley, D-Groton, said, “it’s been a different campaign,” as she seeks a fourth term in the 40th District house seat.

The only opponent on the ballot, Lauren Gauthier, is on the Independent Party line, but is acting as a placeholder to “help the Independents maintain their party line.” She and Conley squared off in the 2020 election, with Gauthier on both the Republican and Independent ticket lines.

Conley won the election with 58.9% of the vote to secure her third term in office.

Groton Town Councilor Scott Westervelt, a Republican, had been on the ballot as a placeholder as well, before dropping off at the end of September.

“I would hope that my candidacy is leading towards a future for voters to have more options on the ballot,” Gauthier said.

Since new district lines were drawn in 2020, the 40th District now consists of the Town of Groton north of I-95, the northern part of the City of Groton and the southern portion of New London.

With New London replacing Ledyard in her district, Conley said she wants to work on securing funding for the New London community center to get it “further along in the construction phase.”

Conley is excited at the idea of representing New London.

“It’s a wonderful challenge, I believe, because New London is the hub of our services,” she said, pointing to the slew of social services and nonprofits in the city.

Conley, 40, lives in Groton with her husband, Tim Beebe, and is an attorney at Embry Neusner Arscott & Shafner, LLC. She is a Connecticut Board Certified Workers’ Compensation Specialist and a member of the Executive Committee of the Workers’ Compensation Section. She received her law degree from Western New England University School of Law and her Bachelor of Science degree from Bay Path University.

Prior to her time in the General Assembly, Conley was a three-term member of the Representative Town Meeting of Groton and was elected moderator. She also served on the Golf Advisory Board for Groton Parks and Recreation.

Now a veteran legislator, Conley said she is looking forward to a fourth term in office. As a freshman in her first term after the 2016 election, Conley said she would look to others for help.

“Now, I’m being sought out for help,” Conley said.

She said the help from senior House members in her first term allowed her to be more independent in her second term, when she helped codify pre-existing health conditions and maternity care in Connecticut state law as part of the "10 essential health benefits" in the Affordable Care Act.

Her third term was marred by the global pandemic. Conley recalled how representatives had to put lawmaking on the back burner while they answered phone calls from residents who needed help with social services and held Zoom meetings to explain executive orders from the governor’s office. Once vaccines were available, she said things slowly returned to normal and representatives were able to focus on mental healthcare issues and the following year’s budget.

She said she’s been campaigning door to door as she continues to work on healthcare, voting rights, reproductive health and community funding issues.

Gauthier said she had “a lot of life changes,” such as the birth of a son and a career change that did not allow her to dedicate the time necessary to run a campaign.

Gauthier explained that by keeping her name on the ballot, the Independent Party could qualify for funding from the State Election Enforcement Commission (SEEC), if she receives a large enough percentage of the vote. She said that the Citizen’s Election Program guidelines call for candidates to raise $5,800 from 250 people in the district.

Third-party candidates have to do that plus get 20% of registered voters to sign a petition in order to receive full grant funding. If Gauthier receives 15% of the vote, she said an Independent Party candidate in 2024 will not have to petition.

Affordable Housing

Conley said the affordable housing issue is not new and is something she’s seen “for years.” She said the Groton/New London area is “blessed” with growing companies that bring employees and their families to the area. But they need somewhere to live.

“We do have the affordable housing necessary where we’re not facing any state penalties,” Conley said. “but we still need more housing that’s affordable for families.”

She said residents may not be able to afford rent or a down payment on a home while also paying for child care, utility bills and student loans. As a member of the planning and development committee for the last six years, Conley said they put bills through every year to help with zoning regulations and housing stock.

Abortion

As a member of the Judiciary Committee, Conley helped write house bill 5414 and said she supports all efforts to make Connecticut a safe haven for women seeking abortions. She was “so saddened” when her own OBGYN told her that women were already traveling from out of state to his office for care.

“We need to make our laws very strong, because it’s most important that women have good healthcare,” Conley said.

State surplus

When it comes to the more than $4 billion surplus in Connecticut, Conley said “the extra rainy day funds have to go toward pensions,” and said the pension problem has been ongoing for the last 70 years.

Conley voted on the budget in 2017 that created the volatility cap, which requires the state take excess revenue from categories deemed volatile and put them aside in the Budget Reserve Fund or what is known as the “Rainy Day Fund.” As of Sept. 21, $2.8 billion are available to pay down pension debt.

Climate change

Conley showed her support for clean energy alternatives when she voted for the Clean Air Act earlier this year, which invests funds into water and wind energies. Conley explained the cleaner energy alternatives are costly compared to oil and gas, which is why she said, “we need to invest” in the growing technologies.

She said the same problems with electric vehicles have persisted in her six years on the Transportation Committee. While state residents can purchase electric cars, manufacturers want special provisions in the law which has prevented the electric car bill from moving forward. She said safety standards need to be the same across the board and is hopeful the bill will be ready for next year.

2020 Election and voting

Conley said that Joe Biden won the 2020 Election. She said she was “very disheartened” by the events of Jan. 6, 2021 and said those involved “committed treason.” She recalled getting sworn in at the State Capitol that day and watching the events unfold on TV. She said people in Hartford were also protesting, though not at the same level as those in Washington.

“I’d like to see it go back to more of a normalcy where people can I have an opinion (with) pro(s) and con(s),” Conley said on the nation’s polarization.

Conley said she supports early voting and will vote ‘yes’ for it again this fall. She’s a proponent of absentee ballots as well and said, “we should encourage more people to vote”

Short-term rentals

The region, and Groton specifically, has faced issues with short-term rentals. As Groton works on potential regulations to remedy the problem, Conley said it would not be right for the legislature to intervene and set standards for the entire state as some coastal communities already have regulations in place that work well.

k.arnold@theday.com