State Representatives Mitch Bolinsky (R-106) and Martin Foncello (R-107) visited the Newtown Senior Center on April 19 for a “Pizza & Policy” event, where they talked to Newtown seniors about the 2024 Legislative Session and then answered questions on state issues.

Around 45 people attended the event, with many eager to raise their concerns about various issues such as healthcare, transportation, tax relief, aging in place, and affordable senior housing.

To Bolinsky, this event is an extension of the work that he already does on a daily basis.

“In all the 12 years I’ve been serving, my mission has been about talking to people in my constituency and helping people in my constituency every single day,” Bolinsky said. “Even on vacation, I answer my phone and my texts. That’s important to me.”

The event started with residents treating themselves to either plain, pepperoni, or vegetable pizza alongside refreshments such as water, seltzer, and tea.

Attendees were also handed a packet of information detailing the major issues of the 2024 Legislative Session and small cards with Bolinsky’s and Foncello’s contact information, which Foncello referred to as their “baseball cards.”

Both Bolinsky and Foncello encouraged any attendees who were confused about the topics in the booklet and at the event to personally reach out to them, as they want to do what they can to help residents understand the policies that affect them.

“Seriously, if you need to reach us, on the back of those cards, there’s phone numbers, emails, addresses, and so on,” Foncello said. “We want to help you.”

Everyone sat together at tables set with floral centerpieces as they ate and talked amongst themselves before Director of Human Services Natalie Griffith formally introduced Bolinsky and Foncello to the crowd.

As a ranking member of the Legislature’s Aging Committee, Bolinsky said they were aiming for a “quantum shift” in the way the state uses its money.

“We spend huge amounts subsidizing nursing homes … when the best place to be is in your home,” Bolinsky said. “The access to skilled nursing care, of wheelchair ramps and the ability to widen your bathroom door so you can get in with your walker; all of those things are in the process of happening right now in our Aging Committee.”

This focus on helping improve the quality of life for senior citizens serves as the anchor for Bolinsky and his colleagues’ two priority bills in the 2024 Legislative Session.

One is with the Speaker of the House and focuses on supporting seniors “aging in place,” which is the desire for seniors to remain in their own homes while receiving proper care. The other is with the governor and focuses on increasing quality and accountability in nursing home settings.

Attendees also strongly expressed concerns regarding affordable housing, and asked the state representatives what they are doing to address the issue.

Bolinsky explained that they are working to “address it as organically as they can” and that the state does not control housing supply. He and his committee said they also expressed interest in the idea of converting and repurposing long-term care buildings into affordable, independent living communities.

“The goal is to use available real estate, convert it, and to have the community take advantage of it,” Bolinsky said. “We need affordable living options now, and have proposed two regional trial programs to redirect more costly, traditional aging resources into subsidizing or bonding-assistance to retrofit and convert increasingly underutilized, existing facilities.”

Bolinsky also shared that they just applied for and got a state designation for Fairfield Hills Campus as a state historical site. He went on to say that he was happy to speak on the significance of the campus and why he felt it needed to be declared historic and qualify for historical credits.

Some residents, such as attendee Danuta D’Alessandro, expressed their gratitude for the state representatives visiting and talking to the community.

“[Bolinsky] comes here from time to time and talks to us and listens to us, and I just feel this makes us more important and heard as seniors,” D’Alessandro said.

Reporter Jenna Visca can be reached at jenna@thebee.com.