Tony Hwang is a husband and father of two and the current Republican state senator for the 28th district, currently campaigning for re-election.

Hwang has served as Newtown’s senator for ten years, and shared with The Bee, “I’m grateful and honored and humbled to be the state senator representing Newtown, Sandy Hook … That is my priority, to represent the voices of the people.”

Hwang is a first-generation immigrant who understands what financial challenges can be like and is therefore focusing on addressing the affordability crisis while he is in office.

Hwang pointed out, “[A] critical cost is the cost of doing business and inflationary pressures on our food supplies. It is absolutely essential for us to recognize that food, grocery bills, have increased. Not only for consumers and households, but restaurants.” He added, “How many people realize that we, during the economic challenges of budget deficits years past, added in a 1% surcharge tax on prepared food? Why is that still there?”

He continued asking hard questions, such as, “No one disputes many of the policies that we implemented are good ideas. But what happens when you need to sustain that policy? Who pays for it. It is a respect to budgeting priorities in regards to how we create policies that when money is good, we lay it out. But then, what happens when we struggle? Who funds that program?”

This discussion rolled into a conversation regarding Eversource. Every resident has concerns about their electric bills and how they are going to pay for them.

Hwang has hosted several town hall meetings across district 28 and shared his ideas to combat it publicly. He wants to look at cost pass-throughs of the utilities and proposes a 150% cap on market rates for electric suppliers so ratepayers aren’t stuck in fixed rates like they are with Millstone currently.

“We need to re-evaluate the entire book of business for the entire corporation, just as we need to do that for our health … companies … The fact that we are not in session right now to do the work that is absolutely critical and necessary is disrespectful to the ratepayers. And anybody who says it’s negligible, and that it only saves a couple of dollars is disrespectful of people’s ability to afford to live in the state.”

A specific bill he plans on pushing forward is for insurance companies to provide flood insurance following the historic flooding on August 18. He said, “I will tell you, first thing we’re going to do is create a bill that says, ‘you need to provide flood insurance.’”

This idea stems from Hwang’s passion for climate change awareness and environmental protection and sustainability. He shared, “Environmental protection and sustainability need to be folded into land use, housing density, and loss of habitat for the sake of density housing … make no mistake about it: we do have an affordable, accessible, and diverse housing crisis. Period.”

He said, “Local governance is important … Nunnawauk is a wonderful collaboration with local, state, and federal creating housing blocks that gives access, and all of it affordable. But created a sense of community where the community embraces it, and the state met its goal, and the federal government met its goal to be able to provide accessible housing.”

Hwang’s third, and major goal, while in office, is fighting misinformation.

He responded to his opponent’s ad saying, “It shows an [absolute] lack of understanding the ramifications and the enormity of the emotional impact. If there’s nothing else I’ve done in 10 years as state senator is to honor and respect the memories of those lost and their families, and to help all of us heal and move forward … And I say to people, ‘you think if I was the accusation that you misrepresented, that the people of Newtown and Sandy Hook would allow me to continue to be their state senator?”

He added, “Out of the hundreds of votes that I cast in my career, he cites a bill on playgrounds that was a judiciary committee that never made it out to the floor. And I had said, publicly, that I would have voted against it on the floor.”

Hwang wants his constituents to know he is “not so arrogant to know [he doesn’t] know best … I love what I do.”

Hwang takes his job seriously and with great humility. He said, “Ultimately, I love representing the people of Newtown and Sandy Hook. I take it as an incredible honor and privilege to be someone that they can be proud of, to be their representative, that understands the responsibility and the importance to remember, honor, while helping the community move forward with healing and hope.”

“I’m humbled by the support of the community, and I hope to continue in that role as your state senator.”

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Reporter Sam Cross can be reached at sam@thebee.com.