Looking back on Newtown-centric battles won, from protecting educational funding to helping preserve and sustain the beloved Second Company Governor's Horse Guard, incumbent Republican 112th District Representative JP Sredzinski has announced he will be seeking a third term this November.

The youthful lawmaker who represents a number of neighborhoods in southern Newtown, as well as the entire Town of Monroe, has joined Newtown delegation colleague Mitch Bolinsky, who also announced his intention to seek another term at the statehouse in The Newtown Bee last week.

Rep Sredzinski said he filed paperwork with the State Elections Enforcement Commission and the Monroe town clerk's office earlier in February to make his run for re-election official.

He is currently serving as the ranking member of the Public Safety & Security Committee along with serving as a member of the Appropriations and the Energy & Technology Committees of the Connecticut General Assembly. He is also a charter member of the recently formed Fire/EMS Caucus, a bipartisan group of representatives and senators dedicated to working on public safety issues.

"For the last three years it has been my distinct honor to be the state representative for all of my friends and neighbors in the community in which I love," Rep Sredzinski said in a release. "I hope to continue to serve in this role and be an advocate for everyone in the 112th District."

During his second term as a member of the Appropriations Committee, the lawmaker took an active role in fighting the governor's proposals to eliminate nearly all school funding for Monroe and Newtown. Through his advocacy and through the work of the General Assembly, the funding was mostly restored.

"Yes, we have accomplished some things in the past three years and have been able to pass meaningful legislation, but the work is far from over," Rep Sredzinski said. "There are ongoing budget deficits that need to be addressed and the state's economy continues to struggle, something I am committed to help work on in future sessions."

Education Funding

Rep Sredzinski told The Newtown Bee that he joined Senator Tony Hwang, Rep Bolinsky and then-Second District Representative Dan Carter to fight to restore state educational funding that was reduced after Newtown received unanticipated supplemental federal grants to help address post-incident response to the Sandy Hook tragedy, and was successful in having that funding restored.

"The extra funding was directed as responding to the tragedy, so it wasn't appropriate to [factor] that against state special education funding," he said. "There was about $168,000 Newtown should have received, and we worked together with the education committee to restore that. It's not millions of dollars, but it was enough to fund a couple of teaching positions."

As a result of that work, Rep Sredzinski and his delegation were honored by the Newtown Board of Education, he added.

Rep Sredzinski said he also helped to not only repeatedly restore the incremental amount of funding required to keep the Second Company Horse Guard from closing, but supported a successful proposal to allow the Horse Guard to accept funds from private citizens who want to keep and board their own horses at the state facility just off Wasserman Way.

"This is something Mitch Bolinsky and I have been pretty aggressive about, especially since we were both named to the Appropriations Committee.

"We've also spoken to the governor to get funding restored," he said. "The money we're helping restore is primarily for taking care of the [state] horses. All we need are the veterinary fees and the food for the horses. Everything else is coming through volunteer work."

He said that small line item permits Newtown's Horse Guard Division to represent the community at parades and appearances across Connecticut, and to showcase Connecticut's rich military history.

"It's important to us and we've fought to restore those funds numerous times," he added. "And looking more long term, the $80,000 shared between the Horse Guard units in Avon and Newtown can now be supplemented by renting out some of the 30 or so stalls in the barn not being used. Now they are raising their own revenues, and it allows them to be self-sufficient and sustainable for the long term."

Recognition & Fundraising

In terms of other recognition, Rep Sredzinski was previously named a Legislator of the Year by the Police Chiefs Association in both 2016 and 2017; and was named the EMS Legislator of the Year in 2016. He was also inducted into the Fairfield County Business Journal's "40 under 40" group of business and community leaders in 2017.

He is a 15-year resident of Monroe whose past community service includes the Zoning Board of Appeals, the Greater Bridgeport Regional Planning Agency, the Connecticut EMS Advisory Board, and the Monroe Little League. He also served as an elected Town Council member from 2005 until his election to the General Assembly in 2014.

He is an active justice of the peace and holds several professional leadership positions. Rep Sredzinski works full time for the Town of Stratford as a 9-1-1 Dispatch Supervisor and was recently married to Emanuela Palmares.

In closing, Rep Sredzinski also touted the work of freshman delegation colleague Representative Will Duff, who is nearing the end of his first term, and whose Second District includes a number of western Newtown neighborhoods, as well as parts of Danbury, Bethel, and Redding.

"When you are new to the legislature, like I was in 2015, there is a lot to learn," Rep Sredzinski said. "And it really helps that Will had local government service experience before he was elected."

While the lawmaker said that public service experience is certainly not necessary, "it really helps to know what your local first selectmen, Legislative Councils, Boards of Finance and Education have to face."

"To his credit, Will's been part of discussions in all his communities, and when I or Mitch, or Tony [Hwang] needs his help on something, he is there for Newtown," Rep Sredzinski said. "We almost always work together to make that happen, and we've almost always been successful."

Rep Sredzinski is working with his campaign committee on a schedule of events to take place over the coming months that will allow him to continue to meet with Monroe and Newtown residents and discuss their concerns regarding the future of the State of Connecticut.

There will also be a campaign fundraiser held at the Stone Barn (Whitney Farms Golf course) on Saturday, February 24, from 3 to 5 pm, with tickets priced at $40 per person, which includes light fare and a cash bar. Newtown residents and constituents are welcome to attend.

Learn more at his website, or follow Rep Sredzinski on Twitter