Devin Carney, a 2002 Old Saybrook High School graduate, was elected in November to his sixth term as State Representative for Connecticut’s 23rd district. As he heads into his next term, Carney said he has plans to continue to make his district of Lyme, Old Lyme, Westbrook, and Old Saybrook, a comfortable place to live by managing energy costs and getting residents into on-demand jobs. Along with that, Carney expressed ways he believes youth and first time voters can get involved in local politics.
The cost of energy in Connecticut is above the national average, and Carney said addressing this will be one of his biggest focuses moving into the next session. Carney said, “A few months ago people had sticker shock as a result of energy prices skyrocketing.” Carney shared that they are trying to figure out how the state can both move forward with cleaner energy while also balancing the cost effects that process has on the municipalities.
Another focus of Carney’s is an increased push towards “on-demand” jobs, citing examples such as manufacturing, Electric Boat, and the Lee Company. He shared his excitement about the recent welding lab Westbrook High School installed. He said, “I would like to see more of that, not only in my district but in other districts as well to try and push students into careers where they can graduate from high school and instantly start earning an income, and go on from there and earn an even better income.” Carney said that he believes that there has been too big a push to get kids to college: “Not every kid needs to go to college, certainly some should but not everyone does. I think having that local support for those students makes a world of difference.”
Speaking specifically about public education, Carney shared one of the problems he sees is that there is legislation created that he feels doesn’t serve the districts he represents well. He said, “We do unfortunately have a pretty big gap when it comes to public education, there’s some schools that are really struggling and I think we should do what we can to improve those school districts and get those kids the best education possible. At the same time . . . if a school is doing things right, like Old Saybrook and Lyme-Old Lyme . . . I don’t think the state should be getting involved in that education in terms of this one-size fits all mentality.” Carney has been on the education committee for four years. Early childhood education has been a topic of discussion within the committee as well. He said, “There has been a big push to try and figure out what to do there, so I’m sure there is going to be ongoing conversation with that as childcare gets more and more expensive . . . increasing those options and figuring out what the best policy is moving forward as a state.”
When it comes to keeping up with the districts he represents he makes a strong effort to get people who move here involved. Carney said, “I’m in the district all the time and I try to meet as many new people as possible. I send out new voter letters [to] anyone that registers to vote in the district . . .which have all my contact information, a Facebook page, how to get in touch with me if they have ideas or concerns to let me know.”
High school senior and first time voter Stephanie Rivera said that while she did not vote for Carney in the 2024 election, she feels optimistic for the future. Rivera said, “Listening to his focuses I think it sounds good, I like the idea of working towards greener energy but managing costs for people.” She said that she chose to vote for Carney’s opponent, Jane Wisialowski, because she liked her drive to protect women’s health rights and find solutions to global warming. Rivera said she feels she is engaged in national politics, but would like to become more invested in local politics. One of her concerns was about our local budgeting: “I’m not a fan of how much money the police department gets over our education . . . that’s the general understanding I have.”
Carney referred to younger voters when he gave advice to check facts and ensure that they do their own research and get information from reliable sources. Carney said, “Be open minded, and recognize . . . there’s a lot of things on the state and local level that affect people.” He also suggested that young voters and people do research into how local and state government works. He shared that he wants young people to know that they can make a difference. Elaborating, Carney said, “They can reach out to the first selectman, they can reach out to me or our state senators with an issue or an idea and know that they are just as valuable as somebody older or somebody who’s been a voter a long time.” More specifically, Carney said to anyone interested in getting involved that they could go to town committee meetings, saying that it’s important for young voters to know that they don’t have to fit perfectly into one political party, and that you can have varied views. Carney said, “There’s republican town committees, democratic town committees in each town so if you have a certain political persuasion maybe going to one or those meeting or go to both . . . seeing what fits you best.”
Finally, Carney shared, “I would encourage any student to get in touch with me if they have any ideas, or thoughts, or if they want to get involved.”
