East Lyme’s Anne Santoro Announces Campaign for Connecticut’s 37th House District

East Lyme, CT---Republican Anne Santoro of East Lyme announced her candidacy for State Representative of the 37th District, consisting of East Lyme and parts of Salem and Montville.

A resident of East Lyme since 1989, Santoro served as the town’s Deputy First Selectman from 2021 to 2023 and a member of its Board of Finance from 2017 to 2021. She is an attorney who practiced municipal and business law.

Santoro said she is running to ensure that the residents, businesses, and municipalities of the 37th District are actually heard, and that their concerns are addressed, especially the high cost of living and doing business throughout the district and the state. “Connecticut has the second highest electric rates and the third highest tax burden in the country,” Santoro pointed out. “That impacts individuals, families, seniors, veterans, and businesses alike. I will bring strong

leadership, thoughtful solutions, and a commitment to affordability to the State Capital.”

Also of particular concern to Santoro is the continued overreach of our state government, including unfunded mandates that municipalities and their taxpayers must bear, the serious erosion of local planning and zoning authority, and proposed legislation that threatens parental rights such as those of homeschooling parents. “These are part of a very troubling trend I will

work to identify and focus on reversing,” Santoro said.

Santoro is committed to ensuring public safety, which she describes as “the first responsibility of government”, as well as supporting law enforcement and all of our first responders. She is similarly committed to excellence and improved outcomes in public education, which she views as “critical to creating opportunity and achieving prosperity.”

Santoro emphasized the need for greater cooperation in Hartford in order to advance successful policies and effective representative government. “We cannot expect to do what’s best for the state, including making it more affordable and prosperous, unless we work diligently across party lines and engage in meaningful analysis and debate of differing viewpoints,” she said.

Santoro said her public service and past legal work have prepared her well for the legislature. As Deputy First Selectman, she took on special leadership roles as Chair of an ARPA Subcommittee to determine the distribution of Covid relief funding, as well as Co-Chair of a Short-Term Rental Committee that produced comprehensive policy recommendations.

As a member of East Lyme’s Board of Finance, Santoro took on lead roles to produce a written town purchasing policy and to review the design and budget for the town’s public safety building.