Democrats Honor Gerratana

The current and former Lieutenant Governor and other dignitaries joined local Democrats at a recent event honoring former State Senator Terry Gerratana.

Lieutenant Governor Susan Bysiewicz (D-CT) and former Lieutenant Governor Nancy Wyman praised Gerratana’s long career as a state legislator and in other areas of public service.

Gerratana served New Britain as a State Representative from 1993 to 2003. She represented the Twenty-Third Assembly District which, at the time, included neighborhoods in New Britain and Berlin.

In 2011, Gerrantana was elected to the State Senate, where she represented the Sixth Senatorial District, including all of New Britain and Berlin and neighborhoods in Farmington.

Former Mayor, State Senator and State Commissioner Donald DeFronzo, who Gerratana succeeded in the State Senate, was the master of ceremonies of the event in her honor.

In her eighteen years of serving in the legislature, Gerratana was known as a strong advocate for working people, seniors, education and health care.

Gerratana was perhaps best known for her leadership as chair of the influential legislative Public Health Committee. Her official biography said that

Terry was instrumental in passing children’s health care legislation as well as managed care and mental health reform. She worked to create a breast and cervical cancer early detection and treatment referral program, to require health insurance plans to provide 48-hour inpatient care for mothers and infants after normal child delivery and to create a work incentives program for people with disabilities. In 2016, Senator Gerratana led the charge on a number of critical public health issues, including the passage of a strong, multi-faceted law that seeks to combat opioid addiction and save lives.

Between her service as a State Representative and a State Senator, Gerratana served as a member of the State Elections Enforcement Commission. Prior to being a legislator, she served as a member of the city Ethics Commission when DeFronzo was Mayor.

Gerratana left the Senate earlier this year to take a high-level position in the administration of incoming Gov. Ned Lamont (D-CT). She serves as a senior advisor in the state Office of Health Strategy.

In addition to DeFronzo, Gerratana was also joined at the event by former Mayor Lucian Pawlak. Pawlak, who currently serves as Democratic Registrar of Voters, was joined by other local officials, including the City Council President, Ald. Eva Magnuszewski (D-AL), Ald. Manny Sanchez (D-AL) and Ald. Richard Reyes (D-AL). They were joined by Democratic Mayoral candidate Chris Porcher.

State Representative Bobby Sanchez (D-25) and State Representative Rick Lopes (D-24) were joined at the event by a number of former state legislators from around the state who had served with Gerratana over the years.

These included former Speaker of the House of Representatives Chris Donovan, former Senator Beth Bye, former Senator Ed Gomes and former State Representative David McCluskey.