Town Treasurer Barbara Labriola vs Board of Education Jane Wisialowski
Democrat Jane Wisialowski and Republican Barbara Labriola are running for the 23rd House of Representatives seat, which represents the towns of Lyme, Old Lyme, Old Saybrook and the southern part of Westbrook.
Wisialowski, of Old Saybrook, was defeated in 2024 by Republican Devin Carney, who has decided not to run after serving for six terms.
Wisialowski has served on the Board of Education since 2023 and the Board of Selectmen since 2025. She was also on the Parks and Recreation Commission. She said that if elected, she would step down from the Board of Education, but would stay on as a selectman. She also is a conservator appointed by the probate court, helping individuals with health care and financial decisions.
Labriola, of Old Saybrook, is currently serving her third term as town treasurer. Before moving to Old Saybrook in 2017 from Wallingford, she served as the town clerk there for 13 years. She has also worked as a Realtor and previously was the chairwoman of the Connecticut Real Estate Commission for six years.
If elected she said she would remain as treasurer.
Labriola said she decided to run because she wants to help make the state a more affordable place, so people like her four daughters and six grandchildren can live here long term.
Her main goals are to push for local control of town education, local control of town zoning, and preservation of the environment. She said she does not support breaking the state’s fiscal guardrails and would like to work on eliminating all taxes on Social Security.
Wisialowski said her interest in politics goes back years, but said her decision to run again is partly driven by what she has seen happening nationally and a desire to see another blue wave of Democratic victories.
Some of her main goals if elected include pushing for an increase in state funding for local schools, protecting the enrollment, fighting for more state funding for towns and standing up for first responders and their needs. She also wants to push for affordable childcare for families.
Housing and development
Wisialowski said she supports creating more affordable housing, but wants development to reflect the needs of each town. She said she believes the state needs to find housing options that work for the different communities in the district.
“I think that’s something that I’m going to have to stand up for as the state rep, to make sure that we’re able to keep the charm and the feel of our towns, but still try and bring more options to younger families, to people who are trying to age in the town that they want to live in,” Wisialowski said.
Wisialowski also said the rising cost of housing is especially difficult for seniors on fixed incomes and younger families. She said there are not enough affordable rental options and that the cost of living is making it harder for people to stay in town.
Labriola said she does not support overriding local zoning laws to allow affordable housing, but does think the state needs to work to create better affordable housing options. She said she has found that it has been hard for local young first responders to find affordable housing and said that if elected she would like to work with people across the aisle to create better affordable housing for young people.
Labriola also said development should be balanced with protecting the shoreline’s character. She said towns need to protect clean water, watersheds and open space, while preserving forests, farmland and fields from development.
“We’re so blessed. I think the 23rd district is probably the most beautiful scenic district. … I really want to work to make it stay special,” Labriola said.
Flock cameras
Labriola said she does not support flock cameras and believes they infringe on privacy rights. She said she would like to propose legislation to ban them. As far as pushing for legislation that would ban or regulate other Automated License Plate Reader technology, Labriola said she would have to talk to her towns’ police chiefs first to see how they would be used and why they are needed.
Wisialowski said that she wants to help give police the tools they need to do their job, but also wants to protect residents’ privacy. She said she would have to talk to the police to have a better understanding of the technologies’ pros and cons and how they work.
“I’m not against the technology to catch people who are doing things that are really dangerous, but not at the cost of of our privacy,” Wisialowski said.
Data centers
Both candidates agreed the state should be cautious when it comes to the development of data centers and should consider their environmental impacts.
Labriola said that there should be a moratorium on data centers and the state should work to learn more about their short- and long-term effects.
Wisialowski said she is concerned how much electricity and water data centers use, particularly the amount of water needed to cool them.
Pension debt
Labriola said she supports keeping the fiscal guardrails in place to continue paying down the state’s more than $30 billion pension debt, but said talk of moving funds around is unacceptable because the state owes it to taxpayers to continue the path it is on.
Wisialowski said Connecticut has made good progress in addressing its pension debt over the past eight years under the Lamont administration. She said she supports continuing to examine the state’s fiscal guardrails.
SNAP/ACA cuts
Wisialowski said she believes the state should help people who have lost access to SNAP benefits by connecting them with other state programs. She also supports potentially opening up the state insurance plan to more people as a way to help with health care costs.
She said free breakfast and lunch programs can help families with children and said the state should work to help those affected by the cuts.
Labriola said that she does not like seeing anyone who needs assistance get it taken away.
“If you need your help, you should be getting it. Everything is so expensive today. If you need it, it shouldn’t be cut. So I would definitely be an advocate for helping people get that,” Labriola said.
Immigration
Labriola said she supports creating a better pathway for immigrants to come to the country legally and gain citizenship, but said that she supports ICE enforcement if a person has committed a serous crime such as murder. She also questioned ICE’s methods.
“I would have to support support ICE going after those committing serious crimes, but not in schools or churches. I don’t believe that they should have masks covering their faces. … I always thought law enforcement people were supposed to identify who they are,” Labriola said.
Wisialowski said she’s heard of families being town apart, which is devastating, and that immigrants are an important part of the work force. She said standing up to ICE is something she would push for.
“We’re a melting pot country. We should embrace people coming and making our country better. … It really is painful to think about what ICE is coming in and doing and the way that they’re doing it,” Wisialowski said.
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