Chris Poulos

It was a highlight this week to welcome Southington High School students to the State Capitol, along with Superintendent Steven Madancy and Board of Education Chair Colleen Clark. During their “Day on the Hill” we talked about the students’ legislative priorities and toured the House Chamber. It is a priority for me to listen to education stakeholders and support our schools, and I couldn’t be more impressed with our student representatives to the Board of Education. Thanks for visiting!

Please continue reading below for other noteworthy items, and thanks as always for taking the time to read them!

Thank you to Realty 3 CT owners Brian and Shelly Meister Zamudio for hosting the Southington Chamber of Commerce’s Business After Hours networking event this week. It was a great opportunity to meet and talk with Chamber members and learn about their business needs. In my role as your State Representative, I remain committed to supporting the interests of Southington’s small businesses in Hartford.

There was a great vibe last weekend at the O’Shenanigans 5K road race sponsored by the Hartford Marathon Foundation (HMF). I enjoyed welcoming residents, friends, and visitors to Southington before running the race with many of them. A special thank you to Southington businesses Kinsmen Brewing, Sauced, and CJ Public Relations along with all of the generous sponsors for making this community event a success.

Check out the latest episode of the Connecticut Education Association (CEA) podcast to hear State Representative Kevin Brown, a CREC civics teacher, and me share our thoughts as educators serving in the Connecticut General Assembly. We talk with CEA President Kate Dias and Vice President Joslyn Delancey about some of last year’s legislative successes and what issues the Education Committee is considering this session.

Early voting options are now available and anticipating that you may have questions about this new process, I hope the guide below will be helpful in providing information to answer them.

Here's what you need to know:

When is early voting?
For the April 2 presidential preference primary election, early voting will take place from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. on March 26, 27, 28, and 30 at Southington Town Hall in the Lower-Level Conference Room. Due to Good Friday and Easter, there will be no early voting Friday, March 29 or Sunday, March 31.

Early voting for the August 13 primary elections will take place between August 5 and August 11.

Early voting for the November 5 general election will take place between October 21 to November 3.

If you are not yet registered to vote, file your registration application with your town's registrar of voters by noon on the business day before the day you want to vote or click here to register.

Voting is one of our country's most privileged and fundamental rights, and your participation is crucial in shaping the future. Let’s amplify the impact of our collective voice – start voting early!

The Southington Knights of Columbus invites you to support its yearly Easter flowers fundraiser. The money raised by these sales benefits a number of local charities, most notably Bread for Life, St. Luke School, and Coats for Kids. The Knights will be selling flowers at the following dates across from the Southington Drive-In on Meriden-Waterbury Turnpike.

• March 29: 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
• March 30: 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
• March 31: 8 a.m.-2 p.m.

Please consider purchasing flowers and supporting many outstanding charities.

Looking for last-minute plans tomorrow? Join curator, Christina Volpe, for "Know Your Antiques," an exploration of the collection at the Barnes Museum on Saturday at noon! Through items on display at the museum, Christina will delve into historical ceramics, glass, and furniture identification.

Happy Saint Patrick’s Day! ☘️