New Leadership Role
I was recently unanimously voted as vice-chair of the Waterbury Rail Line Caucus. I invite this new leadership role despite my already full agenda as I plan to advocate for needed improvements and services to the Waterbury Rail Line. These proposed changes will directly benefit Greater-Waterbury and the Naugatuck Valley community.
They have been discussing improvements to the line for decades, but nothing has gotten done. That's why I joined the caucus. The station is in my district, and I have voiced my complaints publicly on how I feel the Waterbury Line is an under-served station. Here I stand with my co-chairs as we plan to be heard this session.
The proposal is being considered within an all-encompassing transportation bill, but myself, and the bipartisan caucus, are fighting for the proposal to be heard and prioritized over lines that have consistently received sufficient funding, and projects that aren’t related.
This is probably my most important task in the 2020 legislative session. This will have an immediate impact on the community and the line itself. I am ready to meet with the transportation commissioner and governor to work and advocate for the rail line, bringing outlooks of economic growth to our community.
We already know there are low-interest federal loans for rail improvements that the administration should be acting on right now in order to make the Valley more accessible to future economic growth. I know what I envisioned a world class railway would look like, and I think with this bipartisan effort we have in front of us right now, we've got a lot of muscle to get this done.