Jillian Gilchrest

This January 1st not only marked the beginning of a new year, it also meant the enactment of dozens of new laws and reforms for Connecticut residents.

Low temperatures are expected from now until Saturday Dec. 21. The Governor has activated severe cold weather protocol, which will end at 9 a.m. Saturday.

As we approach the one-year mark of my first term as your State Representative, I want to express my gratitude and offer ways you can connect with me. I look forward to working with you and those in our community to develop policy that will enhance our district and state.

More than 6,000 fifth graders from across our state voted for the next CT Kid Governor and the results are in - Myra Stanfield, a fifth-grade student at Eric G. Norfeldt School, has been elected as CT's 2020 Kid Governor! Myra will use her time in office to stop animal abuse. Congratulations!

I will be holding office hours Monday, November 25 from 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. in Room 407 of the West Hartford Town Hall, 50 S. Main St.

The West Hartford municipal elections were Tuesday, and I want commend all of the candidates for their hard work and commitment to making West Hartford a better place to work and live! Municipal elections are so important because they directly impact our day-to-day lives. Despite low turnouts for these elections, West Hartford saw a 3 percent uptick in voter turnout this year from the last municipal election!

Happy (belated) Halloween! I hope you had a safe, spooky, and candy-filled evening with your loved ones. I wanted to update you on what I’ve been up to this week and share what’s been happening in and around our district.

The 2019 legislative session wrapped up in June. Thank you for the honor of allowing me to serve the 18^th Assembly District. We were able to tackle some important issues and accomplish quite a bit during the session. From raising the minimum wage to securing paid family and medical leave, and strengthening our state’s gun control policies, there’s a lot to be proud of.