Meet the Candidates: Sen. Martin Looney, D-11

Government Experience: State House of Representatives, 1981-92, Assistant Majority Leader (1989-90); State Senate, 1993-present, Assistant Minority Leader (1995-96), Majority Leader (1997-present) Community Experience: Board member, Fair Haven Community Health Center; board member, Community Mediation, Inc.; board member, St. Rose of Lima School; past parish trustee, past president, Saint Rose Parish Council Occupation: Attorney Education: B.A., Fairfield; M.A., UConn; J.D., UConn
Top Priorities: 1. Measures to expand opportunities and incentives for job creation and economic development. 2. Continued improvement of public education at all levels. 3. Expanded incentives for regionalism in providing government services.

What he says: I have served as 11th District State Senator since 1993 and have been an advocate for state job creation initiatives, for a more progressive revenue structure, for property tax relief for municipal property taxpayers, and for improvements to our public education system at all levels.

In addition, I have worked to expand health insurance coverage for many conditions ranging from breast cancer screenings to autism treatment. In 2011 Connecticut created a State Earned Income Tax Credit to benefit low income workers, a measure I had advocated for more than a decade.

Also the General Assembly passed a significant job creation bill which included my proposal to establish a program called STEP-UP providing state wage subsidies for up to six months for small businesses that hire the unemployed and also for small manufacturers willing to hire and train new employees.

I am profoundly grateful for the trust and confidence of the people of the 11th District who have elected me and re-elected me and also for that of my Senate Democratic colleagues who have chosen me as their Majority Leader since 2003.