Wadsworth Gets Committee Assignments

Farmington's state Rep.-elect William Wadsworth has been appointed to the Appropriations, Transportation and Human Services committees, House Republicans announced Wednesday.

Wadsworth, elected in November to replace longtime Rep. Demetrios Giannaros, will take the oath of office in January to represent the 21st General Assembly, which includes most of Farmington.

Wadsworth has served on the Farmington Town Council since 2000 and is noted for fiscal conservatism and helping the town to acquire open space.

"When I take the oath of office on Jan. 5, I immediately join a legislative body charged with fixing the $3.4 billion budget deficit," said Wadsworth, "a problem that was neglected by the current General Assembly."

Wadsworth says the answer lies in cuts to state spending. His appointment to the Appropriations Committee will give him a say in how the state's budget is spent.

"As a member of the influential Appropriations Committee I can start to work on curtailing excessive state spending that is at the heart of the problem," he said. "We won't get out of this mess by taxing, borrowing and spending. That's been done and it didn't work."

Wadsworth said he is pleased with his appointment to the Transportation committee because of the important issues facing the state and traffic projects impacting Farmington in particular.

"We have a number of construction projects here in Farmington currently on hold," he said. "Route 4 is in need of improvement in both the Village of Farmington and the Village of Unionville and there are two bridges in town that need to be replaced. My task will be to strike a balance between fiscal responsibility and the safety of my constituents."

The Human Services Committee oversees the Department of Social Services and the Department of Children and Families and the institutions under their jurisdiction.

"These are difficult times which means Human Services work will be challenging, but I look forward to doing my best to do some good for the people that need it most. That's my job," Wadsworth said.