The Secret To Conroy’s Comeback? New Knees

FILEFor a candidate whose big issue is health care, it seems fitting Theresa Conroy credits part of her comeback victory Tuesday in the 105th State House race to a medical procedure.

In 2010, Conroy, then a Democratic incumbent, lost the race for the 105th District to then-challenger Republican Len Greene Jr. Asked Friday how she won this time around, she didn’t point to things like the high-turnout presidential race or redistricting.

Honestly, I think my voter contact. I did much more than I did last time,” Conroy said Friday. In 2010, I had bad knees, I couldn’t get out there as much.”

After she lost two years ago, she had knee replacement surgery and says she was much more spry this time around.

I knocked on over 4,000 doors,” she said. People getting to know me one-on-one, knowing my values and what I stand for, helped me to win this election.”

Naturally, she also credited her campaign staff with hard work throughout the race.

They really brought everything together,” she said. I’ve never had such strong volunteers before. People walked into my headquarters that I had no idea who they were saying they wanted to help.”

Calls and messages to Conroy’s campaign manager were not returned.

Election Day was seen as a major triumph for Democrats in the state. Democrat Chris Murphy handily beat Republican candidate Linda McMahon for a U.S. Senate seat, despite McMahon’s aggressive campaign and deep pockets.

On the national level, Democrat Barack Obama was re-elected over Republican candidate Mitt Romney.

So one would think Conroy’s election comes as no surprise, given the big day Democrats had.

Wrong.

The state and national Democratic trends were not reflected in the 105th State House district, which includes Beacon Falls, Seymour and, for the first time ever, a sliver of Derby.

Obama and Murphy both lost in Beacon Falls and Seymour. Yet Conroy still managed to unseat a Republican last Tuesday.

In fact, Conroy received more votes in Seymour than Obama.

How’d she manage it, only two years after losing to Greene by 99 votes in 2010?

A Shift In Strategy

Her strategy changed from 2010, too. She said she knew people from Seymour know her, but not Greene’s stronghold of Beacon Falls, where he has deep family roots.

And a section of Derby was also added to the 105th District between 2010 and 2012.

Derby was the new part of the district, so I went out to the district starting in August knocking on every door in Derby,” Conroy said. I targeted Derby first and then I actually went to Beacon Falls. Seymour people know me, I’ve been active in the community my whole life.”

But a look at Tuesday’s election returns — according to the latest numbers on the Secretary of the State’s website Friday, the totals show an 80-vote, 5,163 – 5,083 advantage to Conroy — doesn’t necessarily show that the new strategy bore fruit.

Greene actually grew his margin in Beacon Falls, from 463 votes in 2010 to 555 votes Tuesday. In Seymour, Conroy’s advantage went from 245 votes to 469.

But the attention Conroy paid to Derby may have paid off: she won the part of the city that now includes the 105th by 166 votes. In 2010, when part of Ansonia was in the 105th, she took that sliver of the district by 119 votes.

So she picked up more votes in Derby, and a lot more votes in her hometown of Seymour.

Conroy said she doesn’t think the redistricting made the difference this time around.

I’m glad Derby came onboard and supported me, but the demographics seems pretty close to that part of Ansonia (the district) lost to Derby,” she said.

Nor does she think President Obama’s coat-tails won her the race.

Obama lost in Seymour,” she said. I think I got like 250 more votes than Obama did. Linda McMahon won in my town. I had a lot of people from both parties saying to me I’m voting for all Republicans except for you.’”

Regardless of how she won, she’s now looking forward to once again sitting in Hartford as a lawmaker. 

But she’ll also serve as a member of the Seymour Board of Selectmen, a post to which she was elected in 2011. She says serving in the dual roles will help her perspective.

Being on a local board gives me what we really need in the community, to see what our needs are up close and personal,” she said. I’m hoping what I learn on the Board of Selectmen will easily transcend up in Hartford.”

The Issues

The state’s General Assembly has a lot on its plate, she said.

The state budget is going to be overwhelming,” Conroy said. I was there when the crisis began in 08. I’ve had a budget of $10 million when I was a nurse manager, so I know how to drill down in a budget.

But we need to make sure we’re working on economic development down in our area,” she went on, listing a handful of Seymour sites — like the burned-out Housatonic Wire factory, Tri-Town Plaza, and a 230-acre property off Franklin Street owned by the Haynes Construction Company — as prime places for new businesses to come in.

Click here to read a previous story about Tri-Town and the Haynes property.

People don’t want their taxes going up, but we need to get businesses in to offset what we’re paying for property taxes,” Conroy said. Seymour’s been fortunate, we’ve got some great businesses, like Thule, Basement Systems. We’d like to see more of that happening.”

She also said she’ll work with U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro, who was re-elected Tuesday to the third congressional district, to try to bring infrastructure improvements — like increased train service — to take the strain off Route 8.

A nurse by trade, she thinks health care will be a big issue in the coming session, with more of the federal Affordable Care Act being implemented soon and lots to do at a state level.

I know the insides and outsides of health care,” Conroy said Friday, listing access to care for people that don’t have insurance as an issue she hopes to work on. It’s not as easy as people think it is. If you have insurance you’re OK. If you don’t have insurance there’s a lot of backdoors you have to go through before you get it.”

Previous Stories:

Conroy Declares Victory

Greene Concedes

Seymour Voters Bolstered Conroy’s Comeback

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