Bio
Toni Boucher: Chief Deputy Leader in the Connecticut State Senate (10 years); Assistant Minority Leader, State House of Representatives (12 years); Wilton’s Board of Education Chairman; a Connecticut State Board of Education member; a member of the State’s Vo-Tech Board of Education; Wilton selectman. Toni Boucher has also been a director of a leading investment company; held executive positions with Fortune 500 companies; co-founder of a marketing design agency; principal of a mainframe software maintenance and consulting company; co-authored a white paper on the Ethics and Nonprofits. Toni serves as a trustee on numerous nonprofits’ boards including as a founding board member of UCONN’s Nonprofit Leadership Development Institute. Ms. Boucher earned a UCONN MBA and has held Series 7, 63 and 31 licenses.
Full Candidate Interview
Op-Ed
Bipartisanship. Civility. Compromise.
It’s what we need a lot more of in today’s politics. And it’s a big reason why I have stepped up to run to be your next state senator.
I believe that working across party lines, listening, and respecting your colleagues is the best way to achieve mutual goals which will improve the quality of life for everyone here in southwestern Connecticut. During my 12 years in the State House and 10 years in the State Senate, I took pride in getting people with differing backgrounds and views to sit around a table, speak courteously to one another, and reach compromises to help move our state forward.
Republicans and Democrats need to work together to make Connecticut more affordable for families. We need to protect local control of our education system, say no to regionalizing schools and respect parental involvement. We need to make Connecticut neighborhoods safer and protect our residential property rights.
It used to be that “compromise” was not a dirty word. Compromise was what made government work and resulted in the creation of effective laws. Today, that isn’t the case. Take, for example, dysfunctional Washington DC, which is paralyzed by politics. (For the record, I don’t believe the 2020 presidential election was stolen and was saddened and shocked by the events on Jan. 6 in our nation’s capital.)
Over the course of my public service, I have worked hard to seek compromise with civility and respect on all sides of many contentious issues. That is why I continue my work with the National Institute for Civil Discourse. I also believe that is why the Connecticut Independent Party has endorsed my candidacy.
While in the legislature, I helped to negotiate bipartisan bills and voted for a woman’s right to choose, gay marriage, and the historic 2017 bipartisan budget bill. That budget contained mutually agreed upon government spending controls which have produced record surpluses today. That common-sense budget has also maxed out our state’s Rainy Day Fund and changed the way Connecticut pays down its highest-in-the-nation unfunded debt.
In addition, immediately after the Sandy Hook tragedy, I was tapped by former Senate Minority Leader John McKinney to join three Democrats and two Republicans to help craft Connecticut’s landmark bipartisan gun control bill. Today, that law serves as a model for the nation.
A prime example of how determination and bipartisan discussions bear fruit is the Holocaust education legislation we passed in 2018. That bill’s passage was an emotional, unforgettable moment for me and for many others. For several years prior to 2018, we had tried to pass this bill. Time after time, we were unsuccessful. By staying persistent and by keeping positive conversations going, we were finally able to succeed in passing Holocaust education legislation which has made Connecticut a model for other states. We achieved the goal by consistently bringing people together and uniting all stakeholders around a common vision.
In local government, I have served as a Board of Education chairman and on the Board of Selectmen. I have also had the honor of serving on the State Board of Education and the State Board of Education for Vo-Tech Schools. As a state representative, I was an Assistant Minority Leader. In the state senate, I was a Chief Deputy Minority Leader. While in the legislature, I was a leader of the Education and Children’s Committees.
As a result of my work for education quality and equity for children, I was honored to be named a “Children’s Champion” seven times by the Connecticut Early Childhood Alliance.
In my professional life, I have been a leader in two Fortune 50 companies and a major investment firm. I founded small businesses in Norwalk and Wilton, earned an MBA from UCONN, and have held Series 7, 63, and 31 investment licenses.
The bottom line? I am a mother and a grandmother who loves our state and wants to help people of all ages, all backgrounds and all political parties. I put people over party labels, I will work tirelessly as your state senator, and I am asking Democrats, Republicans, Independents and unaffiliated voters for your support on Nov. 8.
Bipartisanship, Civility, Compromise. That’s my pledge to you.