Rep. Berthel Qualifies for State Grant in Bid for Vacant State Senate Seat

Rep. Eric Berthel (R-Watertown) has received a major boost in his bid to become the

next state senator for the 32nd Senatorial District.

Berthel on Jan. 26 qualified for a $72,000 grant from the state Citizens Elections Program

after collecting $11,250 in small donations from 250 in-district supporters. The election

for the vacant senate seat is scheduled for Feb. 28.

“The Connecticut taxpayers are my priority,” Berthel said. “As state senator, I will

continue to work tirelessly to reduce our tax and regulatory burdens and eliminate

wasteful government spending. From now until the polls close on Feb. 28, I will be

taking my pro-business, pro-economic growth message to the people in the 10 towns of

the 32nd district.”

Berthel was elected to the Connecticut House of Representatives in 2014, representing

Watertown, Oakville and Woodbury. Re-elected in 2016, Berthel has served on the

legislature’s Finance, Revenue and Bonding Committee, Public Health Committee, and

Education Committee. He currently serves on the Banking, Housing, and Insurance and

Real Estate Committees.

A vice president for strategic outreach at Hartford Healthcare Federal Credit

Union, Berthel, 49, has spent his working career focused on healthcare communications,

public relations, marketing and business development.

Berthel has demonstrated his commitment to serve the community through his extensive

involvement with the Watertown Board of Education. In addition to the regular work of

the Board, he has participated in all of the Board subcommittees, serving as a chair of

four of those subcommittees, serving as Board Secretary and as Vice Chairman. He was

also the Board liaison for three of five schools in Watertown and Oakville. In 2013,

Berthel was appointed to the special subcommittee for the evaluation of the

Superintendent and in 2014 to the special subcommittee for the search for the new

Superintendent.

An active member of the Watertown Republican Town Committee, Berthel was elected

by the delegates of the 10 towns in the 32nd Senatorial District to represent the district as

a member of the Republican State Central Committee