Rep. Elizabeth Esty is back in Connecticut with what’s expected to be a regular public schedule.
“I just wanted to let you know, and you may have heard, I am retiring from Congress but I will be in through the end of this year and I will continue to fight as I have for the last five and a half year, efforts to change social security or Medicare to privatize or socialize them,” Esty told a group of seniors in a Meriden Senior Center.
With near uniformity, those in attendance welcomed Esty to their luncheon. Esty’s district office is in the same building, and she was very familiar with many of the residence.
“She helps a lot of people. She was there for them,” said Nancy Flagg, a resident at the Meriden Senior Center on West Main Street. “She used to call me and I used to listen to her on the phone. She’s just a great person and what they’re doing is terrible.”
Esty says with her remaining time in Congress she plans to focus on her priorities, like looking out for seniors, veterans, and the poor. She said she would actively fight any legislation aimed at privatizing Social Security or Medicare.
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“That’s one of the reasons I’m staying in my seat is because if bad legislation comes up, I want to be able to vote against it for this district and when there are good things we can get done I want to be able to vote for that and champion the things we want to get done,” she said.
Esty told NBC Connecticut last week in Washington DC that she made mistakes that she regretted nearly three years ago relating to the alleged conduct of her former chief of staff, Tony Baker. Esty says she wants a House Ethics investigation to continue aimed at looking at her conduct in the matter. She says at the time, May of 2016, she followed protocols explained to her by the House Ethics Office and by labor attorneys, which led to a non-disclosure agreement with Baker.
“If indeed it comes back that nothing was done wrong, then that tells us how much we need to change policies in Congress.” She also said she is working to change the policies when it comes to harassment in the US Capitol and wants to establish a formal Human Resources office to force the legislative branch to act more like a professional workplace.
Esty has more than $1.5 million in campaign contributions sitting in her account, and she says she will determine what to do with those funds after she leaves Congress.
“Campaign and political stuff can wait until after December. Right now, there are urgent needs of the country and urgent needs of this district that need tending to.”
Her constituents in Meriden, like Patricia DeMaria, say Esty should remain on the job, and pursue reelection.
“I think she’s very good and I like people who do good things and they know how about to go about it to get it,” DeMaria said. “I think she should just keep on going and do whatever she can to continue her good work.”
