Ken Valenti

WESTPORT–The two Democrats competing to replace state Senator Ceci Maher in District 26 are touting dueling endorsements for the post.

Weston First Selectwoman Samantha “Sam” Nestor announced in a short video Sunday that Maher had endorsed her to be her successor. Days earlier, Connecticut State Representative Lucy Dathan announced on Facebook that she had been endorsed by House colleague Jonathan Steinberg.

Maher said in a short video that she had struggled with whether to even make an endorsement before backing Nestor.

“Sam is who we need in the district because she will stand up for affordability and transportation and the environment and democracy,” she said in a video with the endorsement. “She’s someone who knows how to listen….You will want to talk to her in the grocery store and she’ll listen to you. She will bring the issues that you care about up to the Senate and she will make sure that change happens.”

Steinberg, whose District 136 covers most of Westport, praised Dathan’s successes in the House, where she represents District 142, covering parts of Norwalk and New Canaan.

“When there’s a critical bill we need to get across the finish line, it’s Lucy Dathan we rely on,” Steinberg said in a release from Latham. “Her ability to deliver on what matters is second to none, and there’s no one I trust more to fight for our Democratic values. I’m proud to endorse Lucy Dathan for state Senate.”

The position is opening because Maher announced March 5 that she would not seek a third two-year term in Hartford.

Sam Nestor

Nestor entered the race hoping to bring her local municipal perspective to Hartford, where state decisions “shape the ability of towns to address real challenges like rising healthcare and energy costs, infrastructure needs, and gaps in social safety net programs such as SNAP benefits.”

She joined the Weston Board of Selectmen in 2019 and became first selectwoman two years later. She previously served on the Weston Board of Education.

Calling Maher “one of my favorite people,” Nestor said, “Her level of public service has really been inspiring….I wanted to continue the path that she began and that level of public service and that commitment to the community that she has set the bar so high for.”

She said she loves “working with my colleagues in Westport, in Redding and Ridgefield, Stamford, Darien and New Caanan. They work on common affordability issues in health care, energy and maintaining facilities.

“We all work together solving the problems of our municipalities,” Nestor said. 

Lucy Dathan

Dathan, in thanking Steinberg for his endorsement, said, “As state senator, I’ll continue fighting for the policies that reflect those values, reduce costs for families, and protect our state from MAGA Republicans in Washington and here at home.”

She points to her seven years in the state government as well as her previous career in finance, including experience as a chief financial officer for multiple companies, an investment banker and an auditor. 

“I would be the only CPA-finance person in the Democratic caucus in the senate,” she said. 

Her website lists numerous accomplishments, saying that she gained Medicaid increases for providers, increased funding for group homes and nursing homes, implemented programs to lower the costs of prescription drugs, strengthened background checks for employees at long-term care facilities, established tax-free savings accounts for first-time home buyers, founded the Special Education Expansion and Development (SEED) grant program among other initiatives.

“I do believe that a lot of work that we can do is socially progressive but fiscally responsible,” she said.

Currently, she is a sponsor on a bill that would coordinate efforts to prevent human trafficking. While various non-profit organizations and the Connecticut Department of Children and Families take steps to address the issue, they lack the coordination needed to battle the problem, she said.

“We’re finding that people are falling through the cracks,” she said.  

In 2023, she spearheaded a bill to expand resources and support services for intellectually and developmentally disabled people in order to reduce the waitlist for services.

Ken Valenti

^{_{A career journalist and lifelong resident of the New York City region, Ken Valenti has enjoyed decades of reporting local, regional and national news in New York and Connecticut. Topics of special interest are development, the environment, Long Island Sound and transportation. When not reporting, he’s always on the lookout for the perfect coffee shop or used book sale.}}