Harding named minority leader

Stephen Harding (right) with Billy Buckbee, the state represetnative from New Millford.

Submitted

Harding named minority leader

State Sen. Stephen Harding (R-30) was chosen to replace state Sen. Kevin Kelly (R-21) as minority leader in the state Senate on Friday, Feb. 16.

The 30th Senate District includes all six Region One towns.

In a phone interview Sunday, Feb. 18, Harding praised Kelly’s work and said he considers the job to be “an incredible honor, an incredible opportunity.”

The Republicans are outnumbered 24-12 in the state Senate — in the state House, it’s 98 Democrats to 53 Republicans.

Asked what the plan is moving forward, Harding said that, under Kelly, the Senate Republicans notched significant wins, including retaining “economic guardrails” on state budgets and spending and the abandonment of a planned regulation to ban sales of new gasoline-powered vehicles beginning in 2035.

Harding said his plan is “to work collaboratively, as a team” with the other 11 members of his caucus, to focus on “practical policy” while highlighting issues that concern middle-class voters in the state, and to promote “positive messaging.”

He also said he would like to work closely with his counterparts in the state House, not because of differences in opinion, but on coordinating their efforts.

“The different chambers have different procedures, so there’s a navigation aspect to it.”

Latest News

Allyn H. Hurlburt III

CORNWALL — It is with great sadness that I share that I lost my husband, Buddy, my best friend and soulmate in a matter of minutes with no warning, at home on March 31, 2025. Our wonderful children are a testament to who he was and what we are as a family.

Buddy was born Allyn H. Hurlburt III, but went by Buddy because his father and grandfather were both Allyns too.

Keep ReadingShow less
All are welcome at The Mahaiwe

Paquito D’Rivera performs at the Mahaiwe in Great Barrington on April 5.

Geandy Pavon

Natalia Bernal is the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center’s education and community engagement manager and is, in her own words, “the one who makes sure that Mahaiwe events are accessible to all.”

The Mahaiwe’s community engagement program is rooted in the belief that the performing arts should be for everyone. “We are committed to establishing and growing partnerships with neighboring community and arts organizations to develop pathways for overcoming social and practical barriers,” Bernal explained. “Immigrants, people of color, communities with low income, those who have traditionally been underserved in the performing arts, should feel welcomed at the Mahaiwe.”

Keep ReadingShow less
Living with the things you love:
a conversation with Mary Randolph Carter
Mary Randolph Carter teaches us to surround ourselves with what matters to live happily ever after.
Carter Berg

There is magic in a home filled with the things we love, and Mary Randolph Carter, affectionately known as “Carter,” has spent a lifetime embracing that magic. Her latest book, “Live with the Things You Love … and You’ll Live Happily Ever After,” is about storytelling, joy, and honoring life’s poetry through the objects we keep.

“This is my tenth book,” Carter said. “At the root of each is my love of collecting, the thrill of the hunt, and living surrounded by things that conjure up family, friends, and memories.”

Keep ReadingShow less