Renzullo to run for General Assembly

WINSTED — Democratic Selectman Michael Renzullo announced on Tuesday, Feb. 7, that he is running for a seat in the state’s General Assembly in the 63rd House District, which includes the towns of Barkhamsted, Canaan, Colebrook, Hartland, Norfolk, North Canaan and Winchester.After redistricting, when the 2012-14 legislative term begins, the 63rd will include Winchester, Colebrook and portions of Torrington and Goshen.Renzullo was re-elected to his fourth term on the Board of Selectmen in November.He operates Laurel City Revamp, a nonprofit organization he formed to purchase and rehabilitate distressed buildings in town.Renzullo said that operating Laurel City Revamp is currently his full-time job.When he spoke to The Winsted Journal two weeks ago, Renzullo said he was not sure if he wanted to run.“I wanted to make sure that, if I decided to make a run, I would have the support to be successful,” Renzullo told the Journal on Tuesday. “I believe I do have that support. I have been speaking with chairmen from Democratic town committees, and I have been getting fantastic reactions from everyone.”Renzullo said that one of the reasons he is running is he believes voters are disappointed with the current representative, Republican John Rigby.“Most people don’t even know who he is,” Renzullo said. “If people do know who he is, they complain about him and say that he has done nothing. As a selectman, I can’t think of too many times when he has made himself available to us. When I serve as a representative, I will make myself available to all of the communities that I’m serving. I will be accessible to town governments and people. I will also establish a local office somewhere.”When asked whether he would establish an office in Winsted, Renzullo said he had not made a decision.Renzullo said he believes he is qualified to be a representative because he has a strong grasp of the challenges in the region.“If I am elected, the first thing I would do is bring attention to this area,” he said. “What we don’t get from the state is a fair share of funding. The lion’s share of grants goes to cities. The time has come where we need a squeaky wheel. If Waterbury gets a $5 million grant, you can barely even notice it. If Winsted received $5 million, it would make a large impact.”